Journaling

Every day I capture key data points as part of my journaling process.

At the beginning of the day, I track:

• Mood: How I feel on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent).
• Energy: My energy level on a scale of 1 (depleted) to 5 (energized).
• ️Intention: Based on my mood and energy, what is my intention for the day? Do I want to be a better listener? Do I want to be extra diligent to avoid distractions? Or do I just want to spend time resting?

At the end of the day, I track:

• Emotion: What was the primary emotion for the day? Focused? Frustrated?
• Rating: How I felt about the day on a scale of 1 (didn’t like it) to 5 (loved it).
• Highlight: What was the main highlight from the day? Was it something I learned? An event I really enjoyed? It can be big or small.

Collecting these data points builds awareness and allows me to be mindful of my mental state. It uncovers trends, which I can use to implement methods to help me improve. This can be things like doing more high-energy activities, taking a longer walk outside, etc.

Every morning, I look at an “On This Day” view of my journal in Notion that allows me to read entries from the past four years. There’s so much power in visualizing progress through reflection. Take inventory of how far you’ve come each year.

You can start journaling by spending a few minutes of reflection each morning. Don’t worry about the medium you’re using — just think about how you’re feeling, and set an intention for the day.

This is the way.