Writing a personal diary is one of the most effective tools for anyone seeking more self-awareness, a more organized, and happier life.
Below, I am offering a twist, a different approach to writing a personal diary. I believe the approach, tips, and ideas below can make a huge difference.
The goal
The goal of this type of personal diary is to consciously help your own self to become more self-aware and understand yourself better.
The ‘thing’ to do
You will want to write down
- Your questions about your own self, behavior, challenges, struggles – to yourself. And your inner dialogue, self-reflections about these.
- Your recognitions of yourself.
- Your wins and positive changes.
Tips
Use basic wording and short sentences
This may sound controversial, and I am not saying that this is the only way at all. We are all different, and certainly do what works best for you. Anyway, here is why I think this can be very effective:
- It forces you to “cook” your thoughts.
- It helps to concentrate.
- You can be quick.
Consider using a physical paper diary
- This way it is not your phone that you grab for – You enter your own world, different from that bloody phone for a while. Having a dedicated tool only for this purpose helps you get into the right mindset.
Always keep your diary with you
- Consider using a small diary that can maybe even fit in your pocket.
- When I don’t have my diary with me, I just simply use my phone.
Grab it quickly when the recognition comes
- Don’t wait! Recognition comes quickly and goes quickly. Use your diary to grab the moment.
- You may never even read what you wrote down again, but the act of writing it down helps it to go deeper.
Your diary is yours, no one else’s
- Don’t show it to anyone. Don’t tell anyone that you have one.
- You will be surprised how much you will enjoy having your own secrets.
Results you can expect
- The act of writing them down and not ‘just thinking of them once’ makes your recognitions much more conscious. Expect more clarity, more depth, more dots connected.
- You will have your personal method that will give a conscious frame to your inner work.