Tag: journaling

Joan Didion, and why you should write

In the 1970s Joan Didion wrote:

I write entirely to find out what I’m thinking, what I’m looking at, what I see and what it means. What I want and what I fear. – Why I Write (essay originally published in the New York Times Book Review in 1976, here)

I think it is a good reason for all of us to write, regardless of our level of skill. I think I am going to be adopting that more, here and offline. I would hope the same for you, even if it is a matter of making notes in a composition notebook or a scribbler.

Writing as thinking. Not only deep thoughts, or correct thoughts, but thoughts in general.

A great collection of Joan Didion in her own words from the Guardian, here.

Some thoughts on using an accomplishment journal at work

Over at LifeHacker they recommend how to stay motivated at work by using an accomplishment journal. It might sound fancy, but a journal is simply a place for writing down what you accomplish in your work day. The accomplishments don’t have to be major ones: some days just getting a handle on your inbox or dealing with a difficult meeting can be an worth journaling.

Accomplishment journals are not new. Athletes have been using something similar for years. No one is better than athetes at setting goals, planning activities, and logging what they’ve been up to. So take your lead from them and start your own.

This doesn’t have to be solely for work. You can have journals for home improvement projects or personal improvement projects.

By the way, another benefit of an accomplishment journal? It can help you later when you have performance reviews and it can help you when you want to update your resume. Just go to the journal and you have all the material you need to proceed.

Good luck!