![\"7](\"http:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/7-surprising-ways-journaling-can-fuel-your-business-and-improve-your-life.png\")
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I read a lot of business and personal development books and take particular notice when common ideas start to reappear in multiple books. \u00a0In writing from business and marketing gurus to Buddhist monks, one of the most popular ideas I\u2019ve come across is that journaling has many benefits.<\/p>\n
I started dabbling with journaling about a decade ago. I hadn\u2019t kept a diary as a teenager so it was a new concept for me. \u00a0For years, I\u2019d journal diligently for a few months and then stop. \u00a0Sometimes I\u2019d only write every week or two. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These days it\u2019s part of my daily routine. Before I go to bed I take a few minutes to dump some of the contents of my overactive brain onto paper. \u00a0Whether I\u2019ve had a big success, a rough day, dealt with a difficult client, watched something inspiring or I\u2019m trying to figure out how to increase sales there\u2019s always something buzzing around in my head. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The simple act of recording what\u2019s happened in the day and how I feel about it has had much farther reaching impacts than I ever expected.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reduce stress and anxiety<\/b> \u2014 Feeling stressed and edgy after a difficult day? \u00a0Writing about it can help you work through the emotions and find ways to get through it.<\/span><\/p>\n Help you know yourself better<\/b> \u2014 Trying to figure out where you want to go in life and what makes you happy? \u00a0Familiar themes will appear in your writing over and over, and observing these can help you reconnect with your inner wisdom.<\/span><\/p>\n Work through problems<\/b> \u2014 \u00a0Dealing with a difficult interpersonal situation? Journaling helps by giving you an outlet to write out and process your feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n Clarify your thoughts<\/b> \u2014 A lot can happen in a day and sometimes it\u2019s hard to see the forest for the trees. Writing helps by clearing the mind and transferring emotional clutter to the page.<\/span><\/p>\n Develop mindfulness<\/b> \u2014 With everything going on in our lives it\u2019s easy to forget to pay attention to the moment. Journaling helps by giving you a practical way to witness your thoughts and feelings.<\/span><\/p>\n Achieve your goals<\/b> \u2014 Trying to increase your revenue? Writing about it can help you work through the next steps and uncover hidden fears that may be holding you back. You can also track and celebrate your progress.<\/span><\/p>\n Increase your self esteem<\/b> \u2014 When you feel good about yourself it\u2019s contagious. \u00a0Positive journaling can help you get there, showing yourself compassion and focussing on your positive traits and accomplishments.<\/span><\/p>\n Fuel your creativity <\/b>\u2014 Struggling with creative block? Journaling provides an outlet where you can express yourself and explore without criticism and fear. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n To make journaling part of my routine, I\u2019ve had to experiment. For me the trick has been to set a low threshold. \u00a0Some days I\u2019ll write several pages, while on others I\u2019ll write just a single line. I just do what feels natural and I\u2019ve found it to be one of my favourite and helpful routines.<\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a huge amount of research confirming the power of journaling. One frequently referenced study<\/a> showed that 15\u201320 minutes on only 3\u20135 occasions was enough to help people deal with traumatic or stressful events. Amazingly, the effect was still evident months after they completed the writing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If the idea of journaling seems a bit daunting and you\u2019re looking for ways to jumpstart your writing, try searching for \u201cjournal prompts\u201d online. \u00a0There\u2019s tons of great suggestions out there. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Remember, make this easy for yourself. \u00a0Don\u2019t worry if you miss a day. \u00a0If you feel like writing just one line, that\u2019s great. \u00a0I\u2019ve actually written \u201cI don\u2019t feel like writing\u201d several times when I\u2019m just not in the right head space.<\/span><\/p>\n Are you a visual person? Journaling doesn\u2019t have to be just writing. Sketching, doodling or collage might be more your style. \u00a0There is no right way to do this. \u00a0The goal is simply to record and reflect on the events you experienced that day.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n P.S. \u00a0Make the process special by using a tools you like to use. \u00a0I love Moleskine’s paper journals<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and a good classic HB pencil. My accountability partner loves her Lamy refillable pens<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most people don\u2019t think of journaling as a powerful business development tool. But it turns out that writing daily is well known and respected as a great way to improve our businesses and our lives. I read a lot of business and personal development books and take particular notice when common ideas start to reappear … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,54,195],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-health-2","category-inspiration","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6693"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6693\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6707,"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6693\/revisions\/6707"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salonmonster.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Regular journaling can:<\/span><\/h2>\n
Whether you\u2019re new to journaling or an old hand give yourself time and permission to find what works for you. \u00a0Morning or evening, a lot or a little, at home or in a cafe or park \u2014 just write how you like, when you like, and enjoy it!<\/span><\/h2>\n