{"id":4039,"date":"2022-04-01T10:02:17","date_gmt":"2022-03-31T23:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/student-health-and-well-being\/?p=4039"},"modified":"2022-04-27T10:27:07","modified_gmt":"2022-04-27T00:57:07","slug":"a-simple-journaling-method-ive-been-using","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/student-health-and-well-being\/2022\/04\/01\/a-simple-journaling-method-ive-been-using\/","title":{"rendered":"A simple journaling method I’ve been using"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Overview<\/strong>: I like the idea<\/em> of journaling, but I’ve never maintained a coherent practice. Until this year, when I developed a super simple method that I use in the half-hour before I kick off my work for the day. This post describes that method. Reading time ~ 3.5 minutes.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Early this year as part of my preparations for what I knew would be a busy year, I developed a simple journaling ritual.<\/p>\n

I do this in the morning, before kicking off my work for the day. It is part of a bigger ritual in which I clarify the tasks I need to do for the upcoming day\/week.<\/p>\n

I do it online in an app called Workflowy<\/a> which I also use to manage my to-do lists. I’ve long since abandoned the art of writing by hand.<\/p>\n

My journaling method is very basic. It takes me only a couple of minutes. It consists of little more than about 7 sentences.<\/p>\n

Those seven sentences address seven reflection points that I’ve surmised from the research have potential value.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What setbacks<\/strong> I am currently facing – I took this from Stoic practices described by William Irvin<\/a>e that focus one’s attention on solving problems, rather than lamenting them<\/li>\n
  2. What wins<\/strong> I’ve had and things I am grateful for – I took this from gratitude practices<\/a> that encourage us to take note of the good things in life<\/li>\n
  3. How I am feeling<\/strong> at the time of writing – I took this from the mood monitoring literature<\/a> that suggests insights can be gained from assessing one’s mood regularly<\/li>\n
  4. Things I’ve been reflecting<\/strong> on in terms of lessons about my self – I took this (tangentially) from the education literature which suggests self-reflection is a powerful avenue for learning<\/li>\n
  5. What I’ve learned<\/strong> recently that was interesting – I do this to try and ensure that I am staying open to learning new things<\/li>\n
  6. The bigger ‘Why’<\/strong> that I think I am working towards – I took this from work suggesting meaning\/purpose are powerful wellbeing buffers<\/li>\n
  7. Some aspect of my future<\/strong> I’d like to see happen – I took this from exercises like ‘life crafting<\/a>‘ that involve articulation of an ideal future<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    So a journal entry might look something like:<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Don’t worry if that doesn’t really make sense to you. It makes sense to me and that is what is important. I can revisit an entry and connect with the version of me that wrote it and make a decision about whether anything I’ve journaled requires activation in my life in some way.<\/p>\n

    If you were to develop a basic journaling practice, what would it look like? I’ve written about self-reflection\/writing exercises that promote healt<\/a>h before. You might get some clues from that.<\/p>\n

    But let’s face it, there are thousands of articles online about journaling that provide you with clues on ‘how-to’ do it.<\/p>\n

    The bigger question you need to ask yourself is ‘why’ you would do it. For me, journaling is a way of grounding myself in the present moment before kicking off the day. I can take stock of my life, how I feel and what is consuming my thought bandwidth before setting my tasks for the day. It is equal parts wellbeing strategy and productivity tool.<\/p>\n

    Steal it if you like it. Ignore it if you don’t.<\/p>\n

    If you already have a journaling practice I’ve love to hear what you have found works for you?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Overview: I like the idea of journaling, but I’ve never maintained a coherent practice. 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