Simple Challenge #5: Start a Journal or a Blog
Welcome to this week’s Simple Challenge! To check out other simple challenges, please visit the Simple Challenge category.
Our brains can only hold so many memories and pieces of information at one time. It is easy to forget and lose track of our life goals, creative ideas, important tasks, dreams, imagination and passions. That is why I challenge you to start a journal or a blog to start getting your heart and mind in order!
I am sure that many of you have probably already started journals or blogs in your life. If that is the case, then I challenge you to put more effort into them. Write more. Write about more topics. Make it a habit and part of your routine.
Journal Ideas
A journal is great for keeping track of and analyzing your own life. One can be completely free in a journal because you are the only person who is going to be reading it. With a blog, you have the chance to share your ideas with a community and receive feedback, but I feel that it is important to have a place to document yourself with no fear of the public eye. Go crazy in your journal! Having trouble thinking of things to write about? Here are some things I write about to keep my thoughts in order:
- Goals - Without goals, our lives can become an endless stream of reactions instead of purposeful intentions. Writing down our goals, why we want them, what needs to be done to achieve them, and in what kind of time frame will make reaching them an easier task.
- Dreams - If you choose to write about your dreams, I suggest keeping a notepad or journal right next to your bed. We all know how our dreams can slip away from us even after just five minutes of being awake. It will take some effort, but you should document them the second you wake up for the most accurate and detailed description. This is true even if you wake up at three in the morning and are thinking about one of your dreams. Just write it down right away! Over time you will be able to analyze your dreams and see if there are any patterns that have emerged. Whether any conclusions are drawn from your dreams or not, I still think it is entertaining and worthwhile to revisit them.
- Daily Tasks - When most people think of to-do lists, they think of little yellow post it notes that have been jam packed to the edges with tasks that need to be done. I see nothing wrong with keeping your to-do list in your journal though. It helps you keep track of them. Every night before you go to bed you can check off what you completed that day. Mmm, that provides so much satisfaction for me!
- Ideas - Do you ever have any brilliant ideas for inventions, music, art, writing, relationships, work, or any other part of your life and they slip away from your mind before you can write them down? Nothing could be more frustrating! To remedy this I suggest carrying around a small notepad, one that you can fit in your pocket. When the ideas come to you, jot down their main points, just enough that it will all come back to you when you revisit it later. At the end of the day, you can pull out the notepad and transfer your ideas to your journal and elaborate on them. This concept is similar to recording your dreams: Write it down the moment it pops into your head!
- Emotions - I find it helpful to document the whirlwind of emotions that can be going through my mind throughout the day. Just like recording your dreams, you can eventually analyze your emotions and see if there are any patterns. Do you tend to get angry often? Does one particular thing make you really jealous? What things bring you joy on a daily basis? From there you can start to make changes by getting rid of the things that cause negative emotions in your life and increasing the things that produce positive emotions. This is easier said than done, but it is a great starting point.
- Creativity and Imagination - Do you have a funny phrase, joke, or some wild beast that you have come up with? Whatever obscure creation you have imagined in your head, jot it down! These can provide inspiration later on and can help you expand on your ideas. Combine these with your solid ideas that you are also keeping track of.
Blog Ideas
Blogs rule. Yes, you are reading one right now. Doesn’t what I am doing look like so much fun? It is! Whether it be a personal blog that documents your daily life and things that move you, or a topic specific blog that focuses on one thing in particular, blogs can be a great outlet. One plus of blogs is that you get to receive feedback and insight from your community of readers. Here are some blog ideas to get you started:
- Personal Blogs - There no rules on this one. Just keep in mind that some people besides you will be reading it. They might be complete strangers across the world or they could be family members, so always keep that in mind when writing on your blog. Write about your daily life, things that inspire you, movies you enjoy, music you like, your political views, your cat, websites that you recommend, whatever you want really! Keep in mind, if you are interested in achieving a large readership of your blog, a personal blog might not be the best choice.
- Topic/Niche Blogs - Do you have a hobby or an area of expertise that you are extremely passionate about? Why not start a blog about it and share your knowledge with the world? Starting a blog on the subject will not only provide a resource for other people who are interested, but it will also force you to know your subject thoroughly. It will make you research topics. No one wants to write about something inaccurately and come off as a dummy right? Topic/niche blogs have a much greater chance of growing a huge readership and audience. Your community of readers will become one of your most valuable assets and greatest sources of inspiration. My topic is simple living and personal growth, could you tell?
The possibilities are endless with blogs. Let your imagination go wild!
What things do you record and keep track of in your journals and blogs? How have they helped you? Post a comment and let us know!
Photo By Barnaby
It turns out that I have been through a number of these stages in my life. A long time ago, I kept a dream diary for about a year, then I moved on to a personal diary (and always keep a journal when I went traveling). Next I had and still have a personal blog and now I’m venturing into writing a blog about personal finance.
I suspect as the years go on, I shall increase my number of blogs as my success continues.
Andy @ Retire at 40s last blog post..Prioritising so You Can Have Your Chosen Way of Life
When I first started blogging, I did it so that my friends could keep in touch with me and visa versa. I wrote down what I was up to, what I wanted to do, things like that.
I still do that today, but I feel that my writing style has dramatically changed since the early days (or even a couple months ago).
TheAndySans last blog post..Help Me Get (And Give) Something For My Birthday & Christmas!!
Several months ago I started journal writing about my goals in life and it has helped me tremendously in my career and relationship in a “like attracts like” sort of way. I also started blogging about my new website (before I launched the site) about green living. Its always a work in progress. I have learned a great deal since I started blogging including how much I enjoy writing.
Carlas last blog post..Green and Chic had a makeover | Giveaway | Free shipping
Good message here. I wanted to stop in and add that sometimes I get a real lightbulb idea while driving or just shopping and I have no way to write it down. Have you ever done that? I then think to myself “This is such a powerful idea that I will surely remember it.” Then, like smoke, it is gone and I can not recall what the excitement was about.
I found that I can use the memo function on my cell phone to quickly leave myself a recorded message. I have captured book titles, song names, and invention ideas this way. Try it - it’s simple.
Kevin Farrells last blog post..Nov 16, The Thinking Edge News
@ Andy - I hope that all of your blogs help you achieve your goal of retiring at 40. Are they providing you any income yet? It is interesting how your passion for writing can twist and turn throughout your life.
@ AndySan - I am hoping that my blogging will improve my writing over time as well. It is a tedious process and probably won’t be able to see the progress… but hopefully it is happening. None of my friends in real life know about my blog… I should tell them!
@ Carla - I completely forgot to mention how blogs can complement websites and businesses. You have integrated yours very well. Writing is still a struggle for me, but I am learning a lot from my blog.
@ Kevin - I hate it when that happens! When you can’t drop what you are doing to record your idea… or you trust your memory a little too much. I am not sure if my phone has a memo function. I will have to look in to that. I guess I just record a short video or send myself a txt message if not. Thanks for the tip!
- Jack Rugile
Simple Sapien
Yeah blogging is tight. Other people consider it to be a strange hobby (based on my personal experience) but I like it a lot.
cortez.s last blog post..Occoquan, what a city!
My grandfather kept a diary for over 40 years of his life-this diary is one of our family’s most prized possessions today! Looking over my life and all it’s ups and downs I realize how much commitment and discipline it too him to make this happen. I’m getting better every day but wonder if all of my thoughts in cyberspace will be around when my kids and grandkids are ready to learn more about my life? Maybe I need to resort back to the old fashioned way of doing things in order to ensure it all lasts?!!
PizzaForADream.coms last blog post..Give It All You’ve Got
Hey…I agree with all that you have written. I like blogging so much that I have two. I began the first one in relation to life lessons learned from my children. I wanted to keep a journal that contained my emotions, feelings of being a parent. I my blog grew so did my readers. With that came the good and bad. I shared my blog with family and friends and it became a place that I felt that I could not be the complete me. So, I created a new place. I still have the old and it is a huge part of my life. My new place is my “dumping” ground of sorts.
I can say to PizzaForADream above that there are many companies that will allow you to turn you blog into a book. I do this each year. I pick out which post I want to save and pass along. I select the post, organize the book and have it printed. The fee is very nominal compared to the time I have placed it my writing.
Blogging is the best of both worlds. You can journal and meet others along the way!
Crickets last blog post..Breathe in, breathe out
I love blogging ’cause it helped me find my voice. I’ve also met lots of awesome people online. Albeit, I wouldn’t call blogging simple. There lots of technical stuff to know and learn. Then there’s design, and writing, and spam. The list goes on. But overall, blogging is awesome.
Squawkfoxs last blog post..10 Ways to Build a Resume Like a Professional Resume Writer: The Do’s
I really enjoy how blogging about a specific topic has made me dig deeper in my own life. It gives me something more meaningful to chew on in spare moments than “What should I wear tomorrow?”
I also had some fun dream journaling a few years back. The best part is going back and reading things months later. Some items suddenly click and make sense, and others? Not so much. I’m still trying to figure out why those carrots were singing…
Sara at On Simplicitys last blog post..Three Holiday Traditions You’d Recommend
I started a blog for a journal as well. I actually started is as my garden journal and it has blossomed into a little bit of everything: simple living, eco-friendly living, local eating, etc. I LOVE LOVE LOVE doing it, although I find that I’m spending a lot of time doing it (I guess that’s better than watching TV).
Susys last blog post..Giving Back this Holiday Season: Show them We Care
Hello
Another great post…thank you for your continued contributions. I totally agree with your approach and conclusion.
Just remember; the more you write, the better you get. It may not be apparent, but you do get better little by little every time you write.
TheAndySans last blog post..Blog Surveys - Stuck In A Cubicle With My Friend Death