Journalling For Mental Clarity

We want the outcome of the habit without doing the habit. I heard that in James Clear’s “Atomic Habit” book, and it relates. Over the past few years I’ve struggled to organize my thoughts and stay focused on my goals for the day. My motivations started high each day and I’d have a hundred things I’d want to accomplish. At work, I’d diligently get through one or two before being distracted by either planning on the best approach for the next one, or focusing on something new. Then the after-lunch morass hit me hard. Without focus, my will moved towards the path of least resistance, and my desire for accomplishment would fade with the afternoon sun.

A major issue was I didn’t set my goals before my motivation dwindled. I have more energy in the morning at work. It’s at that time when I should address the hardest tasks, but with a million things on my mind, how could I identify those? In my role, there are always several things competing for attention. A lot of the time is spent responding to issues and putting out fires. A whole day can easily go by with a lot of work but without a lot of progress. This was discouraging.

So over the holiday break I reflected on this and decided to start journalling my goals in the morning before work. This isn’t a comprehensive list of things I need to get done at work. It’s just three things that if I completed would make my day great. Another way to think about it is what three things am I most anxious about completing, or what’s bugging me and if I completed them would improve my situation immediately. I write them down in the morning when I’m thinking the most clearly and before there are other factors influencing my actions. It’s simple, yet powerful. Most days, this takes me less than a minute.

Another benefit is once the habit of journalling is there, and I’m sitting down to write every morning, I can expand this beyond just a list. But for right now, it’s giving me better clarity in my thought, and I’m grateful for that.