Journaling has been something I have always wanted to do but had trouble continuing. Many great Christians have kept a journal and it has been considered one of the best spiritual disciplines a follower of Christ can perform (like prayer, Bible study, etc).
It started out as a diary when I was young. And throughout my ministry I have kept a written journal from time to time, but not very consistent.
However, with all the digital helps, it has been much easier. One of my goals for this year (2013) was to keep a journal all year. I started off with an iPad/iPhone app called OneDiary. It was really good. But in March I started using Evernote. (I have over 100 journal entries since March.) Actually I use Evernote for just about everything I do (To Do List, Electronic File Cabinet, Sermon writing, etc). In a later post I will try to share how I use Evernote to make my life a little less hectic. But in this post I want to share how I use Evernote for my Journal and why I journal.
First, why do I journal?
At the close of the day I sit down with my iPad and type out the events of the day and how I felt about it. My journal is not open to everyone. I just like to think about what happens and if it was good or bad. It takes me about 10-20 minutes. This helps me evaluate my day.
I read a blog that listed 10 Reasons to Keep a Journal that I have filed for later use. In summary, here are the 10 Reasons: (1) For emergency and contingency situations when you need to know what you did on a specific day. (2) Improve writing skills. (3) Keep track of important decisions. (4) Record important interactions with people. (5) You can see your progress. (6) You can remember who you were. (7) Enhance organizational skills. (8) Explore your thoughts. (9) Give meaning to life. (10) Daily reflection and self-awareness. Pretty good ideas.
Second, how do I journal?
Since you’re reading this on some type of computer device, I’m guessing you are a little into computers. Nothing beats writing a journal in a book. But the advantages of using Evernote are many. You can search all your notes instantly. You can take it with you – Smart phone, tablet, or home/work computer – and it syncs with all these devices.
I downloaded Evernote on all my devices. Then I created a notebook I simply call ‘Journal.’ Every day I open a new note in ‘Journal’. In the headline I type a big event of that day, like ‘Good dentist appointment.’ Then, in the body of the note I type the events of the day and what I think about it. Usually I write my journal while I’m watching TV during commercials or in bed getting relaxed to go to sleep. When I’m finished, Evernote automatically dates & files it. If I ever want to know what happened on a certain day, I can go to that day. Or if I can’t remember when my last dentist appointment was, I can search dentist and it will show me what & when I wrote about my dentist. I can search names or places or anything. It’s great!
I hope you will start writing down your thoughts. Maybe no one else will benefit from it. But I really believe that your family would love to know the struggles, victories and perspectives you had through your life. And I know you will benefit from your writings. I have from mine.
Do you journal?
What benefits do you receive from journaling?
How do you journal?