I was introduced to journalling by an online coaching programme I joined back in 2015. Hearing all the positive benefits that come from keeping and writing in a journal daily, I had to explore it! My initial thoughts on journalling was…I am not a 12 year old girl – I am not into the whole ‘Dear Diary…’ concept. But journalling, depending on your intention, is so different to this and can be a really powerful concept.
A good excuse to buy a beautiful leather notebook I say – notebook addict here!
Every time I start journaling, I love it! But, I easily fall off the bandwagon after a few days. I haven’t yet found a good routine for making this a daily habit, but I know it’s something I enjoy and want to incorporate into my daily life rather than just a couple of times a week. I would always start great, talking about things I am grateful for, what I am excited about in business, what are my passion projects, what do I need to improve on etc – but more often than not I was finding I was just being really negative and writing about how I was feeling, or worse, just looking at a blank page for an hour and completely feeling like I was failing at this thing people say is so essential, and then just wasting valuable time!
I wanted to work out why I was miserably sucking at this whole journalling thing that everyone seemed to be finding such success in. I turned to google to find out more about journalling and specifically about journalling for business and success. The sort of stuff I was coming across was:
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[li]The action of putting words to your thoughts opens up a creative process that provides insight and clarity in a way that few other exercises can.[/li]
[li]A 15-minute writing exercise at the end of your workday can make you more successful.[/li]
[li]The more I journal
[li]As an entrepreneur and business owner, I have used journaling extensively and the habit has been integral to my achievements[/li]
[li]Keeping a journal at work can enhance your business’s productivity and profitability.[/li]
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Reading all these articles, I was thinking there must be something in it! To get out of my writers’ block/Dear Diary funk, I started looking into prompts I can use if I feel that I am stuck or losing direction of what is productive and going to be beneficial to my journalling process. Prompts have massively helped with my journalling process and I know basically I journal with intention and specifically about my business, my mindset, passion projects, what is working and what I need to improve on. It really helps me work out plans and strategies, ideas and projects that no longer fit or maybe need outsourcing. Approaching journalling this way has been amazing and I get so excited now when I start my morning this way.
My morning ritual is still the same, grabbing a cup of tea, my journal and pen and writing as much as I can usually for about half an hour. It starts my head in a clear space for the day and usually gets me in the flow with writing, which is the usually the perfect time to start blogging.
Another form of journalling I do, gratitude journalling. You may or may not have heard of The Five Minute Journal, recommended highly by the likes of Tim Ferriss I personally use the phone app and have done now for about a year, and love that you can add a daily photo and check in first thing in the morning and last thing before you head off to bed. As I do pen to paper journalling for my day to day, this is just a more interactive way for me to keep a track of my thoughts. I really recommend it!
So, back to you, do you journal? Whether it’s morning pages or just a gratitude journal, I’d love to know if you have incorporated into your daily routine and how you made it a habit? Do you find it is the best way to start your day – or do you have another routine? I’d love to hear your tips, comment below and let me know!