Journaling: what is it and how can it help you achieve your goals?

According to the report People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View, seven out of every ten workers suffer work-related stress at least once a week. Do you also experience this?

If you undergo stress at work or in your personal life and find that your worries are keeping you up at night, there are several techniques to improve your well-being. For instance, do you know what journaling is? It is a little different to simply keeping a diary since it is a means by which to understand and order your thoughts, and a way to process things that happen to you in your daily life or things that may be weighing on your mind.

If you have never heard of this technique, below we will explain what it is, what to journal about, how to get started and how it can help you achieve your goals.

What is journaling?

Journaling is a practice that consists of jotting down our thoughts, desires, fears and goals on paper, either on a daily basis or when we feel the need to shed some light on certain ideas or set ourselves certain goals. To ensure that it is a unique experience and beneficial to you as an individual, it is important to give free rein to your imagination and let the pen flow.

For the record, journaling differs from the traditional diary in the sense that it makes use of drawings, tables, photographs, diagrams and other elements to facilitate the flow of ideas and make the writing easier to understand.

What to journal about

Now that you know what journaling is, it is time to discover what to journal about, which can be combined according to your needs.

Here are some examples of the different types of journaling:

• Gratitude journal. Have you ever thought about the things you are grateful for in life? Try writing them down in order to remember them and truly understand why you feel so fortunate.

• Goals journal. We all have goals in life, and one way to achieve these is to write them down and define the steps you need to follow to do so. For this to work, it is important to monitor how the process is going. This can be done by setting milestones or a roadmap, which allow us to see whether we are advancing towards our objectives, whether they be personal or work-related.

• Learning journal. In life, we learn from our failures as well as our successes. By writing about these, we can ensure that we do not forget the lessons they have taught us and avoid committing the same mistakes.

• Travel journal. Travelling involves innumerable experiences, emotions, thrills and learning. Writing down these different aspects in a journal is a great way to keep track of all the places we visit, the people we meet along the way and everything else we learn.

• Reflective journal. We all have things in our lives which worry us or fill us with joy, as well as doubts and uncertainties on which we need to reflect. By writing about these in our journal, we can see how our way of thinking evolves over time.

• Five-minute journal. What do you think about dedicating five minutes a day to writing about yourself? This is a great way to get into the habit of writing about the daily things you have experienced, felt and learned.

• Stream of consciousness journal. Let your pen flow and write about whatever pops into your head. Allow your subconscious to manifest itself and guide your hand. Automatic writing is a way to be honest with ourselves, let go of any inhibitions and understand ourselves better.

How to go about journaling

Now you know what to journal about, it is time to learn how to apply it effectively. These are the steps you can follow:

• Get the tools you need. Buy a notebook or use a programme where you can write every day. You could even record voice memos on your mobile phone and then transcribe them. 

• Choose the right time of day to write. It is not necessary to write every day, but you should always choose a quiet time, free from interruptions and noise. Choose a place in your home, turn off your mobile phone and focus on yourself. 

• Write: no matter what or how long. As Gabriel García Márquez once said: “The writer writes his book to explain to himself what cannot be explained”. So, do not limit or censor your writing, write about whatever you want: your daily life, worries, feelings and thoughts, etc.

• Try to revisit your notebook regularly. Reviewing what you have written is a great way to see how your outlook on life changes over time, such as what you have learned or what you need to improve.

Benefits of journaling

There are many benefits to journaling, which can be summed up as a technique that helps us get to know ourselves better. But it goes much further than that.

The main benefits of journaling are as follows:

• It stimulates creativity. Maya Angelou once said: “You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have”. Therefore, writing down our thoughts, feelings, goals and worries helps us develop our creativity and makes us feel alive. 

• It helps us achieve our goals. Writing down our goals on paper or another medium helps us to visualise and see them more clearly. It is also important to determine the time frame in which we want to achieve them and the actions that need to be taken. 

• It improves emotional health. It has long been known that recording (in this case in writing) what is troubling us can have a therapeutic effect. Writing about our deepest feelings is a way to heal and achieve well-being. 

• It promotes self-awareness. Knowing ourselves, who we are and who we want to be, enables us to develop personally and professionally. Self-awareness is the cornerstone of personal development. 

Do you still not fully understand what journaling is? In a nutshell, it is a way of getting to know ourselves, learning about our thoughts and insights, and a way through which we can change. In short, if you are consistent, journaling is a form of continuous learning on both a personal and professional level, providing us with the fundamental ability to adapt and grow in an ever-changing world. 

We believe that developing personal and professional skills, such as journaling, can boost self-awareness and help you access better job opportunities. If this resonates with you, discover Santander Open Academy, the training space you need to keep growing.

Join our global platform for learning and professional development and access courses at zero cost, training content in a wide range of formats and scholarships from leading universities and institutions.

If, like us, you believe that we should never stop learning, sign up here and find out what we have for you!