From pixels to insights: how journaling became my daily ritual

I recently picked up the habit of journalling. It’s funny how I got started. I was watching the movie Butterfly effect for a second time after a really long time. I always remembered it being good so I put it on while I was bored.

The movie is about a guy, played by Ashton Kutcher, who has the ability to travel back in time by reading his childhood journals or looking. While the idea of travelling back in time is enticing, it wasn’t that, that got me journaling. It was a scene where Ashton’s character reads his journal as an adult and recalls details that he had forgotten about his past.

Being in my forties, when I try to think back, there’s a lot of my life that I don’t remember unless I’m reminded by seeing something, hearing or song, or talking to someone. I liked the idea of keeping a journal as a way for me to remember details of my life I might otherwise forget.

Other benefits of journaling

It’s been two months since I started journaling and I’ve noticed it’s not only my memory that is benefiting from journaling. I’ve also noticed the following perks:

• I’ve enjoyed getting a glimpse into my mental state at different points of these past couple months. It’s wild how much can change in two months.
• I’ve been writing almost every day for the last two months. Sometimes it’s multiple times a day. It’s getting easier for me to express myself in writing. This is paying back in my professional life as well!
• People always say it’s therapeutic to journal. I’ve experienced this first hand and will now be one of those people saying it too. Plus, rage journaling is a thing! It feels so good to get it out.
• The people closest to me aren’t always available when I need them. Journaling feels like having a best friend you can share something with anytime. Sometimes writing something down and reading it over later feels just as good as spilling your guts to your best friend or partner.
• In this fast paced world, it’s easy to get caught in the weeds. Journaling feels like a good way to stop, take a breath, and take a step back to look at things. It creates space for thinking and reflecting. It’s almost like meditating but you’re actively thinking instead of not thinking.
• Since I journal on my phone, I can journal anytime, anywhere. In some cases, I’ve replaced looking at social media with journaling or reading my journal. It feels more productive and is probably better for me.
• It’s become a new way for me to document and explore new ideas.
• A journal is private. Nobody is watching. That means I can write anything and it also means there’s no pressure to write either. If I write, that’s cool, if I don’t… I don’t and that’s cool too.

How do I journal

I’m sure some of you are wondering how I journal. When I started, I didn’t really spend too much time thinking about it to be honest. I just wanted to get started and went with something I was used to:
a private WordPress blog called P2.

It’s a blogging theme we used at Automatic to share ideas and get feedback. I can post images, links, and texts of any length. Sometimes I even comment on my old posts to follow up on thoughts or questions I ask myself. The search is also pretty good.

One other thing I like about WordPress is that I own the content. WordPress is likely never going anywhere and if it does, or if I decide to, I can take my content with me.

I bet there are better journaling apps out there. I could even see writing in a book being beneficial in some ways. For now, I’m happy with WordPress. The important thing is I’ve established the habit.