[rcarr]

If all you do is write, you are missing half the benefits of journalling. The key to journalling is to write, and then periodically review what you have written. The most effective way is to create a system for this periodicity.

For your daily entries, start by writing down a bulleted list of all the notable things you can remember happening that day. Then write about whatever you want - it can be a stream of consciousness, thoughts on the various events you just wrote down or it can be simply "nothing of note" if it was a boring day.

At the end of the week, create a weekly note with a heading for each day that has passed e.g 2025-01-01, 2025-01-02, 2025-01-03 etc and write down any thoughts or observations you have as you go back and read that day's entry. Then at the bottom of the page create the following headings:

### Summary of the week

### + (Positives)

### - (Negatives)

### * (Things to improve)

### ? (Open Questions)

### → (Most Important Tasks for next week)

### ! (The single most important task to focus on)

### 3 Things You're Grateful For

### . (Final thoughts)

Repeat this each week. Look back at the previous weekly entry and see if you now have the answers to resolve the open questions from before. If not, carry them over.

When you get to the end of the month, create a monthly note. For this note, write headings for each of the weeks that has passed e.g Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4. Now do the same again, reading through your weekly notes and writing down any observations you have, patterns you've observed etc in the weekly notes. Finish off with the same list of headings mentioned above, but now thinking on a monthly timeline rather than a weekly one. When you are reflecting think, of how your progress is fitting in to medium term picture of the projects and goals you are working on.

Repeat this each month.

After three months, create a quarterly note. As you have probably guessed, Month 1, Month 2, Month 3 and the headings above. As you are now at the three monthly review, you should now be reflecting and thinking on the larger term picture of how this quarter is fitting into your 1 - 3 year goals.

After a year, create a yearly note. Repeat the process with the quarterly notes, but also read and review anything else from the year that you want to reflect on. Think about how the year went and how it fits with your values and the type of life you want for yourself.

One caveat on the above: if you are going through a frustrating period where nothing is working out despite all your best efforts, sometimes an incessant feedback loop can just make things worse. If that is the case, you may want to stop journalling for a bit, focus on relaxing and enjoying life and come back to it when the storm has passed.