Through regular journaling, we can grow to know ourselves better and to become reflective, self-aware leaders.
Q: What links Marcus Aurelius, Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Frida Kahlo and Adrian Mole?
A: All have used journaling as a means of clarifying their goals and thinking.
And if it’s good enough for them, might it also help us to boost our own self-awareness?
In essence, journaling is writing down our thoughts and feelings to help us to understand them more clearly.
The simple act of committing to paper how we feel can help us to reflect on and interpret the experiences and events that we encounter every day at work (and beyond).
Journaling provides a safe space in which to express ourselves, whether we want to capture the good or vent about the bad.
And synthesising and learning from both good and bad experiences gives us vital insights that we can use not just to build our self-awareness, but our productivity and performance too.
Self-reflection should not be confused with simple rumination, a word which derives from the Latin for ‘chewing the cud’ and refers to repeatedly pondering a thought or feeling without resolution.
Mulling over a particular issue without examining it in a bid to understand it is a bit like trying to untie a knot by staring at it rather than twisting the cords to unravel it.
Research shows that people who ruminate are much more likely to develop depression and anxiety. Co-rumination, where we get together with others to dwell on something, can be particularly damaging.
To help rather than harm, reflection must bring ‘insight’, the ability to see and understand things clearly.
In psychoanalysis, insight is also related to a feeling of liberation from a “psychical burden”, which perhaps helps to explain why reflective techniques such as journaling can help to take the sting out of certain situations, relieving tension and anxiety.
One thing that helps steer us towards insight is focusing self-reflection on others.
When we focus our attention on ourselves, our problems and the bad things that happen to us, this elicits a ‘shame’ response and makes us feel worse about ourselves.
However, focusing on how others might feel about our actions, empathising with them, and considering how we can maintain our relationships, elicits a ‘guilt’ response, and helps us to feel better.
One of the most famous journalers of all time, Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, gives examples in his Meditations of how freewheeling thoughts can clarify our thinking and lead us to a conclusion – even when contemplating the seemingly mundane, such as how to motivate ourselves to get out of bed:
“I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”
So you were born to feel ‘nice’? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?
You don’t love yourself enough. Or you’d love your nature too, and what it demands of you.”
A variation on this theme can be found in The Artist’s Way, where Julia Cameron asks readers to write three page – by hand, first thing in the morning – about whatever comes to mind.
The idea is that by downloading onto paper everything we have running through our heads – especially all the worries and anxieties –then we’ll start the day with a clear mind and a tighter grasp of priorities.
There is no right or wrong way to do Morning Pages. They are about anything and everything that crosses our minds – and they are for our eyes only. For Cameron, they: “provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritise and synchronise the day at hand”.
The key thing is not to over-think them.
Our pages may make little sense, reading something like:
“I don’t know what to write for this exercise, I’m still feeling a bit annoyed with Dave from Accounts, I might have a grapefruit for breakfast, I’m feeling a bit tired today, why is my mobile bill always higher than I expect, what’s that actor called with that weird moustache, that’s a nice noise…’ etc.
But the evidence suggests that Morning Pages really can give us some much-needed perspective; reduce anxiety; uncover hidden problems; overcome our inner critic; help us to feel more empowered and boost our creativity.
Letting go can help us to get to the bottom of what we really want to achieve and why, and to overcome any obstacles that might be getting in the way.
As leaders, we face demands and expectations from all sides. A journal can help us to give ourselves permission to take time out from the fray to slow down, reflect and anticipate.
There is no single established method for journaling and no right or wrong way to go about it.
Whether we decide to follow a popular method such as bullet journaling (launched by US art director Ryder Carroll as “a mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system”) or to design a journaling system of our own, it may take a bit of trial and error to find something that works for us.
There are, though, some key things to bear in mind:
Make notes as soon as possible after the experience or event we’re recording – and be consistent about when and how we do this.
Setting aside, for example, 10 minutes two-three times each week for journaling means that it will become a habit. Scheduling regular writing times (and choosing a peaceful environment in which to journal) helps us to stick to it.
what stood out for us most today/over the last few days (in a good or bad way)?
what impact did we have on others? Who impressed us?
from what we learnt, what might we do differently next time?
Or, if we want to reflect on a particular experience or event, we could:
begin with the outcome
list the reasons for that outcome (peeling back reasons layer by layer)
note our reactions and the emotions we experienced
outline what we can learn from the experience and do differently in future.
It can be hard to approach journaling without self-consciousness.
But remember Cameron’s Morning Pages. Journaling is not about making our entries sound good, or impressing a reader, but about exploring experiences and finding meaning within them.
Marcus Aurelius’ journal was never intended to be published; it was just his tool for daily reflection and musing.
Although any form of reflective journal is better than none at all, from a neuroscientific perspective, it’s been proven that it’s better to keep a handwritten journal. Handwriting forces our brains to slow down and be more intentional about what we think and write.
Writing also boosts the brain’s encoding process, so we’re more likely to be remember what we write.
When it comes to knowing ourselves, reflective practices like journaling are a valuable investment of time.
While reliving challenging experiences can be difficult, it’s a learning opportunity that can lead to sharpened self-awareness, improved decision-making and critical thinking, better wellbeing and more empathetic relationships.
We might even motivate ourselves to get out of bed in the morning.
To help rather than harm, what must reflection bring (and what does this term mean in psychoanalysis)?
Briefly outline the four tips for successful journaling.
Try journaling, using a system that suits you, in order to clarify your thinking about a particular issue or experience.