Journaling: Finding Your Way Past the Blank Page

Whether a simple memo to the team, a large scale presentation, long-term goal planning, or a change that needs to be communicated getting past those first few words can be the hardest part. You could spend a lot of time dawdling around the task in an unproductive way or you can put the time to good use through journaling.

Reasons you might want to journal:

• To move from a blank page on a writing project.
• To spur your creativity.
• To help think through all of your possibilities.
• To pull together the words needed to communicate a tough message.
• To get your thoughts and ideas on paper without any structure to tell you it's wrong.

Journaling can help you get past the blank sheet of paper and onto the purpose for your writing. Once you get started, you may not want to stop. Grab a notebook and keep it around for when you get stuck.

Tips on how to journal:

• Grab a notebook or paper.
• Title and date your entry.
• Write down your thoughts.
• Don't hold back.
• Give yourself permission to write anything.
• Always start on a new page.
• Use word or a journaling software program if you prefer the computer.

Journaling can truly be done at anytime and anywhere. Keep your notebook with you at all times. When something comes to mind, capture it. Give yourself permission to write anything and everything that comes to mind. Do not sensor your thoughts. Your journal is not the final draft of your concept, but merely a springboard to get you started. If you have the opportunity, create an atmosphere for your journaling that allows ideas to flow freely.

Creating an atmosphere for journaling:
(Pay attention to all of your senses)

• Eliminate potential distractions (sight, touch, smell, sound)
• Have a picture, sculpture, or other object to look at that inspires (sight)
• Light a candle or spray a room freshener (smell)
• Put on music that inspires (sound)

Journaling can take on many forms. Different techniques may help you break through your blocks in different ways. Be open to whatever comes to you.

Journaling techniques:

• Draw pictures to help express yourself and visualize what you're thinking.
• Put a single word in the center of your page, circle it, and write down everything that comes to mind all around it. Afterward look at what you've written down to find similarities or patterns.
• Give yourself a short period of time, like 30 – 45 seconds, to come up with as many words as you can on a subject.
• Start writing about why you're having a hard time writing.
• Start by writing about everything else going on that you think is keeping you from writing what you intend to write about.

Easy navigation and quick referencing are keys to using your journal effectively. If you don't utilize it there's no point. Rather than trying to organize as you write, go back later and identify your main topics. Be your own search engine.

Tips for tracking your journal content:

• Use key words on the corners of your pages for easy referencing in your journal. When you flip through the journal you can look at the corner of the page for the key words and phrases you want. For example a business journal may have key words referencing: marketing, operations, budget, client X, product A, leadership, etc. It's not unusual to have more than one key word or phrase in the corner.
• Journal on loose-leaf paper that can be organized by tabs into a binder.
• Leave a blank sheet of paper at the start of each journal entry. Go back afterward and write a short summary.

Journaling can be a powerful tool. No matter how you go about it, the fact that you're going about it is a step in the right direction. So grab a pen and some paper and get started!

Written by Jennifer Mounce, President, Coach Effect. Coach Effect is a coaching, consulting and development firm focused on engaging employees through leadership and organizational effectiveness. For more information, please contact us.