Have You Ever Read Your Diary?
Journaling can be a great practice to get ready for the start of the day , to think about your goals and dreams , and to unleash your creativity . But if you write all this when you read your diary? Do you even need it?
Sometimes, when I keep a diary, I think to myself: “It will be so interesting to remember later” or “It’s good that I save these thoughts for posterity.” And then I will never, never, never come back and read any of this.
But then my attention was drawn to the advice on keeping a training diary : schedule a few days as you review past entries and reflect on what has changed. Here’s how they suggest doing it:
Pick a couple of days in the past and read what you wrote, not only paying attention to what is different from what you were focusing on at the time versus the present, but also how you described yourself and your goals. – how have your views and attitudes changed over time, and how has your ability to confidently and clearly describe yourself and what you want has improved?
Include these observations in your diary – what are you proud of, what has changed and improved, and what else needs to be improved and should remain the focus of attention every day? What worked for you and what didn’t? How are you going to change what doesn’t work?
Peer review seems to be important for other types of journals as well. I remember reading that Natalie Goldberg , who has written extensively about free writing as a creative tool, sits down with a notebook when it’s full and selects parts from it that might work well in poetry or other future writing.
So I’m curious if you read those of you who keep a diary or make your morning pages regularly? When? Are you looking back a few days to remind yourself of what you were, or are you revisiting magazines from years ago in search of hidden gems?