Doing this on a regular basis can transform your life. 4. The last thing you should do before closing your journal for the day is to give yourself an assignment. From the time we start school, we’re taught that writing is something with right or wrong answers. But going one step further than that can make all the difference. These goals should be broken down into short term or long term goals. A journal allows you to record your progress. Allow yourself to write whatever you feel. A journal is evidence of past success. When you write down your goals you’re laying the first brick, or planting the seed. Don’t get up from your writing session until you’ve given yourself an assignment for the next day and you’ve scheduled it in your appointment book. Having a set time during which you’re going to write about your goals each day keeps you accountable. How to Set Long Term Goals and Achieve Success, 20 Personal SMART Goals Examples to Improve Your Life, How to Bullet Journal to Skyrocket Your Productivity, Why Is Life So Hard? When you write down your goals you turn vague desires into well-articulated targets you can clearly see and aim for. A lot of the time we know what we want, but we don’t know how we’re going to get it. In. Here’s How the Other 8 Percent Do, American Psychological Association: Joint effect of feedback and goal setting on performance: A field study of residential energy conservation, How to Set Short Term Goals for a Successful Life, Need Journal Inspiration? Subscribe to “Daring to Live Fully” by RSS or by email, and get free updates. Did you enjoy this article? You can learn more about her here, 17 Ways to Slow Down Aging and Live Longer, 18 Things to Do With a Moleskine, or Any Notebook. 8. In this post you’ll discover the ten benefits of keeping a journal, as well as the eight steps to follow in order to start keeping your own journal as a goal-achievement tool. For instance, if you subconsciously believe that rest and recuperation is a weakness, you may push yourself too hard and burn out. Here are the eight steps that you need to follow in order to keep a journal with the express purpose of helping you to achieve your goals: Keeping a journal can be a powerful tool for achieving your goals. People who went one step further and shared their goals with a friend and sent them weekly updates were 33% more successful in accomplishing their goals. To support true transformation, it’s vital to go beyond lists, checklists, goals and visions. 43% of people who wrote down their goals achieved them, freewriting is where you write out your thoughts in a stream-of-consciousness without correcting yourself, your core beliefs and values drive what you do. In this post you’ll discover the ten benefits of keeping a journal, as well as the eight steps to follow in order to start keeping your own journal as a goal-achievement tool. Next post: 17 Ways to Slow Down Aging and Live Longer, Previous post: 2000 Ideas For Your Travel Bucket List, Marelisa Fabrega is a lawyer and entrepreneur. You may opt-out by. And by journaling, you’ll be in good company. Specifically, the act of writing stimulates the reticular activating system (RAS) in the brain. That is, identify what you’re going to do the following day in order to move your goal along. Instead, you’ll know how to deal with it. © 2020 Forbes Media LLC. In fact, a study at Dominican University found that 43% of people who wrote down their goals achieved them. The RAS is like a filter and it sorts the things that are written down as being important. This site rocks the Classic Responsive Skin for Thesis. People often find five years to be a good number since it's far enough into the future, yet not too far.Choose the number of years that instinctively feels best to … Knowing that at the end of the day you’re going to have to sit down and write about what you did that day to move you closer toward the achievement of your goals is a great motivator to get you to do what you’re supposed to be doing. When you feel like you’re losing your motivation to keep moving forward it’s a good idea to take out your journal and look back at the progress you’ve already made toward the achievement of your goal. However, the flipside of this is true power. Journaling enables you to work through what you need to, in order to be a shining star in the world. A journal can help you to keep the ball rolling. The studies are clear. That it’s about structure, grammar and spelling. 2. Don’t worry about grammar or punctuation; you’re not writing a literary masterpiece. The great thing is that these are private – for your eyes only. Live your best life by setting goals, and then keeping a journal which will help you to achieve those goals. All Rights Reserved. When determining which goal journal is best for you, there are several things to consider: When looking at the basics, you want the ability to write your goals in your journal. I cover writing, work, career, creativity and self-expression. It’s time to take control and take a different approach. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., as well as a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center. Then, the next time that you sit down to write in your journal it’s likely that you’ll be able to come up with an idea on how to proceed that’s both realistic and actionable. You can even think of journaling as a self-coaching session. When you feel free to express your innermost thoughts, you feel free to go for the life goals you really want. Writing about your goals helps you to identify possible obstacles that you may encounter, and create an action plan on how you’ll deal with those obstacles when they arise. Categorizing your goals is also a great idea. Decide what you’re going to use—you can use a notebook, an online journal, or anything else that you feel comfortable with. 3. That’s where journaling comes in. Don’t censor yourself –your journal is just for you. When you’re writing about your goals you may “hear” yourself saying things such as the following: Once you’ve brought your hidden fears and limiting beliefs to the surface, you’ll be able to deal with them. A manifesting journal is a place where you store all your dreams and goals you want to attract into your life. Writing works. Also, feel gratitude for the people who have helped you, and the resources you’ve had access to. Here are ten benefits of keeping a journal: 1. Benefits of Keeping a Journal Here are ten benefits of keeping a journal: 1. But the journaling portion is where you solidify, clarify, affirm, and strategize your insights, goals, and plans. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. Decide on a time that you’re going to set aside each day to write in your journal. Then, when an obstacle does appear across your path, you won’t be caught off guard. 5. The year you’ll launch that business, get that pay rise, write that book, or design that game-changing innovation. There’s a gap from paper to person – a messy middle needs to be bridged. But what if this is THE year? Similarly, if deep down, you’re afraid of “putting yourself out there”, then you may mistake the inevitable ups and downs with proof that you're not cut out for success. This will help motivate you to get to work on the new goal with a feeling of certainty that—just as you’ve been able to achieve other goals in the past—you’ll be able to achieve it. Keeping a journal forces you to commit your goals to writing. For some, the very act of writing can harbour deep shame if their words have ever been criticised or used to humiliate them, or worse. Writing about your goals helps you to uncover hidden fears that may be holding you back, as well as limiting beliefs. Your journal can serve as a brainstorming tool for coming up with steps you can take in order to achieve your goals. Writing down our goals, in SMART format helps us to achieve them. If I lose weight, then my friends—who are also struggling with their weight—won’t want to hang out with me anymore. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Give yours the following challenge: “In the next twenty minutes come up with a list of 100 things I could do in order to achieve this goal”. 7. Put simply, freewriting is where you write out your thoughts in a stream-of-consciousness without correcting yourself. If you’re largely unconscious of these, you can unwittingly sabotage your dreams. A journal detailing how you solved a problem that others may be having—or how you achieved a goal that others may want to achieve—can be turned into an eBook which you can give away or sell. A few minutes, a pen and a notebook are all you need to begin. And doing freewriting and other creative writing exercises can enable you to get to the heart of what’s really stopping you from moving forward. 9. Creating a product you can make money from can be another source of motivation to keep you moving toward the achievement of your goals. This will help you to stay vibrational aligned with your dreams and also keep focus. After each writing session give yourself a mental pat on the back for the progress that you’ve made so far toward the achievement of your goal. I am a British journalist turned writing coach and the author of two books, including Heart, Sass & Soul: Journal Your Way to Inspiration and Happiness (Mango, 2019). It’s especially disheartening if this work is solely to push forward other people’s goals. Through talks, workshops and online programs, I teach real-world writing techniques and inspire others to live rich, creative lives. IN addition to many other reasons for journaling, your journal can function as a kind of personal coach — essentially, someone who helps you identify and achieve goals. Start simple and start small. When you have a life-changing goal, you need to step into a new version of yourself.