The Power of Journaling: Capturing Your Thoughts and Ideas – Case Study
How do you capture your thoughts so you never miss another great idea? For years I did morning pages after reading Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way, and then I stopped. For several years, I would record my notes every now and again, and forget which notebook I wrote what in. Last year, when I decided to pursue an informal liberal arts education, I decided it would be prudent to capture my thoughts, reflections, and reactions to what I was learning in one place. I started the process of journaling again, and it has been a powerful experience, systematically capturing my thoughts and ideas in an easy to access place. This post is about my experience journaling, which I do mainly to clarify my thoughts. Journaling is a whole brain exercise for me because I could be doing a left brain activity, when suddenly I am catapulted into a very right brain one.
To capture my journal entries, I finally settled on Diaro a mobile and web app for diary entries. The app is free, but if you want to sync across all devices, you have to purchase the professional version. It works very well for me because I can capture thoughts while on the go – I am journaling a lot more because Diaro is so easy to use. Although I do not journal every day, the app reminds me when I haven't written any journal entries, so it's a gentle reminder. One of the biggest benefits for me, is that my entries are a fertile ground for blog post ideas.
Why write about journaling?
I would never have written about journaling, had someone not suggested that I do so. For those who have been reading this blog for at least six months, know that I have been working on The Invisible Mentor Model. In the model, I recommend that people take very good notes when they read books or take courses, and to record their experiences while working their way through the Model as they develop professionally. A professor who I know, requested to view the model, and he asked the questions, “What does it mean to take good notes?” and “How does someone start to journal?” He suggested that I needed to explain how to take good notes and to journal. Before, I had never seriously considered either act, I simply did them. I took good notes so I could write book summaries and reviews for the blog, and I wrote down my reactions to the events in my life, and captured my thoughts and experiences so I could revisit them later. Interestingly enough, the times when I do not take good notes, it was more difficult to write a review, which validated for me the importance of the activity.
Have you ever been in a situation where you did things without thinking about them, and assumed that others would know how to do them as well? That was the case for me with taking notes and journaling.
Related Posts
Taking Better Notes – Learning to Abbreviate Words
To Remember More of What You Read, Take Notes by Hand
Tips on Note-taking: The Art of Writing While Listening
So how do you start journaling?
Use a platform that you are comfortable with, that you can access anytime. Evernote is a great option that has more functionalities than Diaro. All the information on journaling that I have been reading suggest that you should journal by hand. But, I am now very comfortable using technology to write my journal entries, so that's what I am doing. You have to do what is comfortable and works best for you. Sometimes when I journal, I write complete thoughts and there are other times when my musings are random. Every so often, I scan my entries in Diaro to see what I have written, and more often than not. I will find an idea that takes hold.
Why I journal to capture my thoughts and ideas.
It simply made sense to me. When my mother died unexpectedly and my heart was broken into many pieces, as many of you already know, I created the Virtual Literary World Tour where I was systematically reading books by authors born in a variety of countries. I believed that to heal my broken heart, it made sense that I do something that I really enjoy, which is reading. I also believed that writing the hybrid book summaries/reviews wasn't enough to gauge and capture my feelings and experiences because the book summaries and reviews are for others. Writing down my experiences while reading the books, was mostly for me, allowing me to see if I was healing. I also found myself journaling just because….
For me, the power of journaling to capture my thoughts and ideas, delivers the greatest bang, after the fact. When I reread my journal entries, as well as my notes, I am able to spot patterns and make connections between seemingly unrelated information. For instance, I went to a speaking event at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, to hear Don Tapscott speak. I remember feeling very depressed because of all the bad news, but I made sure that I took detailed notes. The next day, I reread my notes to refresh my memory, in preparation for writing a blog post about the event. While reading my notes, I remembered another unrelated speaking event that I had attended weeks before, and I was able to connect two seemingly unrelated events. But it didn't stop there, journaling my thoughts on how the information made me feel, I decided to do something, and out of that horrible feeling, The Invisible Mentor 2015 Reading Challenge was born. This is not a big idea that will make me millions of dollars, but it reminds me that one person can make a difference.
Although I have used myself to demonstrate the power of journaling, I believe that others can realize the benefits if they make it a habit. And I truly believe, that you will see patterns and make connections after the fact, when you are looking back at what you have written. That's why I recommended to participants in my reading challenge to write down their thoughts and experiences while reading each book, and to note the big ideas in the book. I am hoping that when they are reading their notes and journal entries, they will be able to connect the ideas from one book to the next. Your million dollar idea may be buried under a mess of feelings and thoughts.
Related Posts
An Evening with Don Tapscott at the Rotman School of Management
Marty Neumeier’s Rules of Genius
The 46 Rules of Genius by Marty Neumeier, Book Review
In another post, I will explore spotting patterns and connecting the ideas from the books you read.
Get Started Here – I want to help you get started on your learning journey. Print and read the Related Posts so you can quickly refer to them. Join The Invisible Mentor 2015 Reading Challenge today, connecting the ideas from the books you read!
In the meantime, THANK YOU for your time… Thank you for sharing this post, and thank you for connecting with me on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter! What was your biggest takeaway from today?
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