Posted In General | Posted On 16 Sept 2020 | Posted By Stacy Braiuca

Journaling. Writing about yourself. If the thought of journaling frightens you, that’s normal. It’s hard to sit down and think about your thoughts. But keeping a notebook and just jotting what comes to mind can have benefits.  However, here are a few tips to consider that can help you put words on the page or your fingers typing away!

Short and simple repetition

While you have a lot of space to write in your journal, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have to fill up the entire page with your thoughts. No need to make it overly complicated—there’s no right way to fill up a journal. What matters most of all is that you’re putting your thoughts on the page in front of you. There’s no right time to write either, you simply need to take a few minutes out of your day to sit down and write. Even if it’s writing a note in your phone the length of a text or email, it’s good to write down your thoughts or any topics you want to consider for your next journal entry.

Writing a little every day can help guide you to emotional clarity and writing in it regularly can help you track the progress of your personal development on a day to day basis. Rather than simply keeping track of heightened emotions or your most important thoughts, it’s easier to identify patterns. 

During stressful times, people tend to get tunnel vision of what’s currently happening but it’s important to remind yourself that you have to see the big picture. It is ok to reminisce over the past for a moment. Take a breath and consider all that you felt. Do you remember that task you did really well on?

Keep it private, but ask questions

In this digital age, people feel the need to share every aspect about their lives online. Your journal is your safe space for you, for your growth, not anyone else’s. You do not need to share your journal with anyone, keep it out of reach from prying eyes. If you think someone will read it, you’re more inclined to censor words and be less honest with yourself.

However, in terms of personal development, it might be good to ask questions: phone a friend and ask what they think of you. Your closest colleagues and friends are often better at distinguishing your personality traits and pointing out the pros and cons of your character than you, yourself. 

You might have an image of what you think of yourself but ask someone who knows you well or even someone you barely know. “What do you think is the best thing about me? What is my best attribute? What do you think of when you think of me? What memory do you associate me with?” These questions might be good to ask yourself and a close friend to further your journey of personal development.

If you want more guided help to journaling and other worksheets to help your personal development journey, visit https://www.passport2productivity.com for more resource to get access to the Personal Development Workbook as well as “My Personal Development Journal,” that comes with guided prompts and quotes to consider while you go on your personal development journey.