We hear so much about journaling but why? What makes it so valuable and what does a journaling practice look like?

Journaling is one of the best self development tools that you can use to help you get more grounded, more self-aware and in tune with your highest ideals. It also commits you to the practice of writing which helps you become a better thinker and communicator. 

When we write, when we arrange our thoughts on a page in a coherent fashion, this practice helps us to organise our thinking process so we can better understand our thoughts, which ultimately translates into efficiently communicating your ideas to others. So if you want to be an epic communicator, start journaling! 

A way to start is to take thirty minutes at the beginning of your day together with a pen and paper.Use a pen and paper versus a phone or laptop as it gives a break from screen time but it’s also shown to be better for creativity, reflection and brainstorming so it’s ideal for journaling. 

Use the first ten minutes to review your schedule and what you have planned for the day both personally and professionally. Perhaps some engagements aren’t as relevant as they were when you booked them in and they can now be removed. For the ones that are important to you, you might plan out how you want them to go, how you’re going to show up and what you want out of them. This will help bring a more proactive sense to your days rather than reactive. 

Use the following ten minutes to look at your priorities, what you want to do and get out of your day ahead. Perhaps you might be expecting a little too much from yourself and sometimes when this is the case, when we’re spread too thinly it becomes overwhelming and challenging to get anything done at all. So prioritise and zone in on the key things that you want to achieve in the day ahead. Or, you might find its the opposite, you might have little to do in your day ahead in which case you have the opportunity to do something for yourself, you could perhaps take time for rest or do something you’ve wanted to do for some time. What could you do today that’ll set you up to be that bit better off tomorrow? This will help bring greater value, productivity and achievement to your days.

Then with the remaining ten minutes take some time to explore what’s on your mind. What’s coming up for you? What’s taking up space in your head? What’s on your mind? With your pen and paper, explore these thoughts. Give them some room to breathe. Sometimes thoughts that have been weighing heavy on your mind for weeks only need a little time to be thought through and with that they’ll go, others might help inspire some action that will ultimately make your life more authentic and aligned. 

This daily journaling practice helps to remove mental blocks and allows you to use all of your brainpower to better understand yourself, others and the world around you. It also leads to better sleep, a stronger immune system, more self-confidence and a higher I.Q.