This was also found in my old notes dated in 24th March 2019. A good tip for journaling worth sharing. For regular journaling, a common stuggle is consistency. I’ve done some research online for tips and tricks to help with this issue. These ones I’ve taken as I usually journal in the evenings. I likely copied these from other sources although I don’t know where.
😉 What did I achieve today?
This question helps me identify whether I actually achieved what I set out to accomplish in the morning, or if I got sidetracked. One lesson I’ve learned from answering this question is it’s easy to overestimate what you think you can achieve in a day, but I remind myself it’s not what you achieve in a day, it’s what you achieve eventually. This is what really matters.
🙄 What lessons did I learn?
This is my favourite question to answer. This is where you journal your “Aha!” moments. Answers can range from personal, “I learned how to say no to dessert”, to skill-based, “I learned how to remove plosives in an audio recording using Audacity”. The more thorough you are, here, the more you can return to it again and again and learn from it.
🙂 I’m grateful for…
Writing down three new things that you’re grateful for, for 21 days in a row, can actually rewire your brain, allowing your brain to work more optimistically and more successfully. I also thank my problems and ask myself what’s great about them. Realising my problem was great because I could make an improvement on the original.
😑 How am I feeling right now?
This is an opportunity for me to be vulnerable, to let my guard down, to be open without censoring myself. I’m generally pretty happy, but if I’m feeling a negative emotion, I’ll identify the cause by using a why drill. I’ll ask myself why I’m feeling the emotion, in question, five times. This helps me be at the cause, rather than the effect of my concern.
😁 What are 3 amazing things that happened today?
I think it’s important to bookend your day by focusing on your “small wins.” “I said no to a dessert.” “I resisted the urge to give into temptation.” “I didn’t sleep in.” “I achieved my most important task.” … These tiny advantages build forward momentum and remind us that bigger achievements are within reach.
🤔 How could I have made today better?”
Many of us, when dissatisfied with our day, prefer to write it off, to move past it as quickly and quietly as possible. But by asking yourself how you could have made the day better, you’re forcing your brain to look for improvements. Your day may have been stressful, but don’t write it off until you’ve learned something from it. Look for ONE Thing you can do, either prevent it from happening again or to help you deal with it more effectively.
Summary 📝
If you plan on journaling consistently, having a consistent structure for your entries will really help. There were times where I couldn’t think of anything to write and therefore put in less effort for that particular entry. Having this template and predefined questions is enough to get you started.
Furthermore, when reading through each entry retrospectively, you can see the progression of each day and even adapt your behaviour if you see a negative pattern.
I haven’t written any journal entries in a while but if I ever get back into it, I’ll likely use this template.