Journaling has become more widely accepted as a practice among leaders. There are countless books written about it, and even more common types of journals. You can go from one end of the spectrum with a blank journal (my favorite), or a structured type of journal such as The Five Minute Journal (my second favorite), either of which provide a variety of benefits.

 

Why keep a journal? My answer is simple. It is a place to hold your ideas, reflections, and unconscious thoughts. It serves as a type of time capsule that allows you to return and see how your mindset has shifted over time, how you evolved as a person, and shows how hunches, insights, and perhaps dreams from the prior night served as a beacon for your future self. Journaling can be as unstructured or structured as you like it. It is quite useful to journal early in the morning before your mind becomes cluttered with the day, and subsequently allows you to have deeper insights that you can return and build on. Some people use the same routine at the end of the day, to finish processing what was completed, and also what remains ahead. A good friend of mine has been journaling for over 30 years, and he often pulls out a chronological volume when a significant event occurred (getting married, getting a new job), and uses it as a reference to both look back on and look forward to in service of increasing selfawareness.

 

If you’re struggling to get started, here are some ideas. You will quickly see there is no necessary form or structure; it is simply free association as is referred in psychodynamic psychotherapy.

 

What I am interested in learning?

Places I am interested in visiting?

People who I would like to meet?

How I see myself in 5 years?

What character trait am I working on?

Music that inspires me?

What is my relationship with money like? The

 

Exercise: Buy a journal or start one on your smart device