PART 2: GIVE JOURNALING A TRY

Grab a pen and a lined notebook, nothing fancy. (No keyboards, please!) Eventually you might choose to use an, extravagant pen.  A Mont Blanc? You might even invest in a leather notebook – Louis Vuitan?  Or stick with old, comfortable friends – a black Uniball and a spiral notebook.  Each suitably honors what you’re asking of it. All are great for making journaling a personal ritual.

Plan to write about issues in your life for at least 20 minutes a day without interruption. So get comfortable.  Your strategy  - a minimum three pages a session. It takes that much to unplug your mind, see where your thoughts take you, resolve issues or engage your most creative self. Don’t quit until you’ve completed three pages – or sometimes many more.

It doesn’t matter where you begin your thoughts, what you’re writing about, or what conclusions you arrive at.  Some days I just begin with the weather – and see where that leads me.

Write without ceasing. Don’t edit as you go – if you struggle to find a word – and one pops onto the page, don’t scratch it out. Use it. Make it fit your narrative somehow. That’s the entertainment factor – and of course your unconscious mind surfacing. It helps you to actively engage with your thoughts.

Keeping a journal is not the same as keeping a diary. Unlike a diary, a journal is more than a documentation of events and facts. You may begin by talking about the weather, or describing events of the day. But quickly you move to a deeper level of conversation. It can provide you with insights even blueprints to your future. But no one else will read it. I don’t even bother to go back and re-read entries.  To me, once they’re on the page they lose relevancy.  The words capture what I’m thinking and feeling at a certain point in time. So you’ve filled a notebook?  Keep it or feel free to burn it.  

NOTE TO SELF: A University of Victoria study concludes, “Writing as part of language learning has a positive correlation with intelligence… [hand]writing goals physically signals your brain “this is important.” Writing boosts memory and comprehension.  It nurtures your speaking skills. It keeps you in the present moment and increases your attention span.