If you haven’t already, take a moment to google “The benefits of journaling”. I’ll wait…
I used to hate the idea of journaling. Yes, hate. I know it’s a strong word but I guarantee that’s the most accurate one. Now, I journal at least three pages a day. So what happened?
I’ll tell you my secret - It’s called Morning Pages and it was invented by Julia Cameron. I was introduced to Morning Pages in college and I credit this activity (or mental exercise) with my current ability to write freely. Beyond that, I credit it in large part to my love of writing.
A simplified understanding of Morning Pages is that it’s a mind dump that you do as the first thing in the morning. I do it while having a cup of tea each morning as my first act of the day that requires mental intentionality from me.
“Keeping a personal journal a daily in-depth analysis and evaluation of your experiences is a high-leverage activity that increases self-awareness and enhances all the endowments and the synergy among them.” — Stephen R.Covey
So how did this activity move me from loathing the idea of sitting down with a pen, to writing a book in a week? It’s all in the outline and rules of Morning Pages. The key rule that helped me is that I’m not to worry about editing or grammar while writing my morning pages. In other words, don’t judge myself, as Gary V would put it. This advice was the most freeing for me.
Julia Cameron shares life-changing insight in her bestselling book The Artist's Way and I highly recommend it for further reading, but you can still start journaling today! Here are three simple steps that will help you develop a habit of journaling daily.
Step 1: Get Comfortable - Find a good space and time to write daily. A comfortable setting is important when trying to establish a new habit. Your subconscious will automatically associate the overall positive experience with the new habit.
Step 2: Set A Goal - Whether it’s 5 sentences, one page, or 3 pages, have a clear goal for how much writing you want to accomplish with each session. Having a clear finish line is massive help because it tells your mind when you're close to finishing. This tells your brain it’s not “trapped” in the task and that it will be able to move on soon.
Step 3: No Self-Editing - Unless you’re writing for some public platform, there’s no need to worry about grammar and spelling. Just get it out of you as it comes and doing it in the morning before you start your day preferably. Doing this daily allows you to drive deeper into your thou
QUESTION: What’s stopping you from starting?
In one article, Positivepsychology.com outlines 83 benefits to journaling that will blow your mind. These benefits include psychological, emotional, and even physiological benefit that is proven to improve your life. What’s stopping you from starting?
Comment below or email me to let me know what your response is. You can also subscribe to my newsletter for bonus tips and resources on self-leadership and work-life balance or follow my podcast — The Pocket Potential.