Journaling: a cornerstone habit that can catapult you to success

Did you ever have a diary as a kid? Do you remember how amazing it felt to unload all your thoughts and emotions?

If it felt so good when you were little, imagine what a relief it would be if you could actually introduce journaling into a chaotic adult life.

As high functioning adults, we’re supposed to deal with a thousand responsibilities every day and even dodge a few curveballs here and there.

And in this hot mess called “life,” our success and growth goals sometimes get relegated or diluted.

If that sounds familiar, you should definitely consider journaling to forge a clear path for your growth goals.

Essentially, journaling is a cornerstone habit – that is, a fundamentally productive behaviour that spills into and improves many other aspects of our lives.

In this article we’ll talk about some awesome benefits of journaling and share some tips to get started with your own journal.

Some amazing benefits of journaling

Journaling brings about clarity

The one big problem I have with our modern fast paced life is that we don’t slow down often to reflect on our thoughts and decisions. As a result, we often end up making impulsive moves (which is way off from simply thinking on your feet) and wallow in regret afterwards.

Journaling forces you to slow down and think. It stops you from instinctively rushing to the next shiny thing and helps you focus on stuff that will actually help you grow.

Journaling also encourages deep thinking and mindfulness, which are seminal for organizing your thoughts and giving you clarity about your goals. Consequently, you slowly ease into the habit of performing more productive and deliberate actions that are aligned with your success and growth goals.

Journaling helps your mind heal daily

Do you have trouble detaching yourself from work thoughts?

Me too!

That’s why I keep a journal and take 10 minutes before bed time to reflect on my day.

I start my day with a to-do list (that I prepare the evening before) and end it by jotting down how my day went in my journal. This gives me closure as well as a sense of accomplishment (not to mention oodles of confidence).

This process also helps me de-stress and helps to heal my chaotic mind daily.

Try it!

Journaling helps to decode your emotions

Just how your goals need clarity and guidance, so do your emotions.

Life isn’t black and white all the time. So you need to take pause and sort through all the shades of gray.

Don’t beat yourself up if you have conflicting emotions about an event or action. Simply write down how you’re feeling and you’ll have more clarity and control of your emotions.

Things seem way more complicated when they’re hanging out in our head. When you get them down on paper, it’s much easier to be objective and practical about your emotions.

Journaling helps you commit to your goals

Success is a deliberate process that can be broken down into attainable goals.

But most often, these goals are not prioritize because they remain in our head along with other not-so-urgent tasks and obligations. This means it’s easy to push some of your goals to the back of your mind when something else comes up, instead of proceeding systematically.

But when you write down your goals, they become real instead of phantom obligations you can shirk or postpone. When you open your journal and look at your goals every day, you’re motivated to define a clear path to success.

How to get started with your journal

Now that you have a fair idea of how journaling can help you lead a more mindful life, here are some quick and dirty tips to get you started.

Ask the right questions

How do I make more money?

How do I increase my visibility on my social channels?

How do I meet my soul mate clients?

How can I eat healthy daily?

We’re always letting these questions dash around our head and fork us into a bad mood.

You know why?

Because we don’t wrestle them down and actually try to find a solution for them.

So how about this: find the questions that are aligned with your goals, write them down in your journal, and create an outline of how you’ll solve/answer that question.

For example, if your question is “How do I land my dream job?” jot down the following in your journal:

-Research potential companies I’d love to work with

-Work on creating a strong personal brand on LinkedIn

-Reach out to recruiters and other folks with engaging and amiable proposals.

Create a brain dump section

Sometimes you may not want to write something so structured. So section off a part of your journal for a brain dump. Whenever you have any new ideas or simply want to write about your day or what you’re feeling, feel free to express yourself. 

You can always transfer your new ideas for blog posts or social media updates once you filter through them on a content batching day

Habit trackers

Success is built on the unshaken pillar of good habits.

But while it’s easy to adopt a new habit, it’s a quite difficult to stay consistent. Try creating a monthly or weekly habit tracker in your journal so you don’t fall off the wagon. 

Mood trackers

Sure we’re supposed stay in control of our moods and emotions consistently. But that’s often an unrealistic expectation.

Your daily mood fuels your motivation. And tracking your mood daily can give you a fair idea of what you need to work on or if you need to investigate deeper issues in your life.

Productivity trackers

Not everyone works at the same pace. But to be successful, you need to make sure you’re being productive consistently rather than simply busy (and overwhelmed).

A great way to stay productive is to learn how to manage your time efficiently . And if you need some extra help, join in on my “10 days to a more productive you” challenge !

There are also many apps that can help you adopt and maintain productive habits. My favourites are Toggle and Trello!

And, once you have a hang of incorporating productive habits in your work day, it’s a great idea to track your productivity in your journal to stay accountable and grow confident every day.

Gratitude section

When we’re hot in the pursuit of success, we often tend to take many things in our life for granted. We forget that things like the support of our friends and family, our health, or even our hectic jobs help to keep us afloat as we pursue our dreams.

So we often despair when things go wrong or forget to nurture important relationships in our lives.

My advice?

Write down 3 things you’re grateful for every day. One a good day, it will reassure you. And on a bad day, it will make you smile wide and help you sleep better.

Make it fun with the right gear

You can choose to keep your journal simple and minimal. Or if you want to spice things up, go stationary shopping for some fun pens, highlighters, and tapes. This way, you’ll look forward to your journaling session every day!

Bottom line

For me, journaling is a great way to wrap up my day. It relaxes me before bed time and I get a solid 6 hours of restful sleep. As a result, when I’m back to my desk in the morning, I’m raring to go!

Journaling also helps me organize my goals as well as reign in my emotions. It did not seem like much when I started it a couple of years ago. But now, I can prioritize my tasks better and am able to stay unflustered in the face of adversity.

That pretty much seals the deal for me.

Would you give journaling a try? Let me know in the comments!

https://engage.successwithsavitha.com/30-journaling-prompts/

P.s - Grab my 30 Journaling prompts downloadable here.