How One Simple Step Can Boost Your Journaling Effectiveness
Use this method to mine your journal for gold nuggets of wisdom
“This process … aided my personal growth and development more than almost anything else.” — Hal Elrod, The Miracle Morning
People who write down their goals are more likely to meet them than people who don’t. But people who take daily action toward their goals are more likely still to achieve them.
The same thing holds true for those who journal. Studies show that those who regularly write in a journal are happier and healthier. They are also more creative, better communicators, more confident and successful.
But those who take the extra step of regularly reviewing their journal? They become super successful.
Doing a journal review as I explain in this article can lead to fabulous results. You will enhance your confidence by reliving your wins. You will cement your learning. And by focusing on positives, you can dramatically improve your performance and success.
The basic method of journal review
To take advantage of a journal review, you need to have been journaling for a significant period of time. You should have at least a month of journal entries, but more is even better.
Schedule your journal review for the end of a period of time. You might choose end-of-month, but you could also choose the ends of quarters or years.
Take out a sheet of paper, and divide it into thirds. At the top of the first column, write “Wins”. Label the second column “Insights”. And the final column is “Commitments”.
In his book, The Miracle Morning, Hal Elrod describes his journal review process. He uses “Lessons Learned” and “New Commitments” for column headings. The second column contains the same material, whether labeled “Insights” or “Lessons Learned”.
Now, go back to your journal entries for the beginning of this period of time. Read through all the entries for the period.
As you read each entry, you will fill out the three columns on your sheet of paper.
Reviewing wins
Wins can be anything you recorded in your journal that was positive. An enjoyable experience, a moment of gratitude, or achieving a goal are all wins.
Allow yourself to savor the memory. Recall how much you enjoyed the experience, and relive the pleasure. Feel your thankfulness all over again. Remember the victorious feel of attaining your goal.
As Shawn Achor describes in his book, Before Happiness, you are changing your lens to be positive. Recording and reviewing your wins changes what details your brain focuses on. By focusing on the positive events and feelings, you train your brain to look for those.
This one change affects up to 75% of your future success. A positive outlook is the single greatest trait you can have to ensure your future happiness.
Make a note in your Wins column of every significant positive experience. I say significant positive experience, because many people use their journal for gratitude. They write 3, 5, or 10 things they’re grateful for every day. I, myself, start every day’s entry with 3 ways my life is measurably better than the day before.
When you’re doing your journal review, feel the gratitude and savor the daily wins. But you should only write down the big ones.
Reviewing insights or lessons learned
The reason I prefer the term “insights” is that I will often include insights I get from my reading in my journal. I think of lessons learned as insights you get from real world experience. So to me, insights includes both of these sources.
If you prefer Lessons Learned, like Hal Elrod, go ahead and use that term. This review, after all, is for you. But for the rest of this section, I’ll refer to insights.
As you are reading through your journal entries, you will come across insights you had. They were powerful enough for you at the time that you wrote them down.
Copy those insights into the Insights column.
You may also be able to view your struggles and experiences with the wisdom of hindsight. You might see something now that you missed when you were having the experience the first time.
Write those insights down, too.
Reviewing commitments
As you wrote about your plans and goals during this time, you probably also jotted down some ideas. What were you going to do to try and reach those goals? How were you going to break your plan into manageable chunks?
I know that in my journal, I often write down ideas for new articles. I will mention books that I want to read, or research that I want to explore. I will also describe new habits that I want to form, or old habits that I want to break.
These are all types of commitments. As you read over your journal entries, note all the commitments you mentioned.
For each one, consider whether it is still valid. Is it something you did already? If so, it’s probably a win. Write it in that column.
If you didn’t do it, is it still something you want to do? You may have considered something, then later decided against it. But if you still want to do it, write it down in your Commitments column.
When you’re done with your review, read over your commitments and make a plan for how you will implement them.
Conclusion
Regularly reviewing your journal helps you to fast track your growth and accomplishments.
Positive psychology expert Shawn Achor has proven the value of a positive outlook. It is the single biggest factor indicating your success.
One of the ways you can increase your positive outlook is by reviewing your journal and making note of wins. By reliving the good experiences, you train your brain to look for more.
You can also make note of things you learned or plans you made which fell by the wayside. Reviewing them helps to ensure they are still applicable. If they’re still valid, the review ensures they aren’t lost. You will be doing everything you can to achieve your goals.
You will be both happier and more successful.
Ready to have a better tomorrow?
I’ve created a guide to help you increase your confidence and improve your life. If you follow these tips, you will level up your life very quickly!
