Leader Self-Care: Journaling Practice
Recently, I had the opportunity to use some of my paid time off and go to a cabin in the woods for a few days. It sounds lovely, and it was, but about 12 hours into the 4-day trip, I was over it. I had a persistent headache, and I was not able to relax, and therefore, not having a good time. We drove home and I proceeded to have the best time off that I have ever had.
I think I decided to take the vacation because I knew that I needed to prioritize self-care and that was how I thought it could be done. Right? We need to “get away” and “recharge” and for some reason, doing that away from all the comforts and luxuries we have cultivated seems like a good idea. The trip was lovely, and I learned my own brand of self-care.
Self-care is a concept that is thrown around all the time and it is associated with a lot of other topics, like burnout and problem solving. Instead of listing all the ways that you could engage in self-care, I will point you to the operational word of “self”. What is valuable to you? How do you recharge and relax?
For me, my biggest form of self-care is journaling. Maybe 6 years ago, I did not have any type of journaling practice, but I took it up one day and it has become the most important part of my day. Many people hear “journaling”, and they may think “Dear Diary” or that they may not have time for it. I will say that when I first started journaling, it was very sporadic and I did not have any type of structure. I continued to try different things, and now, it is such a regular part of my day, that if I don’t do it first thing in the morning, my whole day is off.
There are a lot of reasons to start a journaling practice. Harvard Business Review shared an article how outstanding leaders keep a journal, specifically for the opportunity to reflect. In the book Lead Yourself First, many leaders expressed that you must take time to reflect because that is how you truly develop as a leader. When you write something down and get it out of your head and onto a page, it can not only clear that space in your mind, but it can also start to give form to some of your ideas. Sometimes you write something down and realize that it is not something that needs to be pursued further.
I know some leaders who use their journal as an opportunity to workshop ideas and figure out how to bring them into the world. Others use it as a black hole that they can throw their thoughts into. Both ways are correct. I know I tend to use it both ways – I may use it to workshop an idea for a few days, but I do not typically go back and read through old journals. I may just need to get something out on paper so it does not spew all over someone else. It is such a good tool for multiple areas of your life.
Journal Practice Structure
If you are new to journaling, I would recommend trying different things to find what feel right for you. You do not need to write ten pages of information for it to count as journaling - it can be one sentence. I am going to share my structure with you, and I invite you to use the parts that work for you.
Gratitude: I always start by writing three things that I am grateful for and why I am grateful for them. I love this practice and I have found that even on days when I have a lot to complain about, this is a great balance for being able to be BOTH grateful and frustrated.
Goals for the Day: I write out two or three goals for the day, and these goals can be something that I want to get done, like “Edit a podcast episode”, or they can be something non-quantifiable, like “Take extra time on our dog walk to let the dogs sniff a little extra and enjoy the fresh air.”
Affirmations/Intentions: Based on my goals for the day, I will set an intention for the day.
Mind Dump: Next, whatever is floating through my head, I just write all of it down. It does not have to be in order or even cohesive. The point is to get it all out, so it does not cloud my thoughts throughout the day.
Throughout the day, if something sticks to me, I make sure to go back to my journal and do another mind dump. It is a form of meditation that helps me move through the day more mindfully.
Give journaling a try. It can be in a notebook, or it can be in a Word document. It can be at any point in the day. The most important thing is that the practice is YOURS.