Who journal's anymore?
Some do...I bet most don't. I also bet they do not have a cute little book with a lock on it, which they hide from the rest of the family.
If you do have that, and use it...AWESOME!
I first got into this area of improvement when we built out the Challenge, our 6 week Lifestyle course. It was part of our "Stress" week. We wanted to focus on things that would help you: let go of stress, plan better, sleep better, and realize how many wonderful things are in your life to be thankful for. Let's break it down:
Why Journal
Did you read the last line of the last paragraph?
Journaling can help with many things. It depends on what your goal is.
Sometimes it's to get things off your mind to get to bed.
Sometimes it's to reflect on decisions you made that day, which you are proud of or that you could have done better with.
Sometimes it's to reflect on what you are grateful for in your life.
Sometimes it's just not to forget to pick up milk the next day.
If you look at the link at the top, you see that it covers all of these topics and more, including goals progress and priorities for the day ahead. You may also note the scorecard at the bottom. This is not set up to self ridicule yourself, it's to reflect and remember that maybe one donut is better than 2 and to snack on carrots instead of chips. No need to make it self-destructive.
How to Journal/or use the sheet in the link
You have to figure out what it is your would like to make progress with first?
Are you having trouble falling asleep each night? - Get those things written down and off your mind.
Do you find yourself bitter and pessimistic? - write out what you are thankful for (more on that to come below).
Do you need some accountability with your nutrition? - use the scorecard.
You have to find out what is most important to you and work from there. Filling in every aspect of the page may not be necessary but if you can without it detracting from the goal, then go ahead!
Once you have found your focus, pick a time to utilize the page. Each night before you go to bed or each morning when you get up are usually the dedicated times. Reflect on the day prior or the day to come. Then go crush it!
Extra advice on timing:
If you have trouble organizing and falling asleep, do this before bed. Get the ideas out that are bouncing around up there in your head. If you sleep like a baby, fill it out in the morning and use it as motivation to crush the day.
What about Gratitude?
So maybe I got a little sidetracked when getting into the journaling aspect. I wanted to cover all the possible variables of this topic.
Possibly the most beneficial, or enlightening, aspect of journaling is Gratitude. Writing down what you are thankful for.
Why? It makes you happier. Being able to acknowledge things big or small which you are grateful for will help your friendships, your work, your entire outlook on life.
Who wouldn't want to work on being a little more optimistic
There are many other benefits (feel free to read the linked article), stress down, productivity up, but we appreciate that happiness aspect....or at least I do.
Coach Ryan
*Source 1*
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