Journaling: The Habit for Real Change

Journaling changed my life. It can change yours.

Before you dismiss this episode because your are someone who cringes at the idea of journaling, have tried and not been successful, or feel journaling just isn't for you - there might be something here that you haven't considered.

When you are setting and going after goals - I’ve always thought it a great idea to incorporate a habit or two that can support you realizing the goals.  

In this short episode, I share 3 big ways that journaling can support all of your goals.

 Grab a notebook and tune in.

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:01

I'm Carla Reeves, and this is differently. Whether you feel stuck in survival, navigating a change, or seeking more for your life, may this podcast be your weekly nudge to take a risk, to build a life that is uniquely bold, authentic, and in alignment with your deepest values. After a decade of coaching individuals from corporate leaders to creative artists to multimillion dollar CEOs, I'm convinced we are far closer than we realize to what we deeply desire, and it's a willingness to do differently that can change everything. Hey differently listeners. I have had my cup of coffee and some warm oatmeal with frozen blueberries, and I'm really excited to be here with you today. I was telling my husband yesterday that in all of my conversations and coaching calls this week, I feel like there's this calm aliveness and sense of momentum in the new year. And I'm excited about that, and I'm excited about our episode today. Journaling changed my life, and I know that it can change yours. And before you turn off this episode, because you might be someone who cringes at the idea of journaling or have tried it and not been successful, or feeling like journaling just isn't for you, keep listening. I'm going to break some things down and give you a peek into what is really possible. And this could be a gift that you give yourself this year. I've been journaling for years, actually since I was a teenager, and I remember my mom later told me she found my journals, which were at that time mostly filled with heartbroken love stories, and was deeply concerned about me. You may have heard my story of how I got started with journaling and what led to the work that I do today. But I sat on my bed one day after doing um months of writing and was reflecting back on the pages of that journal and realized what had actually happened and had this compelling feeling that I'm here to teach people how to use the tool of writing to help navigate your everyday life. And it's been a centerpiece to my work ever since. When I started teaching journaling, honestly, that it was kind of still a weird thing back then in the early 2000s. People would look at me strange when I talked about it. It wasn't as mainstream as it is today. I still find today that people either like it or they might be a little repelled by it. If the word journaling does that to you, you can call it writing, you can call it whatever you want. But I encourage you to, regardless of where you are, keep listening. When you are setting and going after goals, which you likely are right now, as it's the beginning of a new year, I've always thought it a great idea to incorporate a habit or two that can support you in realizing your goals. And today's episode, I'm going to share three big ways that journaling can support all of your goals. Number one, clear the noise and calm your mind. The noise is all the stuff that gets in your head and derails your best intentions. It talks you out of pushing forward, going to the gym, making that call, finishing that project, avoiding that conversation, etc. Journaling is a salve for the mind. When you feel the noise escalating in your head, it's a great indicator and time to head to a notebook or an online page and literally empty the thoughts, the noise, instead of letting it circle and circle in your mind. The earlier you can catch it, the better you can actually avoid or interrupt that downward spiral that ends up altering your best actions or even ruining your day. Get it out and then stand back and ask, is it true? Is it real? Is it on your side? Is it likely to move you forward or coax you back into bed? As a hyperachiever and creative entrepreneur, my mind is restless and busy and often overactive. I have found journaling to be a great place to express, um, get it out, empty the noise so that I can get to the good stuff. Because when you have a calm, sound, centered mind and heart, you've set yourself up to do your best work. And there's less thinking and more movement, more action, not to mention the state of which you feel as you're doing the work is likely to improve too. Number two, check in with yourself. Writing is a great way to do a check-in. Just like we have a constant kind of eye on the fuel lever level in our car, we can do that with our own state of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Journaling on the regular to check in with yourself and ask yourself, how are you feeling? How am I feeling? How's my energy? Is there anything in the way of what I'm doing that I set out to do today? For example, when I get stalled on a project or find myself avoiding a conversation or action, I often head to my journal and write about it. It helps me find out what's really happening, and then I can get to the truth, get out of my own way, or adjust my actions from there. Number three, keep your goals top of mind. So journaling is a great way to do this. Let's face it, it can be easy to wake up feeling cloudy and lose track of what you've set out to do. You can literally, at least I can, forget overnight. Journaling is a great way to keep your goals front and center. There's research that suggests that writing down your goals leads to you accomplishing significantly more than just thinking about them. And I have seen this time and again in my life. And while coaching clients, you might even paste them in front of your journal or write them in the first page of your journal so that every time you sit down to write, you can read your goals as well. You can also, if you do, if you like to write online, you can create a doc that you read every day that's near where you're doing your writing. Reading a list of your goals every day for this year could be a game changer for you. Starting your day by reading this list of what you're up to will help you to prioritize your activities for the day and make sure that you're giving attention to all the places that you've set out to have impact in this year. How to get started. Choose your method. So decide whether you're gonna do this online or you're gonna do this offline in a journal or a notebook. I believe that both are effective. I use a blend of both, so I just kind of trust myself to know what type of writing feels good at that particular time. I use Notion Online, it's a really great uh free tool for writing. However, a Google Doc works just fine. Put it on the calendar. So decide or experiment with what time of day is gonna work for you, whether it's in the morning or midday to take a little break or in the evening before you go to bed. Set a timer. I love using timers for my writing. I don't always do that, but it can be really effective to set the timer for five or ten minutes. You'll be surprised by how long ten minutes can feel writing. You'll get to some really good stuff. And then choose whether you're gonna do one or all three of these methods. Set up an experiment of two weeks or a month or whatever time frame feels doable and a little bit challenging. And choose whether you're going to do one or all three methods. I'm just gonna walk you through each method what you can do. So if you're gonna do the calming and uh calm the noise and set kind of settle your mind, just begin writing with that nagging thought, whatever is circling in your head, and then follow your thoughts from there. It will lead you exactly where you want to go. If you're doing the check-in, you're going to ask the questions that I suggested, which are, you know, how am I feeling? How's my energy? Is there anything in the way of doing what I set out to do today? Again, follow thought, see what comes up. You're gonna be surprised. Lastly, whether you're gonna do it to keep your goals top of mind, put that list of your goals wherever you're gonna do your writing, write out your goals every day again and again, or you can just read them, you know, on the daily and then figure out in your writing how you're going to honor one or more of those in your day or week. That's it. Keep it simple. That's one of my mantras for this new year. If you, so in closing, if you want to make this year different, a year where you make serious traction on the things that deeply matter to you, journaling just might be the habit that supports momentum around all of your goals. Along with the things I've mentioned above, journaling has been studied and reported to improve your ability to focus, stay connected to your goals, it improves your immune system, lowers stress, you get better sleep, increased confidence, raised awareness and mindfulness. And honestly, it will just wake up your life in so many ways. There are, these are some of the reasons why I coach with a journal. If you want to learn more about journaling, there's some episodes that you can go back to. There's uh why I coach with a journal, which is episode 58. Check out episode 13, which is be in your right mind. And number 78 is journal your way. You can visit the show notes of today's episodes, and I'll put those links in there for you at Carlareeves.com forward slash 108. Did you know that I've been creating show notes for the episodes? I'm doing my best to get those done each and every time where you will find additional resources or links to things that I mentioned. Take a look, experiment, try it out, find what works for you, commit to two weeks or a month, and then re-evaluate. Be open to its magic. If you ever have journaling questions, you can reach out and contact me via my website, carlareeves.com. There's a contact form. I would love to support your writing habit. It has changed my life. It's been a thread in my life through everything that I do that supports me and supports the people I work with. It continues to be a daily practice that fuels all of my life and well-being, and I know it can change yours. Okay, last thing for today. If you enjoyed this episode, will you do me a favor and go leave a five-star review? It absolutely helps others to discover this podcast. That's all I have for today. I hope you're having a beautiful day. Thank you for listening, and I will see you next Thursday. Hey, thanks for tuning in to this episode of Differently. I hope it stirred your thinking, and I invite you to take one inspired action from something that stood out to you. If you want to hear more conversations like this, be sure to hit follow on your favorite podcast app. And if this episode can impact someone you know, please public.