Journaling: Can it really change your life ?

“Journaling will change your life,” they said.

I spend a lot of time reading and learning from other people I admire, trying to understand what separates them. I’m fascinated by the topic of what makes these people so much more successful in life: how can they be so much more productive, happier, richer, smarter, faster, and stronger, etc.? They breathe the same air as me and are made of the same materials. What do they do that’s different?

The answer, of course, is complex and not just one thing, but there are common traits in all of these people that I’ve noticed.

Consistency: they show up every day and do something that moves them towards their goals. They do this over long periods of time. They are 10-year overnight successes.

Hard work: there are no shortcuts, they put in the effort. They work harder than everyone else.

The other habit that a lot of “successful” people do is journaling. I keep reading about this and have tried it previously but not seriously. I didn’t really get why it would help, but in January, I started again (as we all do in January), but this time, I was determined to adopt the other successful trait of consistency, and so far, I have been doing it every day.

I understood that it’s all about reflection and taking time out to think about your day, what you did, the decisions you made, the mistakes and successes of those decisions. It’s a chance to think about what you would do differently and will do next time. It’s also a chance to be grateful and thankful for what you have.

What I did differently this time is that I created a form that emails me every day with interview questions for that day’s version of me, and it works well. Here’s what I ask myself:

⏰ Wakeup Time – Having this data can help analyze moods related to time.

⭐ Rate your sleep – Again, useful information when gauging moods.

🥱 Morning Feeling – Rating on how I feel mentally about the day ahead.

🔋 Morning Energy Levels – A rating on how I feel physically.

📝 Journal Update – Just some notes about my day, doesn’t have to be too much.

🛌 Evening Feeling – Rating on how I feel after the day (Interesting to compare).

📷 Photo of the Day – A nice way to present the day.

🥇 One Thing I Achieved Today – Celebrate the wins.

👎 One Thing I Would Have Done Differently.

🙏 One Thing That You’re Grateful For.

After 5 months of doing this, I can say that it is life-changing, and I encourage others to do the same. It forces reflection and allows us to articulate our thoughts and learn lessons from it.

Do you journal? I’d love to hear about your experiences.