Time and time again we hear about the value of daily journaling. As we begin a new year, keeping a daily journal can be one of your goals. Or maybe you are already journaling and want to continue it. Many experts suggest keeping a journal to track what you do, think, and feel. For example, your journal can focus on wellness and capture your food intake, exercise, and social activities. It can focus on gratitude and document your many blessings and their impact on your life or spiritual development. Or it can serve as more of a journal of your experiences.
There are a myriad of ways to do this, including writing and scribbling in paper journals, which come in a variety of shapes, sizes, prices, textures, and backdrops, and of course there are. many digital options. In addition, there are many formats. In Leading the learning function, several members discussed the use of journaling for learning. A member keeps a journal of what she learns, capturing ideas from articles, books and podcasts. After trying something new, she takes note of what worked, where she got stuck, and what she would do differently if given the chance. Then she does weekly and monthly grade reviews to decide what to keep doing and what improvements to make. Where appropriate, she also adds these ideas to an initiative or project.
One technique she finds useful in developing her ability to be a resourceful leader and in improving the journaling process is that of Ryder Carroll. Bullet Journal Method, which many bloggers affectionately refer to as the KonMari approach to journaling. The process involves what Carroll calls fast journaling, and it’s made up of four components: topics, page numbers, short sentences, and bullets. It also incorporates a variety of symbols and revisions to migrate tasks into the future. While it is useful to keep a journal, Carroll’s use of bulleted format and ideas expands his ability to capture information and provides him with convenient ways to review it, thereby adding a higher level of implementation. in the field.
Talent thought leaders frequently suggest keeping a journal. Jim Kouzes suggests capturing your learning during your leadership journey by keeping a journal. In Learn leadership, Kouzes and Posner define leadership as “… a model of observable actions and behaviors which can be defined by certain acquired skills and capacities”. It must be practiced and mastered over time through experience, reflection, feedback and learning. They recommend using a leadership journal daily. A main trigger is: What have I learned in the past 24 hours that will help me be a better leader [and reach my SMART goal]?
Learning science expert Britt Andreatta writes about the benefits of gratitude in one of her blogs. She says, “Focusing our attention on what we’re grateful for, especially in the midst of challenges that leave us exhausted, has many benefits, including reduced stress and a boost in our immune system. We are highly adaptive creatures, and giving thanks is ingrained in our biology. ”
Amazing Executive Coach Marshall Goldsmith uses and recommends the Six Daily Questions model. The six questions help leaders take personal ownership and don’t JUST depend on their business to engage them. These questions start with the same opening rod and include:
Did I do my best to:
- Set clear goals?
- Progress towards the achievement of the objectives?
- Find meaning?
- Be happy?
- Build positive relationships?
- Be fully engaged?
For those who find daily journaling difficult, another effective technique is to take the time once a month or quarterly to document key highlights. Some use special occasions such as birthdays, holidays, or major events such as trips to document important actions, events, and highlights. Still others use the end of the year to summarize. David Fivecoat suggests five questions to use for this type of journaling:
- Where did you succeed?
- What did you like the most?
- What lessons have you learned?
- What will you do differently in the New Year?
- What is the status of your goals?
Since journaling is a generative thinking technique, some find it helpful to use traditional thinking triggers like Ed Betof’s 6 Sentence Stems to capture an event or a period of time. These triggers are:
- I have learned …
- I have relearned …
- I wonder …
- I was surprised …
- I hope …
- I foresee …
If you don’t keep a journal, I hope you are encouraged by this. If you are a seasoned journalist, maybe some of these ideas will encourage you to cheer up and try new ideas, or as we say in the Forum, to experiment a bit to improve yourself. There is a lot of advice on the Internet for knowing what, when, and how to keep a journal.
The best advice might be to take the plunge and give it a try. If the format you are using seems inconvenient after about a week, change it. You may want to combine several of the ideas. For example, use two pages of a journaling notebook. Capture the traditional journal on the right page and use the left to capture visuals, track activities like your daily mileage, leadership experience, or even reminders. At the end of the week or month, summarize with data such as number of journal entries, hours spent on your hobby or kilometers driven and highlights such as special events, gatherings or events. achievements.
The benefits of journaling are huge, but to reap these benefits journaling has to be a constant habit over time. And that is not easy. It’s your life. Let your journal reflect it! Give some pep for 2022.
