Journaling For Clarity
If you’re chewing on a tough problem, journaling is one way to get clear on how to proceed. There is something astonishing about how quickly the insights come when I take the time to put words to paper. But it can be difficult to know where to start or how to structure my writing in an effective way.
My good friend Mathias Jakobson of Think Clearly has developed a system of self-reflection in the form of Clarity Cards, and I use the 4 separate stacks as journal prompts to help me work through puzzles and determine next steps.
Today, I’m sharing my 4-step process of journaling for clarity with you, beginning with the practice of separating the facts from the feelings. Then I speak to analysis, explaining how I probe further to access the wisdom I already have and decide what action to take moving forward. Listen in with a problem in mind and harness the power of journaling to sort out your thoughts and get clear on what to do!
The Startup Pregnant Podcast Episode #072
Some quotes from the episode
- “The nice thing about starting with [the facts] … is that you get to just list everything that’s happening. It’s easier than trying to analyze. What’s true? What are the facts?”
- “All of these feelings are distinct from the facts, and they’re also equally valid.”
- “Having time to focus just on your feelings lets a lot of them tumble out, and it’s important to acknowledge what it is that you’re feeling without judgement or attachment to the quality of good or bad related to them—or to where they’ve come from.”
- “Just starting to separate [the facts and the feelings] and pull them apart feels therapeutic.”
- “It was interesting to have this conversation with my mind and realize there were insights inside of me that I hadn’t allowed myself to see.”
- “There’s something peaceful and soothing and restoring about taking the time to ask yourself what wisdom you already have.”
- “The power of putting words to paper always astounds me. It gives me this renewed sense of calm about what can be a really wild set of changes.”
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
EPISODE SPONSOR & SPECIAL OFFER
Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Acuity Scheduling. Acuity functions as an online assistant, helping to organize your schedule and collect client information. Take advantage of Acuity’s 45-day free trial for Startup Pregnant listeners at https://acuityscheduling.com/startuppregnant.
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[…] more? Check out the podcast episode episode we did on journaling for clarity, all about reflection questions and using them to connect more deeply with yourself or […]