I’ve kept a journal for over 4 years now.

Has it helped me?

I think my writing has improved. I have converted a few of my journal entries into actual blog posts (like this one). I have resolved a few personal issues. I have come up with a few clever ideas. Just by writing it out!

It helping me see who I really am.

But I want more!

I am not sure how exactly to accomplish that. I think, to really do that,
I need to spend at least 5 minutes and closer to 10 every day. I don’t
write in it on a weekend. I should. I usually rush it before I leave
work. I shouldn’t. I should also write some random notes as they come, throughout the day.

I should also read my journal. More often. I’m thinking… why should I read it since I know what I wrote. It’s still true, to some extent. When I read it a while ago, everything was still “fresh” in my mind. I guess that will change after a few years. We’ll see.

I do see a great value in reading my journal, let’s say, after 10 years.
I’m sure I will think differently. It’s going to be cool to “go back in
time.” That’s the nice thing about a journal. You can “track” your
progress. You can “track” yourself. It’s a beautiful thing.

How do I do it? I have a personal (private) blog. It works best for me but
whether you use a notebook, Word doc, etc, it doesn’t really matter.
The important thing is the actual writing.

Do you keep a journal? What’s your story? How is it helping you?

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There are some additional things I started doing lately…

First, I started writing a journal. A personal journal. No you cannot see it. A lot of successful people keep journals. And they had kept journals long way back. It’s a great way to let out your feelings. It’s a great way to reflect on what you did. It’s a great way to remind yourself what you learned today — I call it a learning log. It’s a great way to become a better writer. I recommend you start. I have an online blog, which I password protected. I think it’s important that it is private — you have to free your mind completely. I think you can find a free service that let’s you create a private blog; if not, buy a regular notebook.

Second, I’m really enjoying checking off my daily goals at JoesGoals.com. It’s a very simple application: you define your daily goals, and you check them off throughout the day. There is something special about doing things this way. When I check off a goal, I feel good. I can also progress I made last week. Check it out.

That’s it for now. I know that if you want to become better… you have to do new things or improve the things you are doing. Writing out your goals and keeping a journal is a good way to continuously improve.

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