How Journaling Can Change Your 2024

If there's one habit that truly changed my 2023, it's journaling.

I've been journaling for almost a year now, and this completely transformed my mental health. It brought me clarity and confidence in expressing my thoughts through writing in which it has led me to start writing a newsletter (such as this one that you’re reading right now) and sharing my thoughts on social media.

Now, you might be wondering how journaling can change your life?

Perhaps you may have tried it once or twice, or you are unsure where to start. Some people might have journaled for quite some time but it became a chore for them and eventually they stopped writing and have lost a purpose for journaling.

There are numerous reasons why we write, each with our own personal motivations. However, I believe we all share common ground when it comes to putting our thoughts and feelings on paper.

And with that, here are some of the reasons why journaling can change your life.

🧠 Clarity and Self Reflection

By putting your innermost feelings on paper, you bring clarity to your thoughts and create a space for self-reflection.

Expressive writing, such as journaling, has been linked to improve emotional well-being and increased self-awareness. It is a cathartic experience that provides a sense of relief, allowing for more self-reflection on the actions and their consequences towards self and others.

Not only it is cathartic, I also treat my journal notebook as a progress tracker to my growth. Think of it as a mood tracker but instead it’s for growth. You may be surprised by the difference between how you reflect and think over the past and how far your mindset has grown.

📅 Memory Bank

Journaling helps you remember specific moments in the past, depending on how detailed they are written. It can also help you recall your emotions on that day and how you reflected and reacted on the situations where your emotions may have fluctuated.

The most important part of it is that it doubles as a backup memory to immortalize your important moments, giving it the analog version of throwbacks when digital copies of photos and videos get corrupted or somehow get lost in the sea of archives and deleted memories.

But, if you are having a hard time creating a narrative experience on those days, here’s a tip that I learned from Austin Kleon: keep a daily log of everything you did, whether meeting someone, eating something, doing something, or any factual activity on that day. It may seem mundane as you write down these kinds of activities, but it helps paint a picture of the days you had in the long run.

Although this is a different approach to journaling, it may help you get started with actually doing the journaling. If writing a narrative journal entry is time-consuming or you get distracted all the time, you can try this method.

🏆 Goal Setting and Achievement

When you journal your goals or write them down on a piece of paper, you are more likely to commit them. A study on goal-setting strategies found that 42% of individuals are more likely to achieve their goals than those who not.

Imagine the power you hold when journaling empowers you to work on your goals and making them more significant, right?

In my case, I like to keep a separate notebook where it only contains my personal goals. While not all are major goals, it helps me clarify what is more important to me and I prioritize them. Other remaining goals are set by myself as a cherry on top side quests which are not a big deal but a nice to have.

There are many other reasons why we write a journal, regardless of what method we use. These are some of the major reasons why journaling can help with clarity and improvement like how it made me become more in touch with myself. The more I get to know my thoughts and feelings on paper, the more I understand how important it is to reflect on my actions, achieving the goals I set to myself, and most importantly, documenting and enjoying the process of improving myself.

I hope you get the chance to take journaling as part of your 2024 as the new year approaches. And if this is something that you really want to do, have a talk with me and we’ll discuss things out.

Have a beautiful week! xx

-ran

🖼️🎶Art and Music Corner

Here is a recent artwork that I made. The artwork is inspired from Gemini Home Entertainment's creature named "Nature's Mockery." If you like analog horror, it is one of my recommended videos to watch.

• Here’s an epic music that I found on YouTube. If you turn on the captions, the creator does a narrative there. :)

• Here’s an Instagram post of a digital surrealist artist that I like. Definitely worth checking his feed for visual taste!

📖Reader’s Delight

• Podcast - Here’s an interesting podcast between Ali Abdaal and Ryan Holiday talking about the importance of focusing in the journey, finding joy in hard work, and the productivity hacks that will help you unlock your true creative potential.

• Book - Ali Abdaal just launched his book two days ago. His book talks about his journey from a stressed-doctor to a successful entrepreneur as well as his journey to discovering the science of Feel-Good productivity.

• My Favorite Note taking app - This app has been my go-to in dumping my notes and organize them for referencing. I have borrowed templates from different Notion creators and customized them to my preference. Go check them out! (PS: This is an affiliate link

• Habit Tracker App - I just discovered this app last week, and it’s easy to use for tracking your daily habits.

✒️ Words to Live by

-This is a quote that I randomly saw in the streets of Baguio City. This made me feel happy as it reminds me to be gentle to myself and be better everyday.

🙏 A small favor

Thursdays with Ran grows through word of mouth. If you enjoyed this issue, consider sharing the newsletter to others who you think will enjoy reading this. It really helps a lot!

I am very welcome to comments and suggestions! If you think there is something that needs to be improved or if you want someone/something to be featured in the next issue, don’t hesitate to leave a comment!

Subscribe to get weekly updates! I only post on Thursdays, so I hope I don’t clog your emails a lot!