If you’ve ever stepped foot inside the productivity sector of the YouTube algorithm, you’ve undoubtedly heard some one highlighting the benefits of journaling.
In fact, you’ve likely heard that journaling could be a good idea even when you were a small child. I always remember thinking that it would be good for me to start journaling. But I never really made the commitment to do it consistently. It just seemed like extra, unnecessary work. And just a plain ole’ hassle.
But recently I thought to myself: “I have this Moleskine journal that’s been sitting here for years. So what the heck? I might as well give journaling a shot. What’s the worst that can happen?” So for the past few days I’ve been journaling my thoughts at least once a day.
And guess what? I actually enjoyed doing it.
Now I know what you’re probably thinking: “What the heck do you write about?” To be honest, when I opened the page to jot down my thoughts for the first time, I thought the exact same thing. But I think it’s important to realize that like most things in life, your mentality is whats important.
So instead of trying to squeeze out a few drops of timeless wisdom that I took out from my day… Or trying to list out 10 things that I’m grateful for… I just wrote down what was on my mind at the exact moment.
I think the very first sentence I wrote was, “I’m really excited to start journaling…”
Eventually it evolved into talking about other events going on in my life, and working through some thoughts and concerns that I was having about business or relationships.
That’s typically what I end up writing about most days. But the cool thing is that you can write about anything. Literally anything that’s on your mind, or anything that’s bugging you, or anything that you just want to get sorted out.
I almost think of it like a free therapy session that can happen at any time and any place.
Alright so now that you know what goes into one of my journaling sessions, you’re probably wondering what benefits I experienced…right?
Well, as the title states, I’ve only been journaling for about a week so I don’t think a ton has changed…
But I do notice a few benefits that I was not anticipating.
The main benefit was improved mental clarity which led to several things:
- I felt like I could get my point across more effectively during conversations with friends. I found myself explaining my thoughts with more nuance and ease than I have in the past.
- I felt more productive. I mentioned that I journaled about issues that I was dealing with in business, and I found that it helped my productivity as a result. I worked through the harder challenges in my day by taking the time to lay out my thoughts about a problem and then weigh them against each other. Something I definitely should have been doing before…but journaling helped bring it back to the center of my consciousness.
- Less clutter in my mind. I found that after taking the time to lay out all my thoughts and issue on paper, the less time I spent cycling through those same thoughts throughout the day.
The benefits you get out of journaling may end up being similar or completely different. But I suspect that if anyone tries to work through their own thoughts with a pen and paper at least once a day, there will be some added mental clarity which is invaluable to say the least.
Hope you enjoyed this short article, if you did please leave a like and I’ll see you on the next one.
