Why were they so dedicated to this daily exercise?
Its a habit that many have trouble getting to stick.
The following tips and best practices should help.
@MagdalenaRikanovic
They certainly have for me.
Maybe you dont have 10 minutes today.
But surely you have five.
Can you start with journaling for one minute tomorrow morning?
[*] No Pressure.
He worried that it would turn his quiet, reflective time into a sort of performance and self-deception.
@MagdalenaRikanovic
This was admirable, but most of us are not George Marshall.
Dont put the burden of history on yourselfsafely assume that nobody will ever read what you are writing.
Its about getting your thoughts on pages.
There are like little throat clearers.
It helps get me started.
I never look at the blank page and think, What should I say?
because I have a bunch of go-tos that I start almost without thinking.
Who did he meet, what did he do, etc.
For the same reason many of us struggle with keeping a journal: For one thing, Im lazy.
Its easier to just list the events of the day than to craft them into a prose narrative.
Any time Ive tried to keep a journal, I ran out of steam pretty quick.
Its easy enough to combine this strategy with the one above.
If youre having trouble starting a journal, dont.
Start with a logbook.
Im not the only one who does this.
you could even look at the commonplace books of peoplelike Lewis Carroll,Walt Whitman, andThomas Jefferson.
Keep a calendar, he told him, and each day that you write jokes, put an X.
Soon enough, you get a chain going and then your job is to simplynotbreak the chain.
Success becomes a matter of momentum.
Once you get a little, its easier to keep it going.
Start journaling every day, build a chain and then work not to break it.
Dont ruin your streak.
For example, Id writeTAF(tired as fuck) when I am running myself ragged.
Ive come to use this both inmy notecard systemand now in my journaling practice.
It helps speed the process up.
[*] Give Your Thoughts Room to Marinate But evening pages work just as good.
Reducing the complexity down to what is the most important question.
Sleeping on it, and then waking up in the morning first thing and pre-input brainstorming on it.
He would put it aside until his emotions cooled down, asone historian explained.
Youll feel betterand youll always have something to say.
I also think its important to wrestle with big questions and to hold yourself to account.
Some helpful examples:Where am I standing in my own way?
Whats the smallest step I can take toward a big thing today?
What blessings can I count right now?
Why do I care so much about impressing people?
What is the harder choice Im avoiding?
Do I rule my fears, or do they rule me?
How will todays difficulties show my character?
The last tip is the most obvious one:
[*] Just Do It.
People tend to intimidate themselves about it: Whats the best way to do it?
Whats the best journal?
Theres no right way to do it.
you’re free to useThe Daily Stoic JournalorThe 5 Minute JournalorThe Bullet JournalorAustin KleonsSteal Like an ArtistJournal.
Or theOne Line A Day Journal.
Or a blank notebook or an Evernote file or an email on your iPhone.
Or usea combination of these things.
Refine and improve as you go.
Youll get into a rhythm and find what works best for you.
you might only optimize if you actually start.
I remember visiting the filmmaker Casey Neistats studio and seeing shelves and shelves of notebooks on one wall.
They dated back to the very beginning of his career.
If you want to get a chain going, start to day.
Good luck and happy journaling!
