The Case for Journal Writing

“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” – Anne Frank

For the past 2.5 years I have been reviewing my own days in a journal. At first, it was an activity I had to force myself to do; now, it is a part of my day I look forward to. There's something really calming about spending a few minutes away from everyone, from every distraction the world has to throw at us, and just spend your time thinking about how you are living your days, how you are making progress towards your goals and how you're curbing any bad habits that you may have.

Journal writing is also a pretty good way to think about your problems, whether you are looking for some way to relieve stress through writing about your feelings or taking a deep dive searching for possible solutions. It is also a terrific way to explore new ideas.

“This is what the best journals look like. They aren’t for the reader. They are for the writer. To slow the mind down. To wage peace with oneself.” – Ryan Holiday

Let us not forget that keeping a daily journal will help you improve your writing, you get to try different styles while reflecting about your day until you manage to perfect your narrative voice. Not to mention that you will find it easier to start writing about almost any topic due to this practice.

Reading old entries can help you put into perspective how much you have grow since the time you wrote them. Seeing the way you use to think and the things you deemed important in the past can be a really humbling experience. As Ray Dalio puts it: “It seems to me that if you look back on yourself a year ago and aren't shocked by how stupid you were, you haven't learned much”

If you want to start your own journey with journal writing I recommend you give this book a check. You should also check out the CoilCommunity subreddit, I heard they got some awesome new mods, and the ability to search Coil Content by different categories (Coil staff if you're reading this please add this feature soon).

Coil subscribers can find my favorite journal below:

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