How to maximize journalling

[ColinH]

I've just started a journal, and I would like to solicit some views on how you benefit from journalling. Experential advice is preferred.

For now, I think it can help me in the following way -
- Help me to see my life more truthfully; what are the pros and cons of what I'm doing with respect to the direction I want to go to.
- Help me see more clearly what decisions I should be making to steer my life in the way I want to
- Help me refine my prediction skills.
- Help me record learning experiences (successes and failures). I can review these periodically so that I repeat my successes and not mistakes.

[livelove18]

I benefit more when I always write things down. It helps me clear my head. When I don't write things down and just try to remember things it makes me lose focus. Also, with thoughts and feelings it's better to write them down then to just have them in the back of your mind because they will creep up on you. Writing everything down is something I'm trying to practice on a regular basis.

[VinceG]

Originally Posted by ColinH

I've just started a journal, and I would like to solicit some views on how you benefit from journalling. Experential advice is preferred.

For now, I think it can help me in the following way -
- Help me to see my life more truthfully; what are the pros and cons of what I'm doing with respect to the direction I want to go to.
- Help me see more clearly what decisions I should be making to steer my life in the way I want to
- Help me refine my prediction skills.
- Help me record learning experiences (successes and failures). I can review these periodically so that I repeat my successes and not mistakes.

When you journal, you're exploring the architecture of your mind. Nobody's going to be able to really advise you on the *best* way to journal. They'll be able to give you some methods that's worked for them, but it's a crapshoot as to whether they'll even be useful to you.

You can read my journal, it's tailored specifically so that other people can read it. I used to write in a kind of shorthand that nobody would understand if they ever saw it. There's a link in my sig. Basically what I do is I find a topic and try to explore my feelings about it. Understanding what's interesting and what's not can take some analysis, which the best way to do is to get a bunch of words down on paper and go through it, trying to figure out how your brain thinks.

I'm sorry I can't give you any concrete exercises, but the sorts of problems you're describing helping yourself with should be approached in an exploratory fashion. Later, when you have a concept you want to flesh out more, you can do a more structured query.

[ColinH]

Ok, thanks guys!

For the past few days, my journalling has caused me to reflect on my life, and I like this new habit-to-be.