The Stoics practice of daily reflective journaling is something that I have never really come to terms with establishing as a regular habit. I’ve had fits and starts over the years with some success but mostly the practice devolves into a daily log of “what I did today.”
I do like the idea of holding the day in review to determine if the things I did helped me live the life I want to live or held me back in some way.
From a cognitive behavior theory perspective, reflective journaling enhances self-awareness, enables us to identify negative thought patterns (or other problematic thinking), can help regulate emotions by expressing them, helps us refine coping strategies, and gives us a way to track progress.
It might be time to practice what I preach and take another run at this. I think I will frame the writing around these two questions.
- What did I do today that helped me live the life I want to live?
- What did I do today that got in my way?
Answering these questions should help me gain some clarity into what I’m doing well and what needs to change… now making changes… that might be a post for another day.
