How to Journal (Like a Philosopher)

In this video, I'm talking about a reliable format for journaling. My focus is on journaling for self-improvement and personal development. I'm using my journal as an opportunity to think about who I am and who I want to be. This incorporates some ideas from philosophy, in particular the idea that human beings are narrative creatures.

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[SevenUnwokenDreams]

I have been an avid journaler since I was 12 (I am 31), and I recently changed the way I journal. It was mostly stream of consciousness bullshit about the same things over and over. I realized I was dissatisfied with my life, and I was sick of complaining about it in my journal.

So I started making changes in my life. And I decided to start writing more about something significant that happened in my day. I also journal when something makes me think; for example something I read in a book, or a painting I saw. This is a much more reflective way of journaling than what I was doing before, and I am a lot happier because I'm actively looking out for things to journal about, so I am appreciating things more.

[raquellima]

1. Write about something that happened that day
2. Write about something you did well
3. Write about something you did not do well
4. What this event has in common with other events in your life (larger narrative, internal logic)


edit: just to fix a misspell :) thank you for the likes!

[cozy]

Just watched a Korean show today, the guy said’ Keep journal-ing means you have hope for your future. You are picturing the image someday looking back the words you wrote today.’ AND ‘Putting emotions into words needs logical thinking and grammar. So somehow keeping journals will calm you down.’

[ramirodineroronan]

I have a very uncommon way of journaling myself. Instead of just writing down accounts of my life, I would incorporate my poetic senses in writing my journals. I note down my life, my feelings, books that I've read, movies that I've watched, but in the form of poems or even songs. It is not necessarily easy, but it has really given me a sense of calmness and fulfilment besides a sense of my creativity.

[Tontoquienloleation]

I write about two things:
1. My (not so) platonic crush, which changes every other day.
2. "I have nothing to say, I feel so empty 😭" and proceed to ramble for several pages.
I started when I was 13, now I'm 28. I'm never gonna get tired of it.

[labsanta]

- Journaling Steps:
1. Get a journal you like.
2. Choose a writing tool you prefer.
3. Develop a habit of writing regularly.

- What to Write About:
- Notable events: Write a factual account of something that happened, selecting notable events rather than everything.
- Achievements: Reflect on something you did well, a success, or a habit you relied on.
- Areas for improvement: Identify problem areas, recurring mistakes, or bad habits to work on.
- Dealing with anxiety: Recognize anxious moments, analyze triggers and thought processes, and find ways to combat anxiety.

- Benefits of Journaling:
- Self-improvement: Journaling can be a tool for personal growth.
- Philosophical aspects: Explore the philosophy behind journaling and its relationship to self-improvement.

- Journaling helps in understanding the bigger picture and fitting events into a larger narrative about one's life.
- Philosophers like Charles Taylor, Aleister McIntyre, Mario Sheckman, and Martin Heidegger consider humans as storytelling beings who construct and tell narratives about themselves.
- Constructing a narrative about oneself gives coherence and meaning to life events.
- Most people engage in narrative construction out of habit and routine, but journaling allows for a more intentional and active role in telling one's life story.
- Journaling helps in making sense of one's life as a whole and reflecting on personal development.
- Ancient ethics, as discussed by philosophers like Aristotle, focuses on achieving happiness or eudaimonia, which requires reflective work on one's life as a whole.
- Regular journaling can provide a practice of reflective work, aiding in the pursuit of happiness and personal growth.

[ashrafulalamkhan]

What have i learned from this video:

We can practice telling our stories every day in our journal. We can critically examine something that was good and bad going in our lives. This can form good journalism practices. I will add them up in my journaling strategy hopefully.

Also got to learn about a cool book: morality of happiness.

Thanks Jared.

[Harlequin]

1. I decided to journal in a new way which was to journal on loose-leaf pages for a month without reading anything I wrote. At the end of the month I would read everything all at once like a book and I would highlight to select what parts of the loose-leaf journal I wanted to put into an *actual* journal to keep, since so much of what we write is repetitive, boring, unenlightened or simply negative (things we don't need to revisit). I then simply destroy all the fluff pages to keep a nice, positive, useful journal of reflection and growth.

2. I also sometimes write on loose-leaf paper just to vent with the intention of immediately destroying it. This, I find, is the best way to say what you truly think and feel even when it's painful, spiteful, mean, or ugly, without risking curtailing our thought-process with the fear of the shame or disgust we will feel about ourselves, re-reading those ugly thoughts.

3. Random word of advice: If your journals are too negative, it doesn't necessarily mean youre a negative person. The reason we often don't write about positive experiences over negative ones is because with positive ones, we want to *experience* it. We want to stay in the moment and prolong the experience, not extricate it from ourselves by writing it on paper (which is exactly what we do when we vent).

[lewisburton]

I just write. I don't put much thought into it. I think that defeats the purpose of journaling. It isn't to make it complex; it's to get the emotions and tangled thoughts out of our heads so that we have clarity. And on the left side of the page, I write why I'm grateful. Just keep it simple.

[churchgrim]

I've been journaling for almost twenty years. One thing that has stayed constant in my tradition is how I begin my journal entry....I always list 5 things at the top before I start writing: What I ate for breakfast before I began journaling, the first news headline I noticed when I woke up, the current song I am playing as I write, the current book (or books) I am reading, one question I would like to answer before the day is over.

The body of my journal entries are always different. Even when I first began...each day, the writing differed from the next. Sometimes I like to write about my day...things I thought were memorable, objectives that I need to do (or those that need to be accomplished tomorrow). Sometimes they are disjointed paragraphs or conversations I had with someone or that I had overheard, a line of lyrics from a song that touched me, a joke from a movie that I would like to remember, and so on. Other times I won't write anything....instead I will paste in a photo I took and write a caption underneath detailing the who/what/where/when/why, or I will past in a candy wrapper (mostly so I won't forget the brand) and the how/who/what/where that caused me to give it a try, or I will put in a pressed flower my nephew picked for me, and so on and so on.

I think the hardest part of journaling is doubt. It is hard to create when you feel pressured. My advice to anyone thinking about starting is...don't force it. Journaling should be for you, and only you. The moment you forget about comparing yourself...your creativity and writing....to another, is the moment that it becomes easier to start the process. Easier said then done, I know, but it is so worth it in the end.

[DreamUN]

I remember working at a fast food place and it became too stressful for me to manage the emotional meltdowns I had because of it. I soon turned into journaling. Everyday I journaled on my break times for 6months straight to distress. I can’t even begin to explain how relaxing it was. Journaling became a coping mechanism. I no longer journal but I might get back into it… see how that goes!

[DirkJacobsz]

Jared - excellent tips - well done. I have been journaling since 1983. What I discovered after a while - is that I started to notice my patterns - my triggers - where I consistently stumbled/choked/fell flat on my face/things that pushed my buttons... and then I like you suggested - I started to break down my responses - and improved like you suggested - the big picture at the end is vital. I also have a personal mission statement in my journal - that took ages to write - which is my true north compass and helps me with my big picture - so thanks - and good luck everyone with your journals, .. if you do not write your story - someone else will.

[lepeedefeu]

Writing everyday does not work for me since I start to feel like it's a chore.
What worked for me was writing on it only when:
1. I go through hard times and I need to process feelings (contrary to people, journals are supportive and don't judge your thoughts and feelings - welcome to being a man. no one gives a flying f about you, so journals are your best friends)
OR
2. When I get life-changing insights about myself that could help me in the future or understand life in general in a new light(and a journal is the perfect place to record those) I highly recommend it. Especially when you read philosophical books. You can track how much your mentality has changed.

[kokolores]

when he said "If my life is a Story, I want to be its author" I was like damn... this is actually so deep.

[walidmouahid]

00:24, unrelated, but you wrote that page in my birthday yay

[rickytanrmst]

Great video! If you just feel like writing but have no noteworthy event for the day, I'd like to share my past-present-future format.
1. PAST - Write about stuff that happened in the past. I'm mostly a focused person, so I tend to write about the previous week.
2. PRESENT - Write about stuff that's currently going on. Typically, I write about the current week.
3. FUTURE - Write about what will likely happen or what you want to happen in the future. This is the longest section, because it's where I make plans. Again, I try to keep it short-term only going out 1-2 weeks but sometimes I'll take the opportunity to look at the big picture.
This should give you a nice page or two if you just feel like journaling, but can't figure out which event you want to write about.

[loganmackenzie]

This was very inspiring! Thank you. I often feel like when I’m journaling there’s no “point” to writing down my daily actions. Then I get discouraged and stop journaling because I feel it isn’t improving me in any way. I need to let go of that narrative and think of it more as practice, as you’ve stated.

[tasha]

I really like fantasy stories and characters, so much so that i actively wish to be a part of them, a hero with a purpose. And you mentioning creating a narrative of one's life yourself really pulled me in. I'm gonna give this a try and i hope it goes well. This was really helpful!

[zavalajoseraul]

What if my journal is just a bunch of complains to God? It's like reading the Psalms or Lamentations.

[arinaira]

Hi! I just found your channel. I have been journaling since I was 14 years old and now I'm 30. Back then I wrote about everything that happened about my day, my conversations and what I saw what I experienced. But it changed when I became mentally ill. Nowadays I don't even put a date when I write. I always start with stream of consciousness and write whatever comes to mind. But somehow I treat my journal, i call her 'Dear Diary' as sort of friend, i can tell her this and that. And I genuinely write about what I think about something and when I have problem it become a moment of problem solving because I come into a conclusion about what I need to do. And I avoid words like 'should' or 'must' when writing to myself privately. I'm easy to feel guilty in general. But writing always help. Writing kept me sane during pandemic. 💜