I was told by my 8th grade teacher that all the most intelligent people in the world carried personal journals everywhere they went. I didn’t believe her. Perhaps the fact that keeping a journal for the entire semester was a class requisite made me somewhat of a skeptic.
Some months ago I found out she was right. Well, partially right. I learned that Leonardo Da Vinci kept his notes on loose pages, only bound after his death. I also read of some scientist who used index cards for hers. In fact, I’d say most creative people, not to say Newton, Einstein, and the like, keep some kind of journal. This is not to say that journal-keeping is the cause of genius-level creativity or intelligence, but there does seem to be some correlation between journal-keeping and creativity.
So, I decided I should keep one too. I admit I haven’t been the most avid journal-keeper of all time, but I’m already seeing some benefits which I’d like to share with you:
- Thought organization: I’ve never felt a clearer thought process. When I used to rely solely on my brain for everything, I had so many conscious thoughts at once that it was nearly impossible to focus on organizing them.
- Thought creation: As I write about a particular problem, I find myself coming up with alternative solutions that I wouldn’t have had if I wasn’t writing.
- Conciseness: Writing things down in my journal forces me to cut out irrelevant details from my thought process, which distills or purifies my ideas.
- Catharsis: I’ve found journal-keeping to be the best emotional purifier. I just write about my feelings and I feel better.
- Less time in front of the TV: This is pretty self-explanatory. Journal-keeping has kept me away from a proven intelligence-killer: television.
- Less inhibitions: Nobody has to know about my journal-keeping, so I feel free to express that which I wouldn’t feel comfortable with otherwise.
- Feeling of “creativity”: It acts a thought-stimulus that increases my confidence in my creativity.
- Less worry: Having things written down allows me to think about more other issues, since I know that my thoughts are safe and sound, and I’m not going to lose them.
- Less stress: Less worry equals less stress. I used to stress a lot about forgetting things. Now I don’t
- More fun: I enjoy reading what I’ve read, so my previous journal entries are sources of entertainment.
Here are some ideas for your journal-keeping:
- Capture random ideas throughout the day: This is perhaps the most common use of a journal. Just jot down your thoughts.
- Brainstorm and/or mindmap: A journal is a great place for brainstorming. As I said earlier, I tend to come up with new solutions to problems as I’m writing about them.
- Rant: Just say whatever you want! Better to rant privately and not risk possible backlash.
- Write an “unsendable” letter: Write a letter to someone you’re having problems with, but don’t send it. Wait a couple of days for the feelings of anger to subside, and then read the letter and decide if you should still address the issue.
- Free-writing: Pick a topic or question, and write everything you come up with that’s related to it. Don’t worry if it’s incoherent, and don’t lift the pen from the paper. Also known as stream-of-consciousness writing, these compositions frequently carry valuable nuggets that can later be polished. It’s great for problem-solving and writer’s block.
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