How to Master Journaling Based Off The Sun’s Azimuth

They say timing is everything

Do you journal?

If the answer is no, you might want to consider journaling. I’ll explain why and how in this article.

If the answer is yes, have you paid any attention to the time of day you journal?

The Catalyst

A few weeks ago my friend texted me saying she began journaling. She mentioned how much writing was helping her mental state and anxiety. She made a point that she noticed vast discrepancy between journaling in the morning before work or before bed. She found more benefit from journaling before going to bed, whereas I preferred journaling in the morning. I realized we were journaling for different reasons and at different hours.

Her comment on her journaling schedule cultivated curiosity and reflection within me. I hadn’t considered the plethora of purposes, uses, and scheduling components of journaling.

Like the Nike slogan, I was just doing it. I hadn’t contemplated the timing of my journaling before my friend made her statement. As a curious writer, I decided to reflect and write about my developments regarding journaling.

Journaling Around the Clock: Different Times = Different Results

I’ve kept multiple journals on and off for years. Journaling has helped me become a happier, more fulfilled person. There is tremendous benefit from sifting through my thoughts to make sense of them. I owe a lot of growth and knowledge to my dear journal friend.

With time and rumination, I have observed unique aspects with the timing of journaling. There are distinct differences and applications between journaling before the sun comes up or after the sun sets. Journaling is more than simply writing your thoughts down in a diary. It is a versatile skill with a broad spectrum of implementation. Due to journaling’s adaptability, journaling serves oodles of intentions.

There are benefits to both journaling in the morning and night, and one hour isn’t necessarily superior to the other. Everyone has unique preferences and tastes. There’s no singular way to journal appropriately.

That’s the beauty of journaling.

We reap more benefits from journaling if we better understand what we want to get out of it. It also helps to understand the pros versus cons of journaling at different points of the day.

Cater journaling to your needs so journaling can cater to yours. Journaling is kind and flexible like that. Here are some things I’ve learned and noticed over the years of journaling regarding the timing of it.

Morning Journaling — Rise, Shine, and Set Your Day

In the morning, few events have occurred. Since morning is the beginning of a day, journaling then is ideal for planning, intention setting, and goal setting. The upcoming day is better pre-determined for individual success if we write our intentions. Writing a goal plants the seed inside our mind, serving as a small primer before the day begins. Its easer for the seeds to fertilize during the day if they’re planted and watered in the morning. Goals are more likely to flourish into reality by writing them.

There’s also an amount of accountability from journaling in the morning when goals are written. If we return to our journal later, we have our goal reminder staring us in the face. Writing intentions down is incentive for me to take action to achieve goals. If I set a goal in the morning to work out during the day, I’m more likely to do it. If not, I might forget my intention and then waste time later in the day reflecting on how I didn’t accomplish my goal.

Goals have a wide-range time spectrum from short-term goals, long-term goals, and perpetual, permanent goals. The issue with goal setting is that some people only establish goals in their heads. People like me will quickly forget about those goals if they’re strictly in the form of thoughts. We have at least 6,000 thoughts per day, so there is a high likelihood I’m going to forget an intention when my mind is bombarded with a stream of mostly unproductive thoughts. If my thoughts are written, I couldn’t ignore them if I tried.

I’m reminded of my daily goals if they are tangibly written. Writing goals creates a more focused plan for living. Morning journaling increases productivity and clarity throughout the day. This increases the motivation to take action in alignment with your goals.

Another benefit of morning journaling is a gratitude practice. Expressing gratitude each morning results in genuine happiness. This is because gratitude practice gets our mind into a positive attitude, even under challenging circumstances.

Neuroscience has proven that expressing gratitude releases our feel good, happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin in the brain. Dopamine makes us feel optimistic, and if we feel better, we are motivated for prosocial behaviors and goal attainment. Serotonin also enhances mood. Expressing gratitude activates our “gratitude” circuits. The more we activate these pathways, the more positive thinking results.

Gratitude is a skill anybody can develop. I like to write down three things I’m grateful for daily. When I do this, I start my day on a thankful, positive note. This practice places my mindset in a mode to search for things to be grateful for throughout the day. It’s a small practice, but a very profitable one from my experience.

“Whenever there’s a grateful moment, I note it. I know for sure that appreciating whatever shows up for you in life changes your personal vibration. You radiate and generate more goodness for yourself when you’re aware of all you have and not focusing on your have-nots.”

— Oprah

Night Journaling — Sunset and Beyond

Nighttime is an ideal time to write for self-reflection. Journaling at night is an opportunity to deposit my thoughts from the day onto paper. Many internal and external events occur that I need to sift through so unnecessary thoughts don’t carry over to the next day.

The process of physically writing my thoughts on paper offloads it from my mind, taking it out of the wash cycle that is my brain. Putting my thoughts to bed helps clear my mind before I go to bed. By putting my thoughts to sleep, I wake up every morning with a clean, new mental slate.

Moreover, journaling can help if you’re having difficulty falling asleep at night. I think one of the worst feelings is when I’m lying in bed, ready to sleep, but then my mind begins to take over and ruminate over a past issue or future problem. Sleep eludes me during this painful process.

One method to stop the mind chatter is journaling before bedtime. Journaling before bedtime has been proven to help us fall asleep faster. This is attributed to the fact that writing down our thoughts decreases anxiety levels before closing our eyes. Instead of ordering thoughts to stop, we can guide them in a happier direction by redirecting our mind to positive things in life. If you practice writing down recent positive experiences before bed, your journal will become an association with feeling relaxed, allowing you to fall asleep easier.

Night journaling aids with goal-setting and attainment. We can write down what we accomplished or didn’t accomplish throughout the day. Reflecting on our progress helps us discern what we need to maintain or change to set ourselves up for achievement. This leads to a higher likelihood of success.

“Writing in a journal each day allows you to direct your focus to what you accomplished, what you’re grateful for and what you’re committed to doing better tomorrow. This, you are more deeply enjoy your journey each day.”

— Hal Elrod

Journaling Day In and Day Out

Journaling is beneficial in all forms and at any time. No matter the time of day, journaling can serve as a multi-purpose tool: a thought organizer, motivator, goal-setter, thought sifter, and anti-anxiety form of medication with no adverse symptoms.

If we want to receive the optimal benefits of journaling, we must understand its different uses and personalities.

Ask yourself, “What do I want to get out of journaling? What are my goals for journaling? And what is journaling’s best purpose for me?”

Asking yourself questions like this will help you understand what style of journaling best equips your needs. But no matter the time of day, there is enormous benefit from writing down our goals, what we’re grateful for, thoughts, and ideas. This will bring more focus, less mental clutter, and less anxiety. At the end of the day (or beginning), journaling is a practice that will serve us as long as we write.

Go on and experience the magic of writing.

A pen and piece of paper are basic but two of the most powerful tools on this Earth.