The Journaling Guide

The resolution industrial complex is real. It’s built to tell you that on January 1st, you’d better make a big change. It tells you, often through well-tuned marketing that’s both subtle and effective, that you’re not where you need to be, and conveniently, they offer the perfect solution to help you become the person you should be. The problem with resolutions is that they aren’t built to be supported. According to Strava, the fitness app maker, January 19th is the day when many respondents...

I’ve been thinking about how timeless print journals are lately. They’ve served the need for humanity to write down their thoughts for thousands of years. There is an elegance in their design, even in the most rudimentary form, and a simplicity that is unmatched by even the finest digital tools. A journal is an escape, and the act of putting pen to its pages is a cathartic experience, regardless of whether you’re living in the 12th or the 21st century. We all live amongst so much more than we...

There’s a simple yet powerful journaling activity that you can do right now to build resilience, remove irrational fear, and mentally prepare for the worst. It’s called premeditatio malorum, which translates to the pre-meditation of the evils. This negative visualization exercise originated with the Stoics, and many of the brightest thinkers in the philosophy, including Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Zeno of Citium, were practitioners. It’s a simple process. Consider the hardest and most...

The Journaling Guide From 24 Letters In the last newsletter, I wrote about trying my hand again at a regular review process. I’m two weeks into daily use of the template I created a few years back, and I like what’s happening. Here’s why it’s working: It’s quick. There are four questions that are best answered with a sentence or two. For me, brevity equals clarity, especially when writing to myself. The folks I work with might appreciate the same! It’s accessible. I do this daily review in a...