A Year of Journaling

Every year I try to introduce a new habit and give it my best effort until it becomes second nature. Usually, in doing so, I find the smallest increment possible and remove any friction I encounter. Sometimes that friction is just analysis paralysis. There are so many ways to go about it that you end up picking nothing or postponing, until months go by (or years!).

Rather than investing in full page journals, I wanted to be able to quickly revisit the past. I found these five-year memory books that were perfect. The commitment is one line per day. You jot down how you feel at the end of the day, what was going on, or a single highlight that made that day memorable. I was also tracking other habits or energy levels but, given the limited space, I would end up forgetting what my acronyms or symbols stood for and eventually gave up. The "one line per day" philosophy stayed though.

I stuck with it for a whole year and I'm really glad I did! Just a few weeks ago I hit this milestone and every day I get the chance to revisit where I was at this time a year prior. Revisiting memories, important facts, moods, and milestones leaves a smile on my face every time.

It hasn't always been easy. There was a period during this summer when I wasn't doing well mentally and I had a hard time focusing. I barely noticed that I suddenly stopped journaling. I refused to leave an empty entry so, after a few days of falling behind, I quickly caught up and used my phone to write down what happened in the past 5 days. The key part here was not needing a full minute-by-minute recollection, even if a day wasn't captured to perfection, that's fine!

I'm no Marcus Aurelius writing Meditations. I needed something that didn't require eloquence or insight. A year in, I can see what made this sustainable for me:

• The journal is very portable.
• It's quick and easy to do.
• The effort required is minimal.
• If you miss once you can catch-up later.
• You can chain it to other night-time or morning routines.

I'm proud of having an entry for all 365 days, and impressed by my consistency. Next goal is to complete all 5 years! I find this approach to be the easiest way to pick up journaling. Keep it simple.