How To Consistently Be The Captain of Your Life

Life is kind of like being a captain of a ship.

You’re sailing along out into the sunset with the wind in your hair — and then all of a sudden, the waves start getting choppy, the wind picks up.

Maybe this wasn't in the weather forecast.

On top of that, someone is rocking the boat.

Eventually you decide you need to drop your anchor in to give you some time to:

• Strategize how you're going to get back on course or figure out if you're going to re-route

• Deploy the other resources you have on board

• Call for help

• Have a hard conversation with the person on board rocking the boat

• Have 1 minute of calm

Because if you don't drop the anchor, you'll likely drift more off course or go completely crazy.

If you’re the captain of the boat, people are relying on you…

Life kinda feels like this sometimes and your morning routine can be your anchor.

I recommend establishing an Anchor Activity.

An Anchor Activity is something:

• You do anywhere from 30 seconds to 5 mins to ground you, take a pause

• Journaling, stretching, taking a shower, deep breaths, taking a walk.

• You can do quickly and take anywhere (even on vacation)

Something to do when the waves get rocky, wind picks up, or that dang person just keeps rocking the boat.

Also, could be a time to bask in the sun and look around at what you have to be thankful for.

For the people who live in the all or nothing —

this is a small thing you can do every day, a shorter version of your longer routine, a way to modify, a way to stay consistent.

For the past 5 years, my anchor has been journaling.

I do it on the days where I have 5 mins like when I go to the office or maybe on a trip.

• I do it on the days I have 30 mins like when I WFH or on the weekends.

• It's carried me to several countries, through breakups, covid, loss, job changes, re-evaluating my drinking habits, my hardest conversations, and biggest dreams.

I have friends who are parents who prefer to do their Anchor in the evenings or during “fringe hours” as they call it —

waiting to pick up the kids from school or sitting at gymnastics practice.

They say those 10 min windows make a difference.

An Anchor is a way to modify your routine in a way that makes it easier to consistently show up & check in with yourself.

So what could your quick Anchor Activity be?

Because there will always be choppy waters, high winds, or people rocking the boat.

Are you going to be the captain of your ship or drift further into the storm?

Drop your Anchor.

So when the waves keep rocking you’ll keep rolling.

When Does Reflection Become Rumination?

I used to see reflection - in work and life - as good as it helps us learn from our experiences. 

But is there such thing as too much reflection?

Can reflection become rumination?

I asked myself this question when I listened to Chris Williamson's Modern Wisdom podcast with his guest Freya India.

She discussed therapy culture and how specifically girls are ruminating on thoughts that often lead to anxiety or depression. I recommend giving it a listen even for the 1st 30 minutes.

By definition, rumination is:

A repetitive and passive thought pattern, involves dwelling on negative experiences or situations, often focusing on the causes and effects of distress without actively seeking solutions or moving forward. 

I see rumination show up:

At work - when multiple co-workers come together to complain about a problem, raising each others emotions more and more as it's shared collectively, and a lot of times no action is taken.

In life - when you're journaling about the same thing over and over again and no action is taken to change that.

We see this too in a culture where we are encouraged to reflect on everything, set goals, meditate, journal, go to therapy, etc.

Yes connection to others and ourselves are good parts of reflection, but when does it become excessive?

When does reflection become rumination?

How do we know we've gotten to that point?

The easy answer: at the point where no action is taken 

The hard answer: when we no longer trust ourselves to take the next step forward

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I'll give you an example of when reflection became rumination for me (and maybe they will help you discover them in yourself)

A relationship I needed to get out of -

I thought having a daily journal practice was helpful in working through problems I was having in a relationship.

Until every journal entry day after day became about the same relationship problems with little to no action taken after.

Not to mention it came up in every therapy session and conversation with a friend.

Reflection quickly became rumination 

It took until the rumination showed up in my body physically as heart pounding, headaches, and a constant pit in my stomach.  Looking back, my intuition and body were telling me something needed to change.

What I learned from that experience is to not let to rumination get to that point. Take action.

When I eventually addressed the problems, they couldn't be resolved, and I decided to leave the relationship, the physical symptoms went away almost like a 500lb rock had been lifted off my chest. 

I wish I hadn't ignored my feelings and reflections, and trusted myself more.

There are many other stories I could tell you about reflection becoming rumination.

Maybe you can relate to:

• Creative projects not making it past the pages of my journal because of imposter syndrome

• Over perfecting my business website, but not taking action to get actual sales

• Not communicating with a co-worker about on-going problems to the point it built resentment

Hopefully 1 of these stories helps you reflect on your reflections (but not ruminate too much of course!).

Makes me believe that reflection becomes rumination when you no longer trust your thoughts and abilities.

Trust is built with ourselves when we write down what we want to do and then we do it. Again and again and again.

Your morning is a perfect time to build this muscle.

You can use what I call the NOW Model to not get stuck at N and O and take action NOW!

It may take many mornings and reps, but it's how we prove to ourselves that we can go from reflection to action.

Because everyone deserves to wake up feeling proud and trusting that there is a path forward.

My 3-Step Journal Prompts Template

After 7 years of morning journaling, there is 1 template I still go to when I don’t know what to write.

— 

1) 3 Priorities For Today

Listing priorities that answer the questions:

• What would I be proud to get done today?

• What does good or done look like?

I have my most productive & focused days when I do this.

But it's not always about being productive, right?

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2) 3 Things I Want To Feel Today

This is setting the intention for how I want to walk into the day

Confident, calm, purposeful, connected

Doing this is usually the difference between walking into work frantic vs. calm.

But maybe we don't always need to look ahead, and can look at right now…

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3) 3 Things I’m Thankful For

We dig deeper here, so answering the questions

• What person, thing, situation can you not imagine having in your life right now?

• What person, thing, situation would your younger self be freaking proud of?

Even in the hard phases of life -

it's a moment to stop, look around, and realize you have it pretty good.

Happy journaling :)

3 Steps To Make Time Weekly For Your Crazy Idea

The crazy ideas you have likely aren’t crazy at all.

Whether it's….

• Starting a podcast

• Opening a wedding venue

• Creating a website for your (potential) business 

I recommend this 3 step method to start taking weekly action on your idea!

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Step 1) Start writing it down

When you think of an idea throughout the day, write it down or put it in your phone.

Whether you're sitting at your 9-5 work desk or walking the dog, jot the note down!

Start writing it down because…

• You will forget later

• It's a way to build on your ideas

PRO TIP:

This also allows you to get the idea out of your head and onto paper, making it feel…

• More real

• You feel less crazy (because you aren't crazy!)

• Wanting to make more time to think about it… 

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Step 2) Set designated writing time

If you want to start making time to think more about it, start journaling in the morning!

To make this easier:

• Wake up 10 minutes earlier than you normally do

• "Habit stack" or place journaling after something you already do (like brushing your teeth) 

PRO TIP:

Journaling is a key place to start, but don't get stuck in this step! 

Journaling is a safe space to understand ourselves, but the uncomfortable next step is likely what moves the needle forward…

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Step 3) Start taking action

Since you already have designated time setup to journal, you can now "stack" taking action on it right after you journal.

Journal, then write the blog post.

Journal, then email that connection.

Journal, then start researching.

This allows you to brain dump and then take more organized action!

PRO TIP:

Doing this journal + take action method works for many people because it's…

• Purposeful - gets you out of bed

• Doesn't require perfection right away - gets the brain dump out, then organize

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You're already waking up early.

You have the time set aside.

You have the momentum.

Now get after it!

—- 

If you want support in taking action in the morning…

Schedule a free 15 min call and we can talk through your not so crazy idea!

3 Essential Routine Shifts To Make If You Want To Pursue New Interests & Be More Than Your Work

If you're an ambitious 20-something, you may have reached the point where you want to do more than work, scroll social, and drink with friends.

How do you pursue other interests and expand your identity? 

(Especially when we're stuck in our ways and too tired from work to do anything else)

3 Essential Routine Shifts To Make If You Want To Pursue New Interests & Be More Than Your Work

1) Do something for yourself BEFORE work

There's something about waking up for yourself vs. for work.

Establish some kind of morning routine, like walking or reading, so you choose you before work.

2) Journal about things you're curious about

If you haven't journaled before because you don't know what to say, answer the question, "what am I curious about?"

Start listing those things out.

If you find yourself thinking about 1 more than others, that may be the thing to research more or start pursuing.

Pro tip: do this at the time of day you feel the most creative or expressive (ex: morning vs. night).

3) Change your default activity AFTER work

 If your default or go-to after work is sitting on the couch, maybe change your default to a walk or workout class.

 Decide the night before what you're going to do so you remove decision-making after work, making you more likely to do it.

 Also makes you consider what your other "defaults" are in life. It can be a good reflection point if you’re proud of the life you're living.

The Moment I Knew Things Needed To Change

January 20, 2020

I had just returned from a long weekend trip to Boston and I felt completely out of control.

• I didn’t like who I was.

• I didn’t like how I was feeling.

• I felt like a blob.

I think we are supposed to feel refreshed after a trip right?!

While the trip was fun, I’d…

• Been around people 24/7

• Woke up & immediately rushed around the whole day

• Didn’t have a moment to breathe

I almost thought am I so high maintenance and stuck in my routines that I can’t handle 3 days of this?!

Before the trip, I was getting up and journaling most mornings to just say to myself…

“Hi you’re here, this is who you’re, this is what you feel, and this is what you want”

It was like this secret, 5-min weapon each morning getting me through the day and making me feel like I was in control my life.

I had been doing it for so long that I reached the point of what it felt like to not do it.

While I could survive not journaling, I was stronger with it.

So on January 20, 2020, I journaled and have every day since.

(Good timing as you know what those next few months looked like)

Journaling had become my:

• Landing pad for hard times

• Springboard for bigger things

• Home away from home wherever I was

So as I arrive on 4 years of consecutive journaling, I share this with you to challenge you to…

1. Find a small way to check-in with yourself each day

2. Make it your secret weapon that makes you stronger

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Maybe you’ve already had THAT moment like I did that kicked your morning routine or checking-in into gear.

BUT if you haven’t and you don’t want to wait for that “kick in the butt” moment, let’s chat about getting your morning routine going!

How I Do My Monthly Check-In

Towfiqu Barbhuiya

When you get to the end of the month, a lot of the time it feels like where did the time go, where did my money go, or what am I doing with my life?

To come back to center, here is something I enjoy doing at the end of each month.

Grab a piece of paper or a journal and take 10 minutes to write down reflections and intentions.

Write reflections for the past month.

This could be a bulleted list of things you did, things you’re proud of, or worked hard on. It is a moment to find some gratitude.

Then write intentions for the month ahead.

How do you want your time to be spent? Who do you want to spend time with? What does progress look like to you?

Then throughout the month if I ever have one of those days where I don’t know what I’m doing with my life, I come back to my intentions. It gives me clarity and confidence on what I am doing with my life.

I’m Challenging the Way I’ve Always Done Things

Bookblock

“That is the way I’ve always done it.”

This is a fine answer to explain why I do the things I do, but I’ve been trying to say it less so I can lead my life with more intention. 

Instead, I want to ask myself “why am I doing it this way?”

I was reminded of this when I was challenged in the way I journal.

My way of journaling for the past 4 years has been to write whatever was on my mind. A stream of consciousness. Just let it all out.

This is very aligned with Julia Cameron’s method of morning pages that she talks about in her well-renowned book The Artist’s Way.

Morning pages consist of journaling 3 pages every morning with whatever is on your mind.

Author Greg McKeown discusses journaling in his book Essentialism. His approach intrigued me.

McKeown suggests applying the principle of “less but better” to your journal.

He challenges to start an “essentialist journal” and write 1 sentence a day answering the question of “what’s the most important thing that happened today?”

It made me consider, what if I only wrote down the essential things? What if I journaled about only the most important things?

This approach could give me a lot of clarity on what my time and energy should be spent on, and could realign my focus.

Here are some others things I started considering:

Feeling All The Feelings

I will say that writing a stream of consciousness has given me permission to explore every feeling about everything in a safe space.

But the approach of only writing down the essential things could help me realize what is not worth feeling stressed, frustrated, or annoyed about if it has not been declared essential.

The Hardship of the Task

Showing up to journal whatever is on my mind is daunting sometimes. I feel like there is so much I need to write down and I can make the task harder than it needs to be.

Showing up to write down the essential things can make it feel more manageable and you might be more likely to do it consistently.

Structure vs. Play

Writing down whatever is on my mind allows my perfectionist brain to run free and not feel like things have to be a certain way. Some unexpected things get discovered.

Writing down the essential things could bring a little more structure to entries if that is what I like, but leaves less room for play. However, it could be easier to see trends or your evolution of growth over time.

Memory

Writing down what is on my mind has helped me process and capture a lot of memories.

Writing down only the essential events could help me remember the most important things from my day or life, like being together with family, instead of writing down something annoying someone did that is not going to be important a year from now.

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So do I keep going about journaling the way I always have, or do I change course?

The important question to ask myself is why am I journaling? What is your purpose for showing up?

For me, I need a place to check in. This means I could maybe see myself writing out what is on my mind, but closing out the entry recognizing what is actually important from the day.

When we start asking “why” more often, our habits start aligning more to our purpose.

How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Journaling

Jess Bailey

I remember before I started journaling in 2017, I thought about starting for about 6 months.

I kept saying “oh yea that would probably be a good thing for me to do” or “that is probably something I should do.”

Journaling just seemed daunting and I built it up to be something that requires too much time or energy.

At that point, you almost have to check yourself and ask is this something I actually want to do?

One day, I had a full mental breakdown about what I was doing with my life and decided yes journaling is something I want to do. I wanted to start making my mental health a priority.

(p.s. I recommend deciding you want to journal before you reach the breaking point, create a soft landing for yourself)

Even though I knew it was something I wanted to do, I was still putting up this mental barrier that was making it so hard to start.

That barrier starts coming down when you decide to put a plan or system in place of how you’re going to make it happen.

I could say I want to start journaling all I want, but it can’t actually happen until I decide what I’m going to do about it.

In order to actually start journaling, I had to 1) know why I was showing up and 2) have a plan for how I was going to do it.

Journaling is not easy, but it is about finding ways to make it easier and easier to show up, to the point where it is hard to make excuses not to.

Here are a few tricks to how you can make starting journaling easier.

Set yourself up with the tools now.

You don’t have to go out of your way to go buy a journal. Grab a journal on your next grocery trip or order one from Amazon that is going to be there in the next 1-2 days.

If you want to type out your journal entry instead of writing, start a blank document on your computer and maybe start journaling before you start work each day.

Pick a time that works for your brain.

Think about the course of your day and when you would be in the best headspace to journal.

When are you the least tired? When can you focus the most? When do you get a moment alone? Pick a time to journal that your brain can realistically be there to make it easier on yourself.

This could take some experimenting to figure it out.

For me, I’ve found the morning is a go-to because I can journal before the day has a chance to get away from me.

Say you’re going to experiment for 5 minutes.

You may feel like you have to journal for a certain amount of time or for a certain amount of pages. You may also feel like your journal has to look a certain way.

I recommend telling yourself that you’re going to try it for just 5 minutes. Write or draw or list whatever you want for 5 minutes.

This can get you started and more often than not, you will journal for more than 5 minutes and get into deep thought that leads you to your next clear decision, idea, or action you want to take in your life.

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You can also apply these tricks to anything else you want to start, i.e. working out, reading more, working on a side hustle, etc.

Set yourself up with the tools now. Pick a time that works for your brain. Say you’re going to experiment with it for 5 minutes. You got this.

How to Create Soft Landings for Yourself

Antoine Martin

Whenever I’ve told someone about a big change I’ve made in my life, my favorite response I’ve gotten is “wishing you soft landings.”

I love that phrase. Soft landings.

It is like being applauded for jumping off the cliff, but wishing you the best that you don’t fall hard.

When we make a big jump, we don’t really know if it is going to be a hard or soft landing.

I think back to my gymnastics days when I would do a tumbling pass and wasn’t always sure how I was going to land.

I think about when I was interviewing for new jobs and you really don’t know how the job is going to be until you get into it.

There are things out of our control that make us not know how things are going to end up or how we are going to land.

But I think there is a way to make the landings softer.

For gymnastics, you can bring some extra mats out and train yourself to bend your knees when you land so that the impact isn’t so hard.

In job interviews, you can talk to as many people as you can and do your research to get more information if the company culture is right for you.

Doing these things doesn’t guarantee we are going to land softly, but how do we make it more likely?

It comes down to having habits and people set up for yourself before you even jump.

Doesn’t mean you have to wait for your life to be perfect to jump, but having some things already set in place can make the landings a little softer and less scary.

Here are a few things that have helped me land softer and have made me more likely to jump.

Journaling

This is the first soft landing I ever put in place for myself.

When I started journaling over 4 years ago, it was to have a place for my thoughts, feelings, hopes, and fears to land. Journaling still serves that purpose for me today.

It is a place to challenge myself to write out whatever I’m thinking without judgment. Some of my biggest decisions, ideas, and realizations have come from sitting down to write in my journal for just 5 minutes.

Morning Routine

Morning Routines have been a soft landing for me because even when things are tough or uncertain, I still know how I’m going to start the day.

You just have to start, and everything else will come after.

Having a few simple tasks that I do every morning helps me at least get out of bed and puts some control back in my life when it can feel like there isn’t any.

Support System

This comes down to what I talked about in this blog post about letting people know what is going on in your life so that they know how to support you when you do jump.

As I reflect on some of the big changes I’ve made, I picture myself jumping off a cliff, my family catching me, and then lightly setting me on my feet. I question, and am slightly convinced, that I would have hit the ground without their support.

Therapy

I’ve found it helpful to not only talk to people in your life about what is going on, but talk to an outside person that does not have as much stake in your life.

My therapist is that person for me.

She can ask the hard questions without me wondering if she is guiding me to an answer that fits her agenda or caters to her opinion. Her agenda is to have an open conversation and give me tools that make me feel capable of taking on whatever it is in my life.

I almost think of therapists as “professional cliff catchers.”

–

As you can maybe tell, it isn’t about what the jump is or how you make it.

It is about what habits and support systems you can set up for yourself so that no matter what or how or when you jump, you know you will be capable of landing softly.

How A Journal Helps Us Face Our Fears

Daria Shevtsova

When I started journaling, it was really hard to get words on the page.

Even 4 years of journaling later, some days it is still hard to get the words on the page. However, I do promise it does get much easier over time.

Why is it so hard to know what to write?

If it is so hard, why do I keep going with it?

The most simple answer I can come up with is that the work I do in my journal prepares me for the work I want to do in my life. 

The difficult decisions, the courageous conversations, and living a life that makes me feel alive.

My journal gives me the chance to sort through the kinks and pent up emotion before it is presented to the world.

Not in a perfectionist way, but in a “I am aware of where I’m at today” way.

Some days of journaling are filled with gratitude and celebration. Other days, I hesitate to write anything down at all.

I realized where the hesitation comes from. It comes from fear.

Who knew that writing something down was so scary, but it is. It feels like if I write something down it is permanent or it defines who I am.

However, whatever it may be, if I am afraid to confront it in my journal, I’ll likely be afraid to confront it in my life.

So might as confront the fears in a safe space where the only judgment comes from yourself.

I realized when I’m journaling, the fears usually fall into 1 of 4 buckets.

Here are the 4 most common fears I encounter when I journal. Maybe you can relate.

I fear it won’t be good enough.

I’m not sure what I expect my journal entry to look like, but I am afraid it won’t be good enough. That I’m not addressing enough of what is going on in my life or writing enough or doing it with enough intentionality. Then I remind myself that I showed up to my journal at all and that is enough in itself.

I fear my fears.

You would think that it would be easier to face your fears in your journal rather than the real world. While it probably is, that doesn’t make writing down your fears any easier. I have found, though, that writing down my fears explains a lot of the feelings I haven’t been able to explain.

I fear my dreams.

I’m worried that if I write a dream down and it doesn’t happen, then I’m a fraud or a failure. But if I don’t acknowledge the things I want to do, how will I ever be able to acknowledge the actions I need to take to make my dreams happen?

I fear reality.

It can be scary to write the actual facts of life down. My journal is this perfect little world to me, but reality is out there. There are hard things that need to be dealt with, but journaling through it can make the reality seem more manageable and you more capable.

I want to leave you with Brene Brown’s words from her book The Gifts of Imperfection:

“Gremlins are like toddlers. If you ignore them, they get louder. It’s usually best to just acknowledge the messages. Write them down. I know it seems counterintuitive, but writing them down and owning the gremlins’ message doesn’t give the messages more power, it gives us more power. It gives us the opportunity to say, ‘I get it. I see that I’m afraid of this, but I’m going to do it anyway.’”

Let’s decide we are going to do it anyway.

The 1 Thing I Want You to Know About Journaling

Toa Heftiba

I’m coming up on 4 years of journaling this month.

I can’t decide if it feels like I just started or if it has been forever since I picked up my first journal at TJMaxx and started writing.

To note (because I get asked this a lot), I didn’t just pick up my journal 4 years ago and start writing every single day since. It took some time to figure out how I was going to use my journal and when it served me best.

Come to find out, it was something I could benefit from doing every day and I’m getting close to journaling every day for the past 2 years.

I like to journal in the morning so it's been a lot of early mornings of showing up to write, check in with myself, and process what was going on in life.

My journals have seen a lot over the past 4 years.

A college graduation, breakups, 3 moves, the first 3 years of my supply chain career, starting a podcast & eventually a blog, many travels, the loss of family members & pets, a yoga teacher certification, a global pandemic and so much more packed into 11 journals over the past 4 years.

I wanted to write something in honor of this milestone. So I asked myself, “what is the 1 thing you want people to know about journaling?”

I’ve created a lot of resources around journaling in the past couple of years to help people start their own journaling practices. You can find a lot of these on my website.

While a lot of those resources are helpful, the one thing I want you to know is that journaling can be the home that you take anywhere. Home is wherever my journal is.

For all the things that change in life, it’s the place to come back to. I don’t think it is a location or attachment to a material thing, but more of coming back to yourself.

Even the mornings where life felt really hard and I was so anxious or depressed, journaling made life feel just a little more manageable.

And maybe that is what we are all looking for. 

We aren’t looking for everything to be better or perfect, we just want to know that it is going to be manageable. That we are strong enough, capable enough, and maybe even sane enough to take on the day.

It is a place where we can first express our ideas, hopes, dreams, fears, frustrations, and maybe even the things we aren’t willing to say out loud.

It is a practice that can make you feel heard and seen, even if it is just being heard and seen by yourself. Listening and paying attention to what is really on your heart.

Have you tried a journaling practice? If so, what is your 1 take away from it? Let me know in the comments or send me an email.

How I Get My Journal Practice In While On Vacation

Unsplash | Ethan Robertson

Going on vacation can feel like the ultimate test to my consistent journaling practice.

I'm out of routine, in a different environment, and trying not to feel like I have to do or worry about anything.

I see vacation as a time to recharge and relax, and continuing to journal on vacation has let me do that even more.

It gives me time to reflect on what my priorities are and what I'm thankful for.

Here are 3 ways I still get my journal practice in while on vacation.

Take note beforehand how long it usually takes for you to journal.

Before I leave for my trip, I get a gauge on how long my journal practice usually takes. This can give me information on how much time I need to give myself on vacation and helps me plan accordingly. 

Do it first thing when you wake up.

A lot of times my trips are filled with full days of hiking or full days at the pool. Either way, the day can be busy and tiring.

I try to get my journal practice in before the days starts so it is more likely to happen. This is also a nice moment of alone time, especially when spending every other moment of the trip together with people.

Pick a cozy or secluded spot that makes you feel safe to journal.

On vacation, I'm in the rare situation where I'm journaling somewhere other than my home. That can feel unsafe or uncomfortable since journaling is such a vulnerable practice.

Due to that, I try to pick a cozy or secluded spot that makes me feel safe. My favorite place is a spot to gaze out at a lake or pool. Sometimes I have to settle for the hotel bathroom to get some alone time, but hey create a safe space where you can.

How to Get The Most Out of Your Journal Session

Unsplash | Gabrielle Henderson

If we are going to carve out time in our busy day to sit down at our journal, we have to make it worth it.

Our time is valuable and we want the work we put into our journal to pay off by helping us become more present, confident, and able to dream bigger.

While there is no right way to journal, here are 4 strategies to get the most out of your journal session.

Create an action item for yourself.

You may find yourself writing out a lot of feelings or problems that you're dealing with. Many of us use our journal for that.

While writing down these feelings or problems can be extremely beneficial when processing them, following this up with an action item can allow you to put what you're working through in your journal into practice in real life.

Action items could be:

• An affirmation you're going to start saying to help you change your mindset

• A task you're going to complete to help you get closer to fixing the problem or going after your dream

• A conversation you're going to have to gain more understanding or support in a situation

This can be a challenge to do and can take practice, but many more things happen when a plan is put in place.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time

It can be a challenge to find any time in a day to journal. However, if you were to pick a time, try to pick a moment where you won't feel rushed to get through the entry because you have to be at the next thing on your schedule.

Try to find a moment that you can be in the present and not in the past or future.

A strategy you can try is to give yourself 10 more minutes than you think you will need to journal. This can give you time, space, and permission to work through more thoughts if you want to.

And if you don't use it, you have that extra 10 minutes in your day to breathe.

Limit Distractions

To help you really be able to dive deep into your journal session, try to limit the chance for distractions as much as possible.

Maybe this looks like trying to find a time to be in a room by yourself. Maybe it is having your phone in the other room.

Both of these can seem like a long shot with someone always needing something from us. Try to create an environment for yourself that allows you to tap into thoughts, feelings, and ideas, whatever that may look like.

Not in Same Spot Where You Do Work

This is key. When you journal at the spot where you handle your work responsibilities, your brain is in work mode.

This can mean different things for different people. Journaling in the same spot where you work can lead your brain to see journaling as a task you have to do, something that needs to be a certain way, or needs to be professionally or properly written.

Journaling is a place to do something you want to do and in any way you want to do it. Imperfection encouraged.

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How the Pandemic Made My Journaling Practice More Important Than Ever Before

Unsplash | Tonik

It has been 1 whole year since we entered the pandemic. I agree when people have said it has been both the fastest and slowest year of their life.

I've noticed how much my life has changed, I have changed, and my habits have changed.

My journaling habit has stuck though and this past year has showed me exactly why to keep going with it.

Here are 3 ways the pandemic re-enforced my journaling habit:

Something constant when many things were changing.

I remember the second week of March 2020 very vividly. I showed up to my journal each morning amazed at how fast things had changed from the day before.

We've heard before that change is constant, but it had never been more true that week or even the months we had ahead.

We lost the sense of predictability and certainty.

I had my journaling practice going, but I had really gotten steady with it right before the pandemic. It is like the universe knew I needed to prepare to have something constant in my life.

Journaling became one of my only constants and gave me some sense of predictability and certainty. I didn't know if I was doing anything else I planned to do, but I was certain that I was going to show up to my journal.

Became a safety net when things went wrong.

People say that when you enter new challenges or life transitions, it is smart to have a safety net of people to support you through it.

While I was thankful to have supportive people around me during the pandemic, I know those people were having a tough time too.

Finding the energy to support ourselves was hard enough and didn't leave us a lot of energy left to support others.

Journaling was always a support for me, but it really became my safety net. My safe space to let out every feeling I had for this thing none of us had been through before. It was the outlet that served me most during this tough time.

Kept record of key events, feelings, and happenings during that time.

I knew when this started happening that this was going to be a very important time in history.

I started writing down all the little things I could so that I could remember what it was like down the road. I attribute so much of my memory to writing things down in my journal.

Although there may be sad things we may not want to remember, I've tried to remember the good things that made this time in the pandemic so unique: having dinner with my family every night for 7 weeks, designing a work from home space, doing yoga outside to get out of the house, and more.

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I'm feeling extra thankful for this journaling practice right now. This past year encouraged me to keep it up and ensured me that I have an outlet to go to when next challenge comes my way.

4 Strategies For Creating A Consistent Journaling Practice

Unsplash | Jess Bailey

Starting a daily journaling practice is one thing, but creating a consistent journaling practice is another challenge.

Some days we don't feel like it. Some days we forget. Some days life gets in the way.

How can we ensure we show up to our journal for even 5 minutes?

I journaled for 2 years before I would say my practice became truly a consistent one, so I know it isn't easy.

Here are 4 strategies I used to create a daily journaling practice that stuck.

Plan a time you're going to journal.

If you don't put it in the plan, your journaling practice is likely to get lost in the day.

Plan out the night before when you're going to get in your journaling practice the next day.

Everyone is different on the time of day they like journaling, but if you've never journaled before, I recommend adding it to your morning routine. Journaling in the morning makes it less likely for it to get overshadowed by other things that pop up throughout the day.

Do it before or after something you already do.

Adding a new habit or practice to your day can seem challenging. If you link journaling to something you already do, it can make adding a new thing to your day seem a little more manageable.

Place it before or after making your morning coffee. Maybe you do it before you kick off your work day. Maybe it is before you go to bed every night.

Put it somewhere in your day where it feels good and you can see yourself making it happen.

Use daily journal prompts.

Journal prompts can be a question or statement that you answer in your journal.

Having a daily question or statement to answer can make you more likely to show up to your journal. It can make journaling not feel like such an open-ended task, but a rewarding task that can be accomplished. It can also be a great way to kick off your journal entry if you don't know what to write.

You can think of answering a daily journal prompt as an accountability partner to showing up to your journal.

I have created some daily journal prompts you can use here if you want a place to start.

Look at is as a "get to do" instead of a "have to do."

There are probably a lot of things that you have to do in your day. It is a long list, and yes, planning out your journaling session may feel like it is adding to the list.

How long is your "get to do" list? Do you have a "get to do" list? Adding your journaling practice may be a good place to start.

It may not feel like a "get to do" when you first start journaling as it can still feel challenging, but viewing your journaling practice as something that you get to do for you will make you more likely to show up to it each day.

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3 Ways Journaling Can Help Elevate Your Career

Unsplash | Damian Zaleski

When we think of journaling, we may think of it as a place to process feelings or ideas that we have. It is a very personal process and the words we write aren't usually shared with others.

The thing about journaling is that what we do behind closed doors affects what we do when we open the door to the world. We can use journaling as a tool to help us understand who we want to be and what we want to do.

This can include in our careers. Journaling about our feelings or ideas about our current or future careers can help us show up in the way that we want to.

Here are 3 ways journaling can help elevate your career.

When you have a big meeting or hard conversation coming up, journaling can prepare you to present concise points confidently.

There can be a lot of anxiety leading up to a big meeting or hard conversation. Journaling can be a place to let all the feelings out.

Letting that out can give you a clear head and get you ready to take on whatever may come.

When it comes to preparing for a big meeting or hard conversation, you can journal out the key points you want to get across. This can keep you on track and away from using too many filler words.

You can think about what kind of tone you want to speak in, as well as the tone you want to respond to people in.

Most importantly, journaling this out can give you the confidence that you're capable of delivering the message and the vision of the meeting or conversation going well.

When you’re facing a tough decision or reoccurring problem,  journaling can encourage you to take action or change your perspective on it.

Sometimes we let decisions or problems sit on the backburner for a little, which can be good for processing them. However, if we let them simmer too long, often things will boil over and create a bigger mess either for us emotionally or externally.

If you're facing a tough decision or reoccurring problem, your journal is a safe space to let the feelings out. If you find yourself writing these feelings out day after day about these decisions or problems, it becomes clear that not much action is being taken.

Journaling can help you switch from being problem-focused to solution-focused. If the decision or problem is still bothering you, you can brainstorm how you could take action on it. If things are completely out of your control, you can decide if and how you're going to change your perspective on the situation.

Your journal is a space to diligently work through your decisions and problems and possibly lead you to a more fulfilling and successful career.

When you are deciding the next steps in your career, journaling can help you get clear on what you need to be doing & who you need to be talking to.

Journaling is a great place for a brainstorm session. Whether it is a bunch of jumbled sentences of a bulleted list, your journal is a great place to let out all the ideas, even the ones that may feel crazy.

If you're contemplating the next steps to take in your career, your journal is a great space to brainstorm all your ideas. Maybe you want to grow on the team you're on.  Maybe you want to move to a different department in the company you're at. Maybe you want to take a totally different path. Get all the possibilities out there.

As you brainstorm, you can start seeing what becomes appealing to you. You may also start figuring out what career moves might best fit with your interests, compensation expectations, family-life, etc.

Once you have an idea of what you're aiming for, you can gain some clarity on what you need to be doing and who you need to be talking with to help you get there.

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Why I've Been Journaling for the Past 3 Years

It's been 3 years since my first journal entry.

I remember the day I started journaling I was in such a hard place. I remember sitting in that spot for a very long time, doing nothing about it. Eventually, I couldn't do it anymore and would do anything to feel better.

I had heard time and time again from people I admired that journaling was an amazing practice to help you think through things. I was at a breaking point so maybe this was a healthy outlet to make things better.

You know when people ask "when did everything change for you?"

The day I tell them is the day I started journaling. And I'll tell you why.

First to be clear, I haven't journaled every day for the past 3 years. I didn't start steady right out of the gate.

At the beginning, I mostly journaled when things were hard, and I wouldn't when things got better. I relate this to when someone maybe stops praying when things go from bad to better.

Sadly, there are those times when things go back to being bad, and that is when I would always go back to my journal to let it all out.

A few months into journaling, I started writing not just about the bad things, but the good things too, like life milestones or trips I wanted to remember.

About 1 year in, I was started writing about the big ideas I had for my life.

About 2 years in, I noticed that I loved journaling so much that I wanted to make it part of my morning routine. 

Not long after passing the year 2 mark, I went on a long weekend trip and was so busy that I didn't journal. When I got back from the trip, I was shocked how lost I felt. I was shocked how much I didn't feel like myself.

I guess I shouldn't have been so shocked that I wasn't feeling like myself because I went from doing something for myself every day, to leaving myself out in the cold (but literally that trip was so cold). 

I got so used to journaling being…

my anchor.

my release.

my self care.

my getaway.

my safe space to grow without judgement.

where my biggest ideas first get written down.

where things are more beautiful when they're imperfect.

where the before, during, and after emotions are let out, then held for safe-keeping.

where I come back to myself to get re-centered on who I am and what I want to do next.

If one takes that away, you're bound to feel cold.

From arriving home from that trip to now at the year 3 mark, it has been 293 days. I have journaled every single one of them.

I tell people the day I started journaling was the day everything changed because it was the first time I chose to show up for myself.

For the first time, I chose to prioritize myself, commit to myself, prove to myself that I could put in the work, and that I could do something to take care of myself.

I chose journaling as my way to doing something for myself, while others may do this another way.

We could do it by going for a walk or maybe meditating. Or we could do it just by rolling out of bed and putting on something other than pajamas because life can be that tough sometimes.

Some days I don't feel like journaling, but I know now that those are the days I probably need to show up the most.

So I want to make sure I continue to show up for myself.

I want to show up when things are hard.

I want to show up when things are easy.

I want to show up when things are bad.

I want to show up when things are good.

I want to show up when things are boring.

I want to show up when things are busy. 

I want to show up for myself each and every day because I owe that to myself.

There is power in showing up and doing something for you to show that you are here and ready to conquer the world.

So on this 3 year mark of journaling, I'm letting myself be proud for how far I've come.

I chose to show up.

I chose how I was going to show up.

I chose when I was going to show up.

It may have taken me 2.5 years of journaling and 25 years of life, but I am choosing to show up to my journal each and every day. 

Because showing up for ourselves can be the difference between just existing and actually living.

Here's to many more years of journaling and showing up for me.