I've been journaling for some time (not every day, unfortunately) and I see the benefits of it now, the patterns, as you said, and the mindset change, paying attention, the urge to remember more things to write them down. I found that trying to narrate it makes it more enjoyable and that has been my main approach. Although I have not been writing exactly about things that happened on that day, I always tried to make a story out of what happened and it's been a fun thing to do. The next step for me is doing it regularly and on paper, at least to try.
Anything from the last paragraph was inspired by you and your 50 essays. So, thank you, Tom, and congratulations! (looking forward to the physical copy of your essay collection vol. 1).
Just like writing regularly, diary writing is a thing I've endlessly flirted with for years. Probably because self development books always told me I should be doing it.
This has convinced me to at least try and stick to it this time.
I appreciate that about your writing. Always thoughtful but not prescriptive. This is just the beginning.
Damn... And here I was, not feeling guilty of having let my own diary rot away in a drawer for the past 7 months or so. Well, you've just shamed me, so guess I'll have to make a new entry...
Like you said, I'm often surprised with the sheer number of "patterns" you notice many weeks or months after writing in your journal. When you were writing these thoughts, you didnt think much of it. It was just a way of clarifying things and easing the burden in your mind by transferring it on paper. But when you read it once enough time has passed, you see patterns emerging; connections that were previously invisible. And more than often you get angry at yourself ("how the hell did i not see all those recurrences?"). But I learned that keeping a regular journal (no need for it to be a daily one, but anything less than once a week and you might lose the benefits) is the only way to see these things clearly.
The strangest thing - at least to me - is realizing how often you don't recognize the person who wrote those lines X months/years ago. When I read my 2018/2019 journals, I'm often shocked by the amount of ideas and thoughts I absolutely forgot since. Some of them are merely quick notes and scribbles, but others are very detailed, 2-pages long "opinion pieces". And no recollection of it whatsoever. Same for some of my past decisions and opinions; almost someone else's...
But at least you realize how much life changes you (sometimes for the better, sometimes not) without you even noticing it (insert frog in the boiling water dilemma).
Anyway, thanks for the sunday read Thomas, always appreciated. Gonna take my fountain pen (sorry for my snobbish side) and pay hommage to my dusty notebook.
Reckon this is one of my favourites of yours. It feels like a summation of the kind of tone that the past fifty essays have generally imbued. Well done on reaching this milestone, and I look forward to reading the next bunch.
I've been journaling for some time (not every day, unfortunately) and I see the benefits of it now, the patterns, as you said, and the mindset change, paying attention, the urge to remember more things to write them down. I found that trying to narrate it makes it more enjoyable and that has been my main approach. Although I have not been writing exactly about things that happened on that day, I always tried to make a story out of what happened and it's been a fun thing to do. The next step for me is doing it regularly and on paper, at least to try.
Anything from the last paragraph was inspired by you and your 50 essays. So, thank you, Tom, and congratulations! (looking forward to the physical copy of your essay collection vol. 1).
Just like writing regularly, diary writing is a thing I've endlessly flirted with for years. Probably because self development books always told me I should be doing it.
This has convinced me to at least try and stick to it this time.
I appreciate that about your writing. Always thoughtful but not prescriptive. This is just the beginning.
Damn... And here I was, not feeling guilty of having let my own diary rot away in a drawer for the past 7 months or so. Well, you've just shamed me, so guess I'll have to make a new entry...
Like you said, I'm often surprised with the sheer number of "patterns" you notice many weeks or months after writing in your journal. When you were writing these thoughts, you didnt think much of it. It was just a way of clarifying things and easing the burden in your mind by transferring it on paper. But when you read it once enough time has passed, you see patterns emerging; connections that were previously invisible. And more than often you get angry at yourself ("how the hell did i not see all those recurrences?"). But I learned that keeping a regular journal (no need for it to be a daily one, but anything less than once a week and you might lose the benefits) is the only way to see these things clearly.
The strangest thing - at least to me - is realizing how often you don't recognize the person who wrote those lines X months/years ago. When I read my 2018/2019 journals, I'm often shocked by the amount of ideas and thoughts I absolutely forgot since. Some of them are merely quick notes and scribbles, but others are very detailed, 2-pages long "opinion pieces". And no recollection of it whatsoever. Same for some of my past decisions and opinions; almost someone else's...
But at least you realize how much life changes you (sometimes for the better, sometimes not) without you even noticing it (insert frog in the boiling water dilemma).
Anyway, thanks for the sunday read Thomas, always appreciated. Gonna take my fountain pen (sorry for my snobbish side) and pay hommage to my dusty notebook.
Reckon this is one of my favourites of yours. It feels like a summation of the kind of tone that the past fifty essays have generally imbued. Well done on reaching this milestone, and I look forward to reading the next bunch.