Journaling every day adds another level of structure to your day, allowing you to organise and plan your time around a section of self-reflection and evaluation of your day. Journaling has been said to increase productivity, as setting out daily initiatives and beginning a routine adds incentive towards these tasks. It also improves your memory, as well as allowing you to destress and relax – which I find is so important when I am sat at my desk studying from 9am into the evening.
Journaling is a form of self-expression which distracts the mind from the adverse, instead of focusing on the more optimistic and bright aspects of life. The manifestation of goals and targets increases the motivation towards success, buffering the effects of anxiety and stress. Expressive and reflective writing also boosts your mind, as well as improving your overall memory through the recall of writing.
Here are my favourite things to focus on and centre my writing on:
1. Future goals and aspirations – here I think it is important to remind yourself what you are working towards, as it can motivate you to continue even when life seems very stressful. Focus on both short-term achievable and long-term ambitious targets, as it boosts your mood when you do accomplish a smaller goal, encouraging you to complete another.
2. Something I have accomplished – write down your wins! Even if they are small, it is key to look back on this and remember that you can do it, even when you are feeling low and struggling to keep that motivation up. As well as a huge confidence-booster, accomplishments remind you of your goals, and how far you have come.
3. Things you are grateful for – one of my favourite parts of journaling is the reflection, as there are times when we do take things for granted (I am definitely guilty of this). Whether this revolves around people, your location, certain activities (like being able to take long walks around scenic routes) or special items – remember this.
Manifestation:
I’m sure like a lot of people, the idea of ‘manifestation’ has been circulating through our social media pages, gaining popularity during the pandemic, mainly through platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Manifestation involves the visualisation of a future goal or aspiration through journaling or writing the target repeatedly. The hashtag manifestation has over 4.3 billion views on TikTok and the Google search history increased by over 400% during August of 2020.
The idea of manifestation originally comes from the 19th-century spiritual movement of New Thought philosophy, and the idea that people’s thoughts carry pure energy, which can manifest into their future aspirations. This Law of Attraction encourages people to engage with more optimistic and positive thoughts, believing it to motivate people to achieve their goals.
Arguably, the manifestation and journaling of your future aspirations will encourage you to achieve these targets, as you will be more focused on these specific goals, allowing you to concentrate on accomplishing them. I currently use the app ‘Notion’ as my source for journaling, as well as helping with my studies, I really recommend it as a starting point!