The Power of Pen and Paper: Leverage Journaling to Supercharge Your Time Management
Good time management and eliminating overwhelm is about having systems.
These systems can help you:
Keep track of what you need to or want to get done
Prioritize what to work on
Schedule your time
Keep track of how you spend your time
However, the systems you have in place to manage your time are only one piece of the puzzle.
Just as important, but often overlooked as a key strategy for successful time management and productivity…it’s your mindset.
Understanding what you think about how you spend your time can have just as significant of an impact on managing overwhelm as any “system” ever will.
But sometimes it can be a challenge to really see what’s going on in that sneaky little brain of yours.
Brains like routine. You think the same thoughts on autopilot over and over again. Those recurring thoughts eventually turn into core beliefs. Beliefs you don’t question and don’t even realize are driving the actions in your life.
Take this example: You’ve been working 60-hour weeks for years. Long weekdays, spilling into the weekends and most definitely creeping into your vacations. You’re overwhelmed. You’re burnt out. You don’t know how to fix it.
Why is this happening?
The job requires overtime.
There’s just no way you can get everything done in 40 hours.
Serious professionals work long hours.
If you want to make more money, you’ve got to put in more time.
That all seems true. Right?
Wrong.
These are all optional beliefs. They’ve probably been playing on repeat and you may not even realize you’re actively thinking them.
If you have these beliefs running in the back of your mind masquerading as facts, of course, you’re going to take actions that lead to working over time. Anyone would.
My challenge for you is to identify these optional beliefs and get curious.
Question whether or not the belief is serving you.
Identifying and eliminating just one of these limiting beliefs can have a major impact on your productivity and how you control your time.
You can put yourself back in the driver’s seat. Take back your power and make active decisions to get you to the life you’ve been longing for.
But how do you shine a light into the cobwebs of your brain to identify all of these sneaky beliefs?
My favorite system and tool: Journaling.
What is “journaling”?
Journaling is simply writing down your thoughts and feelings. Yes, physically writing it all out.
Journaling is a powerful tool to identify exactly what is going on in your brain by allowing you to take a step back to have an objective look at your thoughts and beliefs.
Journaling is a great way to get clarity and insight into your beliefs. Getting them down on paper brings awareness so you can start to take control of what you actually want to believe. You can’t change what you don’t know is there.
How often do you journal?
To get the most out of the practice of journaling, aim to journal once per day for 15 or 30 minutes. Either in the morning to start with a clear brain (my personal favorite) or at the end of the day to go to bed with clarity.
This cadence and daily habit can keep you checked in with yourself by never going too long without a “Hey girl, how are you? What’s going on?”
However, as with any new practice, don’t feel like you have to go all or nothing.
If a daily journaling practice isn’t fitting in, start with a smaller goal, such as twice per week. Then increase from there.
Add time to journal directly on your calendar and make it a priority.
You’ll likely find your journaling time is something you look forward to and crave. It’s a dedicated time where you give yourself permission to lean into the quiet, direct focus internally, and away from the chaos of the day.
But, I don’t know where to start.
The first rule of thumb: don’t overthink it.
Journaling is just a stream of consciousness.
Just start writing.
It doesn’t need to make any sense. Write about something that’s bothering you or that you’re excited about or what happened the day before. Just write.
This freeform flow will lead you down the path to finding those sneaky little beliefs that are causing you to stray away from your ideal life.
Be honest and open-minded. Journaling is a judgment-free zone!
If you do find yourself with a bit of writer’s block, here are 20 prompts to get you started. Choose one and start flowing:
What are your goals for the week/month/year?
What is a goal you have already accomplished that you originally thought was impossible? How did you achieve it?
What did you accomplish this week?
What did you not accomplish this week?
What are you looking forward to next week/month/year?
What are you dreading next week/month/year?
What are your top priorities in life?
What are you spending your time on? Is this aligned with your priorities?
What would an ideal week look like?
What’s the most challenging part of your job and why?
What is a belief you have about yourself that you don’t like? How might it not be true?
What tasks do you enjoy doing and why?
What tasks do you enjoy the least and why?
What do you think about when you first wake up in the morning?
Who do you admire and why?
What are you grateful for and why?
What would you change in your life if you could?
What does success look like to you?
If you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you do?
What do you need? List anything that’s bothering you and write out what you need from yourself. (This is one of my personal favorites. It’s a masterclass in self-compassion. So powerful.)
Okay, I journaled. Now what?
As you make journaling a regular practice, you’ll start to see recurring themes.
There will be thought patterns and beliefs that creep in each session. Beliefs you may not like or may not want to actually believe.
Take the role of a scientist in your life and observe these patterns of thinking.
Then question yourself.
Take one of those pesky beliefs from earlier: “If you want to make more money, you’ve got to put in more time.”
What if, instead, you believed: “You can be rich and work fewer than 40 hours per week.”
Try that belief on. Then ask yourself:
How would you feel if you believed that?
How would you act?
How would you spend your time
Write down your answers as your latest journal prompt and think about these questions throughout the day.
Continue to be curious and try on new beliefs you like even better. Be more intentional with your beliefs and start acting like someone who believes those new thoughts.
Observe how your actions evolve as you become the person who believes just a little bit differently.
Now trust me, I’m here for all the strategies, processes, and techniques for managing your time. They are amazing and helpful and I use them every day!
But neglecting your mindset in managing your time will leave you self-sabotaging your success.
Journaling will help you stay in tune with your mind. Help you understand exactly how your beliefs may be affecting your time management, and, along with practicing your other tools, can create the success you’re looking for in creating your ideal life.
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