The Power to Create Your Own Personal Time Machine Through Journaling
A new month, a new mission.
In February, I spent four weeks successfully building back a rowing habit to improve my fitness.
I rowed two days on, one day off for the entire four weeks.
I have more pep in my step and I feel generally lighter, but stronger.
Building a Time Machine
Now in March, I’m shifting to a new four week challenge. This time, it’s all about journaling.
Why Journaling?
While I’ve journaled before in the past, I kept falling off of it when I got distracted or pulled into a new creative project. Shiny object syndrome is real.
For me, Journaling is like when your parents tell you to eat your vegetables at dinner. It’s clearly a good idea, but it’s not as tasty as skipping the greens and going straight for the main course. It’s not until later that we realize how much our future selves would have benefitted from an extra helping of broccoli or green beans.
And so, I enter a new quest to vanquish the journaling bias and integrate the habit into my life.
Why You should Start Journaling
I’ll check in over the course of the month to let you know how it’s going, but here are a few reasons why you may want to start a journaling habit or challenge for yourself:
Journaling helps us reflect — It may be self-explanatory, but writing down how you feel and what you’re thinking can be a simple way to understand what’s going on in your life. Like Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around every once and awhile, you could miss it.” Journaling helps you slow down just enough to do just that.
Journaling helps us focus — Because you’re writing down the thoughts of the day, you’re placing yourself directly in front of what you’re doing and in the moment. Writing can help you realize that you’re juggling too many tasks. It can help you identify a better path forward like a laser.
Journaling helps us record — I’m in the middle of Matthew McConaughey’s memoir Greenlights (which is scary good so far by the way) and it’s remarkable how vivid the stories and insights are simply because Matthew journaled consistently. Journaling is like giving yourself the gift of time travel. Writing down the journey lets you transport yourself back to those moments in an instant.
Here’s to building our own flux capacitor with the written word.
We can’t stop time—no one can. But we can make sure we don’t forget it.
Until next week, here are links to what I’ve been working on and treasures I’ve found out in the creative wilderness.
Enjoy!
Recent Finds
Ryan Holiday — 7 Stoic Strategies For Being Creative ****(Video) | Ryan Holiday does it again. I find that his work in particular resonates with me because the knowledge he brings to the table has clearly filtered through years of experience, exploration, and experimentation. Each of the seven habits he recommends building are things I see creatives struggle with all the time. I struggle with them too. Inspiring and clear, this video is pure gold.
Ali Abdaal — How to Hack Your Habits (Video) | An interesting conversation clip between Ali Abdaal and Dr. Julie Smith about how we identify ourselves more broadly through the habits we establish for our lives. The two discuss how prompting questions to ourselves (as in journaling or therapy) can help to reveal or change those identities.
Slow Growth — Why You’re Not That Productive After 5pm (IG Post) | A fascinating look at a recent study that tracks how effective you can be based on your experience level. Even with professional experience, there are several biological reasons why we as humans lose our natural ability to work effectively as the day goes on. Also, there’s a cartoon sketch of a clock that looks like it needs to take a nap.
Quote of the Week
“You cannot be 100% committed to your social life, family life, work life, health, community, and creativity all at once. It’s ok to let some things take precedence. It’s ok when some things slip.
You cannot prioritize all the aspects of your life. But when your creativity is consistently put on the back-burner, you need to ask: What is stopping me from taking my creativity seriously?”
That's all for now.
Stay creative, my friends—and have a great week!
