Why and how to keep a good journal? [Guide]

Getting used to the idea

Since my childhood and even during my adolescence in Cameroon, keeping a journal was always considered a practice reserved mostly for the female gender. Socially perceived as more emotional, dreamy and melancholic, girls and women were the ones who had more reason to engage in regular daily documentation of their actions, hopes, dreams, feelings etc. All of the people in my school, family, and professional circle who kept a journal were women. Although it was a practice I found appealing, and although I enjoyed writing, I was reluctant for about ten years to truly dedicate myself to journaling.

Although I was an adult, I struggled with this social prejudice and the fear of being labeled effeminate. Today, this may seem quite funny to you but it is the prevailing socio-cultural truth and reality in the Francophone space[1], at least among some young Cameroonians. A real man speaks and they listen. A leader declares and others note. It is the dreamers and philosophers who struggle to write what they do every day and the emotions that run through them. Men of action should care little.

If I am writing an article today on "why and how to journal?", you can naturally guess that I have overcome and finally detached myself from these stereotypes to the point of sharpening my journaling practice, the benefits of which in my personal, professional, health etc. life have been innumerable in the 6 years I have been at it. If you don't keep a journal yet, my first intention would be to show you why you should absolutely start. Once convinced, I will share best practices from experience.

A. 5 Types of Journaling

Journaling is an Anglicism created to describe keeping a journal on a regular basis by posting our thoughts in a random or organized manner. There are several types of "journals" depending on the purpose. There is what I call the bullet journal known for those who want to organize their lives. You can also have a sports journal, food journal, pregnancy journal, dream journal or gratitude journal, etc. Below, I detail some of them:

1. Bullet Journal: this is the one you use daily to record your goals and progress[2]. I have a large 365 day notebook for this.
   
   
2. Journal: While journaling allows you to better organize your days, this one allows you to dialogue with your conscience and note feelings, ideas or thoughts. Here, it is a free and non-judgmental expression, sometimes schematic, of your thoughts, fears or personal observations in relation to situations in life. Don't worry about spelling or grammatical rules and let your thoughts flow freely.
   
   
3. A notebook of positive affirmations, with phrases that make you feel good, soothe you, give you energy!!
   
   
4. A notebook of gratitude: There is no living creature that is as ungrateful as Man. It's quite surprising, but despite our strong cognitive abilities, unmatched by nature and animals, we are generally much more likely to remember failures and negative events in our lives. A gratitude notebook allows us to appreciate every moment of life and live more fully and simply by appreciating what we already have. Here are some sample sentences to get you started:
   - I am grateful for everything I have .... (List them)
   - Today I congratulate myself for... I celebrate my victories...

5. Dream Journal: Not all dreams are the product of our subconscious or the result of unfulfilled desire. Some reflect your worries or contain premonitory, futuristic messages or creative ideas. Documenting your dreams allows you to capture them freshly with all the details and to come back later to check on those that have come true or to pray and work to activate their realizations (if you are a believer). I also have a 100-page notebook dedicated solely for this purpose.

While there are several types of journals, you don't have to have a different notebook for each. It's up to you to organize yourself according to your preferences. For example, I have a principles journal where I write down key lessons and timeless values that should govern my decisions about family matters, finances, parenting, my faith, my physical health.

I draw these principles either from my daily readings, observations, reflections, or interactions, but each thematic principle in this notebook is unique and influences my present as well as future actions.

B. Why keep a journal? 15 Reasons

There are dozens of benefits to journaling, here are some common ones:

1. Strengthen your memory. Human memory is quite volatile. Taking notes increases your ability to remember.
   
   
2. Improve your mental health. COVID-19 has greatly increased feelings of social isolation. According to a survey conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School, 90 percent of U.S. adults report experiencing emotional distress related to COVID-19[3]. Experts say people who suffered from mental health issues before the pandemic may have more difficulty handling the stress of this crisis. Yet thanks to journaling, you can articulate the flow of your thoughts in writing in order to get relief. According to Dr. Elizabeth Gilbert, head of research at PsychologyCompass, decades of research confirm the benefits of journaling when it comes to reducing anxiety, alleviate depression and overcome trauma. "If stressful events are happening in your life, journaling causes you to take a break, to reflect and make sense of it all," Gilbert says. Writing frees, relieves, and has therapeutic virtues.
   
   
3. Visualizing your personal progress. It's kind of nice to be able to look back on our past actions and goals to see the progress we've made. Each quarter, I revisit planned actions and those actually completed. At the end of the year or as my birthday approaches, I also sometimes take a week-long retreat dedicated exclusively to personal introspection and evaluation. I find time to revisit my journals from previous years and sometimes unearth ideas, lessons, principles, or values that have been neglected over time and consequently readjust later. Each year's journal is a synthesis of key moments in my life and this revisiting also allows me to appreciate the progress made towards achieving our professional, family or personal ambitions. And provide the motivation to face the next steps, no matter how difficult they may be.
   
   
4. Increase creativity by documenting new ideas: an idea may come up when you are stuck in public transportation or at home, writing it down allows you to come back to it later and pay more attention to its usefulness. The majority of world-renowned innovators, visionaries, and creative leaders, keep a journal daily. This was the case for entrepreneur John D. Rockefeller, inventors like Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison, politicians like Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and most of the great writers and men and women of influence of this world: Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Leonardo Da Vinci. Anne Franck became a myth thanks to her famous diary.
   
   
5. Learn constantly and more effectively.At the end of the day, when I look back at my diary, I sometimes realize that some seemingly important facts were not really important, that some emotions and epidermal reactions could have been expressed with more maturity, that seemingly trivial details are in fact important etc. But beyond simply keeping track of actions taken, I focus more on lessons learned, improved practices, and future resolutions. A Harvard Business School study reveals that retrospection makes learning from experiences more productive.
   
   
Improve your academic performance: Researchers reported that students who wrote learning notes - in which they linked learned concepts to real-world applications and life experiences - achieved better test scores.

Improve your writing and analytical skills[4], from storage and information management. Through writing, students can improve their understanding of complex material, unfamiliar concepts, and subject-specific vocabulary, according to a study by Edutopia.


6. Communicate better by bringing more clarity to your ideas: Misunderstandings have destroyed many relationships[5] and even marriages. A thought no matter how cloudy, swirling or confused it may be in our minds, becomes more docile, clear, understandable and communicable through writing. Writing helps to organize our stray thoughts and even communicate better verbally[6].
   
   
It helps to be happier and more grateful. Writing allows appreciate changes, no matter how small, and contributes to the expression of gratitude, a key ingredient of happiness according to these mental health experts.

It boosts your immune system. From new studies show that journaling offers benefits to people battling terminal or life-threatening illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, asthma and arthritis. Psychologist James Pennebaker says that journaling strengthens immune cells called T cells. It is the opinion of the Ted Talk by Tim Ferri that journaling about stressful events helps you accept and overcome them.


7. It makes you more productive and gets you closer to your goals. You've probably found yourself wanting to do key tasks, only to find at the end of the day that you haven't done any or the less important ones. By writing, you reinforce the attention level, reduce the risk of procrastination and increase its completion rate. It's pretty hard to procrastinate on a task after writing it down for several days in a row. I am more engaged and determined after writing an idea or task.
   
   
8. This contributes to a better understanding of oneself. Writing honestly and without compulsion, allows to be more authentic, to understand oneself better and gain personal confidence. Millennia ago, Socrates invited us to "Man, know thyself". Our level of personal understanding significantly influences our understanding of others and our interpersonal relationships.
   
   
9. Writing helps you heal faster. According to New Zealand researchers, journaling helps older people heal faster. Long-term upheaval can increase your body's level of stress hormones, such as cortisol, which weakens your immune system. So writing about painful experiences lowers cortisol levels and allows you to heal faster according to psychotherapist Kathleen Dahlen deVos.
   
   
10. It helps you sleep better. Have you ever caught yourself ruminating at night about unfinished tasks or those that need to be done the next day? Making your to-do list before bed will limit this wandering of your thoughts and help you sleep better and faster, according to this study. This other study shows that students slept better after noting positive aspects of their day before bed.
    
    
11. It's free.There are many therapeutic practices beneficial to mental or physical health[7]. Keeping a journal is effective, economical, and free like meditation.

C. How to Get Started 8 Steps

Writing, is certainly not an easy practice for everyone. I recognize that, but there are some simple and practical tips[8] to get you started.

1. Defining the type of journal. I've described several types of journals. So, the first thing to do is to know why you want to journal and about what (daily tasks, finances, dreams etc.)

1. Defining the medium: It's up to you to see what works best for you: A5 notebook, A4 notebook, computer, smartphone etc.
   
   
Defining a time of day and sticking to it. It can be morning, evening or both ideally. The most important thing is to be consistent in making it a routine.


2. Include a section for positive affirmations or lessons learned.When you feel down about your abilities, try writing affirmations (e.g., "I'm a good writer" or "I have a lot of talent"); your well-being will improve as experienced by Hal Elrod, who had lost everything but recovered with the journalinghe recommends in his famous book "Morning miracle." I sometimes include quotes from my daily reading or lessons learned each day.
   
   
3. Include a gratitude section. Simply write about the people and aspects of your life for which you are grateful.
   
   
4. Find something positive to describe each day.I have mentioned above that we remember negative experiences more than positive ones[9]. So strive to describe at least one positive experience each day.
   
   
5. Appreciate the surprises. Try to keep track of the positive or negative unexpected in everyday life. The unexpected spices up life and allows us to break away from routine.
   
   
6. Evaluate your day. In the evening, write down what you did, how you felt, what you could have done better, or where you avoided old mistakes. Rate your day on a scale of 1 to 20 (1, lousy day, 20 the best day of your life). If you notice that you have too many days below 12 or 14, ask yourself why. Your notes should help you identify the cause and make adjustments. And whenever possible, I recommend taking retreats (quarterly or annually) to evaluate your life journey. Are you satisfied with the path you have taken? Are the actions you took relevant and did they impact the lives of others? What could you do better from today?

If, on the other hand, you have no trouble getting started, I have some suggestions on best practices to make you more effective[10].

D. Best Practices

• Don't overthink it.
  
  
• Promote handwriting.While there are many apps to make note-taking easier, the benefits are not the same. Simply writing by hand stimulates different and more intense sensory and memory areas compared to taking notes within digital apps on a PC or phone. Obviously, certain factors such as intense mobility etc., your age[11], sex, or gender may warrant adopting a style.
  
  
• Write preferably in the morning. Then mentally visualize how your day will go. This allows me to start my day with more serenity, calm, confidence and proactivity.
  
  
• Be radically honest with yourself when you write - no one else will see it and there is nothing more dangerous than lying to yourself.
  
  
• Write freely and without paying attention to form.As the journal is personal, don't worry about rambling because you will be able to revisit what you have written, clarify it or organize it later.
  
  
• Make it a routine. It can be hard to develop a habit, but it's important to see the long-term benefits. This blogger acquired this habit after participating in a 30-day daily journaling challenge. Some prefer to write in the morning before breakfast, others like me prefer the evening before bed, or even in transit like podcaster Micaela Blei.
  
  
• Don't feel guilty if you're not consistent. Alex Stern quickly became discouraged after not being able to write daily as desired[12]. But this does not have to be the case, write when necessary and possible. Just be consistent, even if it's only a minute you spend on it a day, persevere!
  
  
• If you don't like to write, resort to voice memos. The medium of documenting your thoughts may vary, the most important thing is practice[13].
  
  
• If you are stuck, these questions may help:
  • What are the 3 most important tasks of my day?
  • How can I help someone today?
  • How can I get out of my comfort zone?
  • What is one thing I am grateful for?
  • What is the biggest risk I have taken in my life?

E. Unadvisable Practices

• Note taking is important but don't become too reflexive or a passive observer. Take action because too much planning and thinking sometimes annihilates action. Live your days to the fullest instead of daydreaming or getting lost in melancholy.
  
  
• Don't become self-absorbed by writing about yourself all the time;
  
  
• Don't let the journal become an exercise in self-criticism focused exclusively on the negative aspects of your life. Make it a retrospective tool leading to solutions.

Change for the better

From experience, I know it's impossible not to change for the better by journaling. It makes us more aware of ourselves and others, more grateful for present and past moments, and better prepared to face the uncertainties of the future, even in the context of COVID-19.

References

[1] It may be a coincidence, but in the literature search preceding the writing of this article, I found that 80% of the articles written about journaling were written by women.

[2] Amy Collins, 'The Benefits of Keeping a Journal and Types of Journaling to Try // OYNB', One Year No Beer, September 9, 2020, https://www.oneyearnobeer.com/journaling/.

[3] Meera Lee Patel, author of "Create Your Own Calm: A Journal for Quieting Anxiety," said a journaling practice can help free a cluttered mind.
Read more here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-start-a-journal_l_5f32eab9c5b6960c066d5d96

[4] A study published in the Journal of Nursing Education found that both students and teachers found the reflective journal helpful in developing critical thinking.

https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-journaling/

[11] In general, millennials are quite comfortable with digital apps.

[12] Elena Nicolaou, 'The Beginner's Guide to Starting and Sticking With a Journal,' Oprah Daily, 21 January 2021, https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/a35231175/how-to-start-a-journal/

[13] Andrew Limbong, 'Feeling Lots Of....Feelings? Journaling Can Help: Life Kit', NPR.org, accessed 13 May 2021, https://www.npr.org/2020/06/11/875054593/not-sure-what-youre-feeling-journaling-can-help