Powerful Tool Of Daily Journaling To Gain Clarity
Before starting a project or a task it is important to have a goal in mind. You will never get to your goal without a roadmap. Use the powerful tool of daily journaling to gain clarity. Stream of consciousness journaling.
Journaling in a stream-of-consciousness manner will help you clarify the most important things you want to achieve. The beauty of stream-of-consciousness journaling or writing is we completely disregard the use of punctuation, proper spelling, good grammar, and all the rules of writing you were ever taught.
I can hear you now saying you don’t know how to write. Neither did I when I started stream-of-consciousness writing. This is still my favorite way to write for the very reason I do not have to concern myself with punctuation, proper spelling, and good grammar.
If this is you with a head full of clutter and jumbled thoughts you need to get your thoughts down on paper, or digitally, to gain clarity.
Gaining clarity will enhance your personal growth and mental health. Journaling is especially awesome when going through difficult times. My stress levels are greatly reduced when I dump the yucky stuff on paper. The bonus is I always walk away with a new perspective.
Yes, always, because I keep writing until I let go of the old stuff and allow some new thoughts in.
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Sorting through it all
All we are doing is sorting through all the mental clutter going round and round in our heads. Until we sort through everything in our heads we won’t be able to focus on what we want.
Think of this as a place to dump whatever is troubling you. Stream of consciousness writing, otherwise known as journaling, is about the here and now, this present moment.
Daily journaling
My process of daily writing, started about 25 years ago. This is not a new idea, I wrote daily for years whether I wanted to write or not. This process of developing a journaling habit changed my life!
I learned this from Julia Cameron in her book The Artist Way.https://amzn.to/3KBrqcg
I used to set my alarm for 20 minutes earlier than usual so I could dump all the thoughts and grievances I woke up with on paper. By the way I no longer wake up with lists of grievances.
I encourage you to try this simple process because it will have a profound impact on your daily life, as it did mine and many others. Journaling is one of the many simple free mindset tools available to us.
Time & tips
I can hear some saying they don’t have the time. Neither did I! I had to be at work at 6 am and in those days I was working 2 jobs and starting my new business – melting Venetian glass. I still was able to complete my goal of daily writing because I wanted clarity in my life more than the 20 minutes of sleep I was forfeiting.
A great thing to remember is if you have a good excuse don’t use it. Making excuses is another form of procrastination. We can all find excuses to avoid anything. To what end though?
Lots of thoughts
Is your head always filled with too many thoughts and is focusing difficult? The simple process of writing is a great way to filter your thoughts, and kind of reign the thoughts in. By writing in the morning I was able to let go of the junk I would normally haul around in my head all day. That stuff weighed me down.
Writing with a pen or keyboard
When I write things down on paper, you can type if you prefer, I often find the pettiness of my grievances. When I want to cut through the bologna I write the question ‘What is my part in this’? The answer usually involves people, places, or things and I write until I see the truth. This action removes me from the role of victim.
I never want to be the victim. I learned long ago victims can either stay bitter or get better. There is no wiggle room here, it is an either-or situation.
Roadmaps
I use writing like I use a GPS. When I am driving to a new destination I plug in an address and directions appear. When I am trying to work something out I pick up a notebook and pen and start writing. I know the answers are somewhere inside of me and as I continue writing the answers emerge. It’s like magic to me!
Stream-of-consciousness writing is a great way to bring us into the present moment. It is these present moments alone with a pen and paper or digitally that give you the freedom to be honest. I will underline – this journaling is for your eyes only.
I write my thoughts in cheap spiral-bound notebooks and a comfortable pen. Sometimes during the day, I will write on my iPad using an iPen. I prefer a pen and notebook.
Just because I prefer to write in a physical journal you may prefer to use a digital journal. This is your time, choose what works best for you. Some people have fun adding drawings to their words. This sounds fun too!
Clutter
If you are here and it is important to you to learn how to declutter either your physical spaces or your mind this is very doable. Any goal can be achieved by following this simple process. Mind you, every goal does not always have the outcome you were looking for.
I can’t say my goals always had the outcomes I dreamed of. I have always been able to get from square 1 to square 2 because I charted a course to follow. Yes, it is this simple.
What do you want to declutter?
Write about what you want to achieve. What does your idea or goal look like? Describe this. Embrace the simplicity of writing the first things that pop into your head. Expand on this. Keep the ball rolling. My pen, I prefer writing the old fashioned way with pen and paper, can hardly keep up with the words spilling out of my head.
Mental clutter
Getting rid of the physical clutter is easy after you eliminate the mental clutter or roadblocks and obstacles. We can find so many reasons not to journal daily. Do it anyway.
By stopping the mental clutter you will start to gain clarity and getting through the physical clutter and maintaining the goal of living free will be manageable. Mental clutter will transform into mental clarity.
Physical clutter
People I have helped to become clutter-free were overwhelmed by the perceived enormity of the project. When I showed up with a new pair of eyes I could see a manageable solution. Why is that?
First I had no emotional attachment to the objects causing the cluttered environment. Second, in my mind, I had a situation to solve absent any of the excuses or roadblocks. For me, it was as simple as a,b, and c.
Complications
I have come to find in my life most things are not that complicated. I am usually the complication. Making excuses and overthinking is a common way we complicate things. There are times when I, an organized and efficient lady, can complicate the simplest of tasks.
I fret and toil then call a friend and a friend will say something like ‘Why don’t you try this’, and of course problem solved! At once I can see how I complicated this. This was a valuable insight for me to learn. All it took was another pair of eyes to look at and solve the minor thing I had worked up to a major catastrophe.
Planting seeds.
I made journaling a daily habit because I caught a glimmer of hope the first time I tried this. I can’t stress enough there is no wrong way to write in your journal. Look at this as your wellness journal because long term you will see the benefit. I used to write a minimum of 3 pages daily.
Knowing most others won’t commit to daily journaling, I say do what you can, start by writing one page, one sentence, or one word. Just start! Journaling regularly helps.
You already know the effort you put into anything is commensurate with the result you get. Writing is such an easy, free-of-cost way to feel good. In my early writing days, the feelings I received were varied. Some days I came away from writing with the answers I was looking for.
Some days the good feeling was manifested by just the accomplishment of doing what I was committed to doing, writing 3 pages. What I did not know at the time was I was planting the seeds.
Habit
Rumor has it, it takes about 14 days for habits to form, whomever they are. Another tidbit I will share with you is I found that on some really tough days when I got home I would pick up my journal to write about whatever was still churning in my head from the day.
Because I had formed the daily habit of writing I had the experience of how good this felt to dump my crappy day on paper. You’ve heard the expression ‘a problem shared is a problem cut in half.’ I shared my problem thoughts with the pages in my journal.
The easy act of writing turned into a game changer for me which is why I always set aside enough time to write in my journal. Journaling became a daily routine I would no more skip than brushing my teeth.
Why bother?
I have helped friends and clients declutter and organize their homes and work spaces. What I will highlight for you is this. If you do not figure out how it is you got into this mess, what behaviors brought you to where you are today, and why, you are doomed to repeat this. I have never seen an exception to this rule.
It make sense to get to the source of your clutter? Why would you bother doing the heavy lifting if it is only temporary?
Common thread
There will never be a shortage of material to write about because each day we have different stuff to journal about. What is interesting is after a couple, few weeks of daily journaling you will notice at least one common thread. You will likely notice more than one.
This common thread that keeps recurring in your journaling is the very thing that needs to be examined. Is this person, place or thing that keeps showing up on the pages of your journal your roadblock?
Are you writing all whining sentences without asking what play you played in this? Are you blaming everyone else for your misery?
Do you only write about things that make you feel joyous and happy? Use this powerful tool of writing to write whatever and whenever you want. The more honest you are in your writing the more help your direction will become.
Present moment
Focusing on the present moment is a vital aspect of journaling to gain clarity. By being present in the moment you are able to tap into a deeper connection with yourself and your surroundings thus enabling you to make more conscious choices and decisions that are more suited to your true desires.
Mindfulness
You are creating a space for mindfulness by staying present in the moment. You are fully engaged with your writing and observing your thoughts as they come, without judgement. This will show you patterns and recurring themes and will prove helpful to reveal what is truly important to you.
By being present in the moment you will notice you are able to let go of distractions and tune into your inner voice. This is truly the best way to self discovery. Look at it as a new experience because trust me it will be all that and more!
Write and keep writing
You will never know the power of journaling unless you give it a go. It does not matter what you write with. Use a fancy journal, a cheap spiral bound notebook like I do, a few sheets of paper or digitally. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is starting.
This is your private safe space to dump your thoughts. You will never know the numerous benefits of journaling unless you try. You never have to share this journal with anyone although some people like to share the thoughts in their journals because they find it helpful to receive input from friends and or a therapist.
Ready to give it a try!
Find a quiet comfy place to sit. Start writing. Pay no attention to grammar, spelling, punctuation and appearance. If you don’t know how to start – write the following question. If I was not afraid what would I do today? Now answer the question. By writing as close to daily as you can you will find the clarity you are looking for.
Please help yourself to free writing prompts to get you started.
FAQ
How long should I write?
This is your choice. For years I committed to write 3 full pages in 20 minutes.
What if I have a lot of thoughts and don’t know where to start?
Start a gratitude journal – we all have things to be grateful for.
Use my list of free writing prompts .
Or you can ask yourself the following questions:
- How do I feel today?
- Is there something I dread doing today?
- What am I looking forward to today?
- What do I hope to gain by writing?
How can journaling help me overcome negative self-talk?
Ask yourself why you are saying these things and where is the evidence supporting that your thoughts are true?
Would you let a friend to speak to you this way? You will slowly start to flip this negative self talk a little bit each day. Try writing ‘What if this (idea) works’? instead of ‘What if this (idea) doesn’t work’?
Can daily journaling have a profound impact on my mental clutter?
Yes! We are pulled in so many dizzying directions these days it is no wonder we can remember our own names let alone who we really are. We let marketers, family, friends, co workers tell us who we should be.
By focusing on being present in this little special time you have given yourself to write, you will chip away at who the real you is and what you really want.
How can I simplify the journaling process for consistent practice?
The easiest way to write is to find a dedicated quiet place to write. My friend cleared out a closet in her home and for years wrote daily in this special place she carved out for herself in the closet. I always find the time for the stuff that is the most important to me, and you can too.
You are not writing your memoir!
Stream of consciousness journaling is simply used because we are only concerned about writing down our present thoughts. Forget about penmanship, spelling, grammar, punctuation and all that stuff.
This writing is private and for your eyes only. Whether journaling in a closet, at a desk or the subway, using stream of consciousness journaling is a great habit to get into and a very powerful tool to gain clarity.
Marj Bates is a life long ridiculously organized declutterer and artist. Less is more are words Marj lives by in everything she does except collecting dogs. “Dogs are like potato chips! Can’t have just one.” says Marj. Marj wonders if growing up with a fanatically clean Jewish mom means her decluttering and organizational skills are in her blood.
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