Who here keeps a journal?

[Kieran Butler]

I've kept a journal for about 5 years now and it has really helped me a lot. I'm just wondering who out there also keeps one and how has it benefited you? Would love to hear about it. Especially from a male perspective.

The main reasons I use it for are:

• Setting goals
• My 3 most important daily tasks
• writing a list of things I'm grateful for each day
• Reflecting on where I'm going in all facets of life.
• To keep track of my habits and keep my life in balance

Wrote a little more about the benefits here

It has helped me so much that I decided to put all the good bits of learned into one journal. I call it 'The Captains Log' which I think has a nice ring to it. Running a Kickstarter for it at the moment which is going ok but it has made me realise I may have not done enough market research for it. Whoops

Any how I would love to here some opinions on this. Is writing in a notebook/journal for you? or is it all digital these days

 

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[MJ DeMarco]

Moved to concept feedback otherwise your post will be labelled as back-link, promotional spam. Try posting an introduction to the forum, something that doesn't come across as "I'm only here to promote my Kickstarter."

Thanks.

 

[PoGOOD]

Is writing in a notebook/journal for you? or is it all digital these days

I use Moleskine binded journals for years for idea gathering and day summaries. I never use it for notetaking during meetings - legal pads and vanilla folders are so much better for that.
For the typical journaling I use the web service 750words.com.

 

[Under-Dog]

There's still plenty of people who prefer a paper & ink method. I myself just write stuff into a comp book but I've seen a lot of people use passion planners and another one with a panda forgot the name of it. However, I have been trying to use more digital services like evernote or trello

 

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[Waspy]

I tried. But I found myself celebrating mediocrity in the form of filling it with the minor crap I did during the day just feeling like I was making progress.

Now I have a notepad everywhere to just vomit my thoughts into. No need for a journal.

I like the kickstarter though. Good job.

 

[Kieran Butler]

Thanks a lot for all your replies. Yeah it's a tough one with all the options available these days it's hard to see a simple one-fits-all solution. I suppose one doesn't really exist but I'm yet to find a nice balance between digital vs hand written. I too use evernote, trello, google keep. I have used 750words.com & morning pages (from the artist's way). I've also used a moleskine for years too.
Just on a mission to simplify the process to incorporate what works. Thanks again

 

[Andy Black]

Moleskine, Progress Thread(s), Basecamp...

@MJ DeMarco has some daily printouts somewhere?

 

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[GMSI7D]

I've kept a journal for about 5 years now and it has really helped me a lot. I'm just wondering who out there also keeps one and how has it benefited you? Would love to hear about it. Especially from a male perspective.

The main reasons I use it for are:

• Setting goals
• My 3 most important daily tasks
• writing a list of things I'm grateful for each day
• Reflecting on where I'm going in all facets of life.
• To keep track of my habits and keep my life in balance

Wrote a little more about the benefits here

It has helped me so much that I decided to put all the good bits of learned into one journal. I call it 'The Captains Log' which I think has a nice ring to it. Running a Kickstarter for it at the moment which is going ok but it has made me realise I may have not done enough market research for it. Whoops

Any how I would love to here some opinions on this. Is writing in a notebook/journal for you? or is it all digital these days

i use hand writing to keep notes on ink and paper

i keep a journal only for the good ideas and understanding that i can grasp in the day

so no time management or things like that in it.

the main idea is to keep great thoughts on paper before they are gone in the wind

you never know when insights come. so you want to make sure that they don't go away without doing anything


i want you to read this carefully . this is from the book " ho we master our fate " a public domain book




people might say " well this is just ideas. who cares "


not exactly

this is your own mental process at work wich produces the seeds of your new you

people who think by themselves are very very rare. we follow the trend in society

we don't say " wait a minute, i am not on earth to be a battery of the system "

i am on earth to be a mastermind, not a battery in the game put in place by other masterminds behind the scenes.

again, as i said before , in this world, either you are energy or the brain of a system

society is the system of a group of mastermind that i won't name here.

you, on the other side can create your own system

 

[Dunkafelics]

Yup, I keep a daily journal but it serves a few different functions for lifestyle design.

1. It provides a brief overview of the day including MAJOR tasks and events only

I ask myself three questions:

1. What am I grateful/thankful for in my life?
2. What would make today great?
3. Daily incantations... I am...

Then, I write a five-minute segment of journalling in which I get my thoughts out on paper and move on.

At the end of the day, I then do a night time routine:

1. A quick one minute overview of the day.
2. Who did I help today?
3. What did I learn today?
4. What happened today that will add to the quality of my life?

I find that if I use a journal as a tool to keep track of my daily life and thoughts in a fashioned and timely manner, it is a great part of my life.

It is a fluid process as I used to keep task lists, but I have now moved all daily tasks to Trello to avoid the repetition of writing the same tasks each and every day.

My last point is a principle that I 100% believe in. It comes from Tony Robbins who once stated, "A life worth living, is a life worth recording." No matter what point you are at in your life, you are living a life that should be documented. One thing that I wish I did more was keep a running journal of my life in my twenties. There were a lot of great moments that happened in that 10 year period that I often forget about. That will not happen as I move forward into my thirties.

 

[S.Y.]

I do, in Evernote.

Morning prompts

- I am grateful for: Being thankful is amazing! This set the day
- My goals: I type them down every single morning. Keeping it in focus
- My #1 focus of the day. Taken from The One Thing, something that will make me move towards my goals
- Today's targets (max 2). Aside from the #1 task of the day, what I would like to achieve.​

Evening prompts

- Struggles & possible solutions. What went wrong and how I can improve it.
- Wins/wonderful things. Celebrating the small wins. Help in the long run
- Which questions do I want answered? Am I ask the right questions? Which questions should I be asking myself?. Powerful prompt. Questions are amazing decision-making tools.​

And a free flow section with no specific rules

----------
I review my daily entries on a weekly basis and ask myself:

1 - 3 goals I achieved
2 - Biggest lesson learned
3 - Did I spend my time/energy on the right things? How do I know that? how can I improve that?
4 - What one thing I can do - that I am not doing now - that would make a huge positive difference in my life? What is the immediate step I can take?​

-----------
They are great journals out here:
- Freedom Journal
- Self-Journal
- 5 min journal
- Asian Efficiency has their version with Evernote
- paper/ink

 

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[WJK]

I've kept a journal for about 5 years now and it has really helped me a lot. I'm just wondering who out there also keeps one and how has it benefited you? Would love to hear about it. Especially from a male perspective.

The main reasons I use it for are:

• Setting goals
• My 3 most important daily tasks
• writing a list of things I'm grateful for each day
• Reflecting on where I'm going in all facets of life.
• To keep track of my habits and keep my life in balance

Wrote a little more about the benefits here

It has helped me so much that I decided to put all the good bits of learned into one journal. I call it 'The Captains Log' which I think has a nice ring to it. Running a Kickstarter for it at the moment which is going ok but it has made me realise I may have not done enough market research for it. Whoops

Any how I would love to here some opinions on this. Is writing in a notebook/journal for you? or is it all digital these days

Can't tell you from a man's point of view... but from a "girlie" point of view, yes I keep a work journal in Word, resplendent with time table slots for appointments, notes and daily goals, on my tablet/laptop. That journal includes a section with a running list of major accomplishments for the last few years; A hand written journal lives near my bed for my most personal thoughts & love letters from my husband; I keep a separate Word file for my writing ideas and half-baked inspirations; I always have a small notebook (scribble pad) in my back pocket to make instant business notes and shopping lists -- I tear out the pages and throw them away after I'm done with them; and my journal list goes on.

I make notes about everything -- some digital and some on paper. I've pared down to only a couple of file cabinets for "keeper" paperwork -- like contracts, deeds, property files and insurance policies -- most everything else is now digital. I use bulletin boards for most of the paper notes and white boards for projects that are "in-the-works". The metal door between our living room and the garage doubles as an extra bulletin board, a white board surface for daily notes, and a family & friends birthday/anniversary calendar. There's a couple huge bulletin boards in my home office, and then more bulletin boards and a whole wall of white boards (I use them for planning and scheduling projects) in my main business office. I know it sounds busy and confusing -- but at times, so is my life.

 

[Dunkafelics]

Can't tell you from a man's point of view... but from a "girlie" point of view, yes I keep a work journal in Word, resplendent with time table slots for appointments, notes and daily goals, on my tablet/laptop. That journal includes a section with a running list of major accomplishments for the last few years; A hand written journal lives near my bed for my most personal thoughts & love letters from my husband; I keep a separate Word file for my writing ideas and half-baked inspirations; I always have a small notebook (scribble pad) in my back pocket to make instant business notes and shopping lists -- I tear out the pages and throw them away after I'm done with them; and my journal list goes on.

I make notes about everything -- some digital and some on paper. I've pared down to only a couple of file cabinets for "keeper" paperwork -- like contracts, deeds, property files and insurance policies -- most everything else is now digital. I use bulletin boards for most of the paper notes and white boards for projects that are "in-the-works". The metal door between our living room and the garage doubles as an extra bulletin board, a white board surface for daily notes, and a family & friends birthday/anniversary calendar. There's a couple huge bulletin boards in my home office, and then more bulletin boards and a whole wall of white boards (I use them for planning and scheduling projects) in my main business office. I know it sounds busy and confusing -- but at times, so is my life.

You win the prize.

This is quite the system you have going here, I counted 5 boards in total?

Are you finding this system working for you? Or do you feel overwhelmed as a result?

I am impressed by your dedication and drive.

 

[WJK]

You win the prize.

This is quite the system you have going here, I counted 5 boards in total?

Are you finding this system working for you? Or do you feel overwhelmed as a result?

I am impressed by your dedication and drive.

I am currently managing a couple of rehab jobs, a bunch of low to moderate income residential year-around rentals, summer season rental guests reservations (RV spaces and a couple sleeping rooms), a couple small businesses, my side investments and I'm gearing up for our summer's list of jobs to do around here. And somewhere in there I have to have a personal life... I supposed to be retired. I just wasn't good at that.
Everything has it's place and it's own tracking system. Each project and business has to be babysat, and understood at a glance.

There are 2 cross over areas -- my accounting for filing taxes and my "go-fetch-it-lists" for when I go to town to get materials and goods.

BUT, my accounting file where I had all the different threads intergrated crashed last month -- after only using that same file for the last 17 years. Go figure! So, now I have new, improved accounting file that has everything in it -- neatly categorized by the different businesses and income streams, and ready to spit out the numbers on demand.

 

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[Kieran Butler]

This post came back from the dead somehow & I realised I hadn't replied to some of you. So apologies and let me rectify that now

I use Moleskine binded journals for years for idea gathering and day summaries. I never use it for notetaking during meetings - legal pads and vanilla folders are so much better for that.
For the typical journaling I use the web service 750words.com.

Big fan of moleskine journals myself! Also use trello and evernote and have used 750words for the 'stream of thought' writing or 'Morning Pages' from the artists way. Can't reccommend that enough for unblocking creativity and many other benefits. I now only do that from time to time when feeling stuck. I do love putting pen to paper too so I'm quite torn between that and digital record keeping.

I guess I'm aiming at something deeper with the captains log. Trying to find balance between being a productivity fiend and just being content with the way things are right now. Being productive is great an all, but without the right perspective and meaning it's a bit pointless.

I know that's something I struggle with so I'm scratching my own itch in a way.

Now in the process of building a web app + mobile app that will hopefully take things a step in the right direction. I'm imagining a a hybrid of headspace/calm and evernote/todoist. Good Idea / Bad Idea?

 

[Kieran Butler]

Can't tell you from a man's point of view... but from a "girlie" point of view, yes I keep a work journal in Word, resplendent with time table slots for appointments, notes and daily goals, on my tablet/laptop.

You certainly do win the prize. Thanks for your feedback, a girlie point of view is most welcome. Ye are usually so much better at being organised!

And somewhere in there I have to have a personal life... I supposed to be retired.

This is the balance I think a lot of us are searching for. At least I know I am. It's the primary reason why I created the captains log. I think with the rise of meditation apps like headspace/calm etc it's evident there is a growing need to balance our inner well-being with our outer lives. Just quite how exactly a tool for that would look, I'm not quite sure but I am making some progress with an app prototype.

 

[Kieran Butler]

Morning prompts
- I am grateful for: Being thankful is amazing! This set the day
- My goals: I type them down every single morning. Keeping it in focus
- My #1 focus of the day. Taken from The One Thing, something that will make me move towards my goals
- Today's targets (max 2). Aside from the #1 task of the day, what I would like to achieve.

Great system you have going! I do something similar. But you definitely have some great tips in there which I'm going to try out. Thanks a lot!

Gratitude is really amazing. How a change in perspective changes everything is mind blowing. Just shows you how powerful the lense through which we view the world is.

I've tried some of the journals you suggested all quite good, I've done something very similar with the captains log and tried to make it as beautiful a piece of stationary as I could. But I also recognise that most people just don't write so thats why I'm building an app.

Do you think you would use a digital version for your routine above?

 

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[Kieran Butler]

1. It provides a brief overview of the day including MAJOR tasks and events only

I ask myself three questions:

Great routine too, the five minute journal got me started with all this Do you/would you use a digital version for this routine do you think?

 

[tiagosoares17.22]

I keep a journal, but I don't write on it daily. Sometimes I write 3 days in a row, others times I write only weekly and sometimes every 2 weeks.

I use the journal to record on paper some important lessons I learned, the result of some experiences, or when I want to reflect about something and save it on paper (so in the future I can look at what was going on at the time and how I was viewing and processing things).

I also have used journals to write down daily tasks, my goals, for gratitude and all that.

Nowadays, it's a mix of that, but mainly revolves around the fact it will be good to put my thoughts on paper, so I can have a quick access to certain lessons and events.

 

[PoGOOD]

...Also use trello and evernote and have used 750words for the 'stream of thought' writing or 'Morning Pages' from the artists way. Can't reccommend that enough for unblocking creativity and many other benefits. I now only do that from time to time when feeling stuck. I do love putting pen to paper too so I'm quite torn between that and digital record keeping.

The biggest advantage of 750words.com for me is the security of it (no connection to the world if you don't set it up specifically yourself, no like/share/explode buttons etc.). I write there for myself and I know it will stay this way. It doesn't mean you can't take the text written in 750words and plug it into a blog, forum or FB post. I did it many times.
I just like the unobstructed interface and statistics visible after you plough thru the 750 for the day.

 

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[Tharus]

I keep a voice/recorded Journal.

Instead of pen and per I record myself telling "me" what to get done tomorrow.

This can get comedical because I sometimes have
way too much fun giving myself commands.

It's been effective more sor than pen and paper and looking
at those colorful sticky apps is blinding at 1 am in the morning.