Journaling (Blog)

[Savage]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Steve Pavlina's blog:

Journaling

[seeker5]

I got the journal several weeks ago due to an older post I read that highly recommended the software. I absolutely love it! I was phyched yesterday when I noticed the links to the journal on the site with Steve Pavlina's extra templates.

[Angela]

Great post, Steve. Interesting viewpoint regarding seeing your thoughts from a birds-eye view.

I love The Journal and am sorry that I'm going to have to fork over the $14.95 for the Steve Pavlina add-on, but I'm sure it will be more than worth it.

[Calculusaurus]

Journaling is awesome.

-It's important to get journaling software that fits you - just as it's important to do all the feng shui stuff or whatever to your personal workspace, giving yourself a positive software environment to work in helps.

-I tried TheJournal a while back and found it generally much better than most journal software. Though, since then, I've switched to OneNote (it's not specifcally for journaling, but it's where I keep ALL my ideas, lists, information, etc...)

-Read this book: Amazon.com: Journal to the Self: Twenty-Two Paths to Personal Growth - Open the Door to Self-Understanding by Reading, Writing, and Creating a Journal of Your Life: Books: Kathleen Adams . I think it contains a lot of ideas that stevepavlina.com readers would love.

[Alchemiss]

Originally Posted by Calculusaurus

Journaling is awesome.
....

-Read this book: Amazon.com: Journal to the Self: Twenty-Two Paths to Personal Growth - Open the Door to Self-Understanding by Reading, Writing, and Creating a Journal of Your Life: Books: Kathleen Adams . I think it contains a lot of ideas that stevepavlina.com readers would love.

Ah, you got and like the book--Great! My favorite exercises include the "Lists of 100", "Dialogues", and "Unsent Letters". Any you've particularly liked?

[gberardi]

I can't use The Journal since I run Gnu/Linux at home, but I've found simple text files work wonders. I haven't been journaling much, but I did give it a try when I found a problem was difficult to tackle. Whether it was a small programming problem or a major life decision, I found that writing down everything that I can about it helps me to figure things out very quickly.

I also love using Zim, a desktop application wiki. Instead of installing web servers and installing a full blown wiki, this personal wiki is great for jotting down notes and linking between them.

EDIT: Zim - a desktop wiki Oh, here's a link.

[free spirit]

I downloaded the free trial today. Its so so so good. It fits in with my "secret" anal geeky side so well! Def going to purchase it!!

[seeker5]

Originally Posted by free spirit

I downloaded the free trial today. Its so so so good. It fits in with my "secret" anal geeky side so well! Def going to purchase it!!

Yeah, I keep finding new features frequently. Several times I've thought "hmm, I wish I could do this with the journal". Then a few days later I find it's actually possible! One thing I find very beneficial is that the journal can be installed on a USB stick. So I got the journal on my USB stick and I can use it from any computer with no hassle.

[Savage]

Originally Posted by seeker5

Yeah, I keep finding new features frequently. Several times I've thought "hmm, I wish I could do this with the journal". Then a few days later I find it's actually possible!

My experience has been similar. Once I emailed David with a new feature request, only to hear back within a few hours that the feature was already there, along with instructions on how to access it.

One shortcut I use a lot is Ctrl-T, which inserts the time in any entry. I begin every entry this way. Ctrl-D will insert the date, but I find that unnecessary for the dated entries.

[Adrienne]

Originally Posted by gberardi

I can't use The Journal since I run Gnu/Linux at home, but I've found simple text files work wonders. I haven't been journaling much, but I did give it a try when I found a problem was difficult to tackle. Whether it was a small programming problem or a major life decision, I found that writing down everything that I can about it helps me to figure things out very quickly.

I also love using Zim, a desktop application wiki. Instead of installing web servers and installing a full blown wiki, this personal wiki is great for jotting down notes and linking between them.

EDIT: Zim - a desktop wiki Oh, here's a link.

when i first started using the journal i emailed the creator and asked him if there was a linux version. He said the program should run fine using wine. I installed it on a jump drive, i have used it on linux, but i have not in a while because i tend to write when i am stuck somewhere or with my work laptop which is not linux
I downloaded the free trial and it took me a while to get it to work. I really like it.

here is the email i recived from the creator of the sw

> Do you have a version of your journal that runs on Linux?

There is no Linux-specific version, no. However, you can run The
Journal on Linux using Wine (a free Windows emulator).

a desktop wiki... that has possibilities.. i will have to look that up.. thanks for the link.
Adrienne

[ken nubo]

Good entry. I don't find it hard to write (or in my case, blog) everyday once it becomes a habit

[smartile]

Steve - I thought this post was very inspirational. We have similar goals (ie. speaking, blog and writing a book) and I thought it was inspiring to see that you were able to have the tenacity to follow through with your goals. Even more importantly (I think) that you were able to have faith in yourself and persevere.

I've had a few na-sayers come to me and say that I won't be able to get a 1,000,000 people visiting my site every month. I tell these people that they must have faith and that it will happen.

The other piece that I really enjoyed was that bit about putting a business plan together for your blog. Kudoos on this.... I have been avoiding this like the plague and I will get to this today!

Stephen Martile — Personal Development with NLP

[Brendon Colby]

I don't have a Windows PC at home (just Mac and Linux) so I use MacJournal. I would say that it has similar features to The Journal at the very least.

Some people also find TiddlyWiki very useful. It's written in Javascript, CSS and HTML and is contained in one HTML file so you can copy it to a thumb drive and use it anywhere there is a browser.

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by Brendon Colby

I don't have a Windows PC at home (just Mac and Linux) so I use MacJournal. I would say that it has similar features to The Journal at the very least.

Some people also find TiddlyWiki very useful. It's written in Javascript, CSS and HTML and is contained in one HTML file so you can copy it to a thumb drive and use it anywhere there is a browser.

Have you been able to get MacJournal to work under Linux?

[Brendon Colby]

Originally Posted by WanderingOak

Have you been able to get MacJournal to work under Linux?

No, it's specifically a Mac application.

[child]

I have successfully installed the Journal on a linux system using Wine. It seems working fine. My distrubition is Debian GNU/linux, but I guess you can install it on any other linux system.

If you dont have Wine you have to install it first. Then open the .exe file with Wine and you will see the default installing window and click next next next as usual

[apwbd]

Hello everyone. Long time Pavlina reader here, been reading the forums on and off, only posting now.

Steve, thanks for your post on journaling. I have read yours and Erin's previous posts on journaling, but I never did get into it. I see now my unrealistic expectations were discouraging me. I was swayed by what I had read about journaling elsewhere, and I had assumed that some wise spirit guides or my higher self is supposed to answer my questions, and that I need to be in a certain state of mind to hear that, that I just wait until I feel like typing/writing, none of which happened.

When I let go of those notions, and simply used the journal to write what's on my mind, I had much better results. My journal entries now usually start with a description of the current situation or problem, and a series of questions to be answered. I then keep writing without imposing any rules or trying to explicitly "listen" to any guidance.

I then seem to come up with many useful insights. These insights don't seem like they are totally, out-of-the world brilliant. They seem like something I would have come up with if I had thought long and hard and rationally, but it just came out easily when I was in the flow of writing. Maybe those guides and spirits are really helping. In fact, I had a reading with Erin a year ago, in which they asked me to "write for myself". I didn't quite understand at that time what they wanted me to do. So, while I do believe in them, I seem to be do better thinking this is all coming from my own brain.

PS: For Mac users, I recommend this great free journaling software I use called Journler.

[wackimonki]

Journler looks impressive. Damn, another reason to get a Mac.

I predominately use Linux as I work in web dev. I had a good dig around for a decent journal program, but found nothing that's what I was looking for.

In the end, I settled for a console-based program called Diary.

I have been using it for two days now. It is working well.

As to the benefits of journaling, I think there are many. I am so grateful to Steve for writing that particular article.

I am going to write my plans in my journal. I will also reflect on how I have been doing, in business and personal life. I love the reflection part. Speeds up learning.

[zauber]

I too, am one of the non-windows-using readers. No worries though, there are plenty of good journalling apps for the mac users out there.

However, I am quite interested in the Journalling exercises mentioned in the blog. Is there a way to get them without purchasing "the journal"? Just curious.

I've been journalling on and off (pen and paper-style) for all my life mostly. It's never been as useful as a perspective-granting tool as I keep imagining, because I always quit writing when the urge to write stops. That's usually about the same time that things come together and life is going my way again... so reading my old journals it seems like my life was full of crap, which it of course isn't :P.

I think I need some practice to impress myself with the benefits of journalling, which Is why I'm interested in getting hold of mentioned exercises.