It's Tuesday at 2:00pm! (PST Time: I live and work from Southern California)
I don't know about you, but I feel that I've been bombarded with information over the past months. Live news, articles, webinars, podcasts, newsletters and I could keep going. There's a load of information, and at times I find I'm just filing information so I can gather more.
I was reading (OK, more information) and I found this quote:
"The key to learning is to stop passively consuming information and start actively engaging with the ideas we encounter."
This comes from the website doist.com and it was from an article that talked about the value of journaling.
Last year, I shared a post with you that talked about a thing called MORNING PAPERS. We were talking about productivity, and I was sharing a morning routine that involves writing.
Today, I want to talk about WHY I JOURNAL and there's a direct correlation to the quote above.
I don't journal every day, but I carry my journal with me everyday. I want to have the opportunity to "think as I write". When I carry a journal, it allows me to put ideas, thoughts, questions and plans on paper when it comes to me.
Let me share with you why I journal, then at the end I'll share about the tools I use.
WHEN I JOURNAL...
I DON'T FORGET THINGS (As Much!) I use a journal to make notes, thoughts, and prompts to me for later. If I don't write it down, many times it will just disappear.
BY SEEING MY THOUGHTS WRITTEN DOWN, I'M ABLE TO "DWELL" ON THEM. The discipline of writing something down allows me to remember, to think, to visualize, to consider. I think about things differently.
I REMEMBER. I write things that are important to me, and it's wonderful to go back and see what I was experiencing.
I TRACK MY GOALS. I write down my goals, and I track them using my journal. They're constantly with me, they're in front of me, and I can see the progress as I tackle them.
I PROCESS. Writing things down, writing down options and alternatives, thinking on paper, it all helps me make decisions. Sometimes it looks like scribble, but it's my brain, processing.
I PRACTICE. Again, it's a discipline, but sometimes I practice my responses, I practice my questions. I think though scenarios before communicating them to others. It's a safe place to practice.
I CELEBRATE. I write down discoveries, encouragement, truth, hope and promises. I record things that God puts on my heart and I celebrate those things.
I WHINE. Yes, it's a safe place to complain, to cry out, to scream, to lash out, to critique. Again, it's ME. It's me working through something and it's much better done on these pages first. I can usually work my way through a situation just by writing things out.
I could go on and on, but you get the point.
My journal is the place I can "actively engage with the ideas I encounter". It's a place of action, and I've come to rely on this practice in my life.
On a practical side, I have found 3 things that work for me:
#1) I use a leather bound journal with 2 Moleskine Cahier lined inside. One of the inserts is for my own SPIRITUAL JOURNEY and the other is for me LEADERSHIP JOURNEY. I've found that by separating them into 2 different parts, I can stay more focused. When the pages fill up, I just replace them with new inserts. The pen holder is a QUIVER Pen Holder. Below are pictures of my journal. (Thanks Aaron!)
I don't know about you, but I feel that I've been bombarded with information over the past months. Live news, articles, webinars, podcasts, newsletters and I could keep going. There's a load of information, and at times I find I'm just filing information so I can gather more.
I was reading (OK, more information) and I found this quote:
"The key to learning is to stop passively consuming information and start actively engaging with the ideas we encounter."
This comes from the website doist.com and it was from an article that talked about the value of journaling.
Last year, I shared a post with you that talked about a thing called MORNING PAPERS. We were talking about productivity, and I was sharing a morning routine that involves writing.
Today, I want to talk about WHY I JOURNAL and there's a direct correlation to the quote above.
I don't journal every day, but I carry my journal with me everyday. I want to have the opportunity to "think as I write". When I carry a journal, it allows me to put ideas, thoughts, questions and plans on paper when it comes to me.
Let me share with you why I journal, then at the end I'll share about the tools I use.
WHEN I JOURNAL...
I DON'T FORGET THINGS (As Much!) I use a journal to make notes, thoughts, and prompts to me for later. If I don't write it down, many times it will just disappear.
BY SEEING MY THOUGHTS WRITTEN DOWN, I'M ABLE TO "DWELL" ON THEM. The discipline of writing something down allows me to remember, to think, to visualize, to consider. I think about things differently.
I REMEMBER. I write things that are important to me, and it's wonderful to go back and see what I was experiencing.
I TRACK MY GOALS. I write down my goals, and I track them using my journal. They're constantly with me, they're in front of me, and I can see the progress as I tackle them.
I PROCESS. Writing things down, writing down options and alternatives, thinking on paper, it all helps me make decisions. Sometimes it looks like scribble, but it's my brain, processing.
I PRACTICE. Again, it's a discipline, but sometimes I practice my responses, I practice my questions. I think though scenarios before communicating them to others. It's a safe place to practice.
I CELEBRATE. I write down discoveries, encouragement, truth, hope and promises. I record things that God puts on my heart and I celebrate those things.
I WHINE. Yes, it's a safe place to complain, to cry out, to scream, to lash out, to critique. Again, it's ME. It's me working through something and it's much better done on these pages first. I can usually work my way through a situation just by writing things out.
I could go on and on, but you get the point.
My journal is the place I can "actively engage with the ideas I encounter". It's a place of action, and I've come to rely on this practice in my life.
On a practical side, I have found 3 things that work for me:
#1) I use a leather bound journal with 2 Moleskine Cahier lined inside. One of the inserts is for my own SPIRITUAL JOURNEY and the other is for me LEADERSHIP JOURNEY. I've found that by separating them into 2 different parts, I can stay more focused. When the pages fill up, I just replace them with new inserts. The pen holder is a QUIVER Pen Holder.
#2) I use EVERNOTE on my devices. This is a great way to take notes, import content and manage content across devices. Often times I'll take an idea or a project from my journal, and create a note on Evernote that will allow me to do more work, especially if I want to connect it to my phone, my computer and my Ipad. I find this really valuable when I travel and it allows me to continue to work on projects. There's a free version and a paid version, but I've found it to be a great app that is an extension of my personal journal.
#3) Lastly, when I'm listening to a podcast or I'm on a walk and something comes to me, I simply write it down in my NOTES on my phone. This is like a sticky note for me, and I often go back to my notes to pull things into my journal. I take notes, and I delete them quickly. It's just a blank pad for my thoughts. I do this instead of always carrying a piece of paper and a pen. Most of the time, I have access to my phone.
This is what works for me.
Everyone needs to figure out a system that will work for you, a way to take the ideas, thoughts and information that continuously comes into your mind, and "engage with the ideas we encounter".
What have you done in the area of journaling or keeping a record of what's going on in your heart and mind? Share you ideas with us on the comments section of the blog post HERE.
"I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say." Flannery O'Connor
"Journaling about your goals helps you clarify what you want and encourages you to consider the why and how, not just the what." www.doist.com
"I can shake off everything as I write, my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn." Anne Frank