Reflection on daily journaling

The last quarter of 2023 was spent away from family for work related in a nordic country. The country is small. The Population density is much smaller. From the land of crowded spaces, this was taking a toll. Staying away from friends and family adds to this as well.

Just to fight off the boredom and depression, I resumed filling the journal on daily basis. Following are the reflections of the process.

1. I can now revisit the important events via my journal pages instead on losing it in memory. It allows me to recall when I took a loan from friend; what didn’t worked on the particular day; what I felt to a particular event.

2. I can clearly view a pattern to identify good days from bad days; the key differentiator is waking up early. I always considered I’m a night owl; but my natural behaviour disagrees. Whenever I manage to raise early, those days seems to end up as better one.

3. Tracking my life becomes mush easier. I couldn’t recall what I felt like few years back. But with the writings acting as external storage device, its no longer about remembering but recalling the thoughts.

4. Writing has improved a bit. I’m not talking about the handwriting which is oscillates between legible to doctors-prescription level. Not sure what causes the change in handwriting. Coming back to improvement, the words and vocabulary has grown. The way the events are recorded too got improved.

5. I’m carrying around the journal, when I’m planning overnight stay. Is it a good sign? Don’t know.

6. I have tried few apps to try out journaling. The handwritten notes > types notes. I can use shorthand codes, variation in legibility, flexible enough to add whatever I want and it stays with me not in someone else’s server. The hand written journal gives a human touch that the mobile apps lack.

7. Its no longer a boring chore. Instead its considered to be a must-do activity these days. An habit is forming I guess.

8. This new habit has developed a venting space for all the negativities gathered through the day.