I’ve become a big fan of journaling.
Journaling is a habit of daily, weekly or periodic reflection in handwriting your thoughts in a freestyle format onto paper.
After journaling was recommended by several thought leaders, I thought I should do a deep dive. Like meditation, journaling is a habit observed by so many high achievers, there must be something in it.
I’ll share with you the secret sauce I’ve discovered through journaling.
Add journaling to your other habits and disciplines such as meditation, stretching and brain exercises.
Buy two quality journals – one for home and one for the office (I bought mine online from Kikki.K)
Aim to do three journaling sessions a week rather than daily to allow for busy days.
Write by hand using a freeform basis of simply letting your thoughts flow straight onto the page. Write fast, don’t edit and some journal writers suggest not re-reading after writing.
I write in three lengths – short, medium or long – depending on my mood.
One tactic I’ve adopted is ‘Right, Wrong, Learnt’ which is particularly helpful in relation to my projects.
Each week I take the time to identify these three aspects from my experiences over the prior week in relation to each of my projects.
Right are the things upon reflection I did right on the project over the prior week. This helps me to acknowledge and celebrate the wins I had. This is motivating and propels me forward on the project.
Wrong are the things upon reflection I did wrong on the project over the prior week. This identifies where I went wrong. I acknowledge it, own it and correct my course of action.
Learnt are the things upon reflection I have learnt on the project over the prior week. This is important to take note of lessons learnt for the path forward. Often, I may modify my plan and actions based on a pivotal learning.
This simple weekly three-step hack has been a game-changer as it helps me to recalibrate and accelerate my project plans in real-time.
Lower anxiety, clarity and leveraged productivity are just some of the takeaways I’ve experienced.
I encourage you to trial freeform journaling and the ‘Right, Wrong, Learnt’ tactic.
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