PlainGeets

Journaling has really taken off in the last few years, but did you know that the history of journaling dates back to ancient times, with roots so deep they can be traced to civilisations that used clay tablets to record daily life events? The act of documenting one’s experiences has been a timeless practice, evolving through the ages to become the diverse and versatile tool for self-reflection we know today. In the Renaissance, luminaries like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo maintained detailed notebooks, providing glimpses into their brilliant minds and creative processes. These early journals were not only records of daily life but also platforms for personal expression and exploration.

As the centuries unfolded, journaling continued to transform. Fast forward to the 19th century, where individuals like Virginia Woolf and Henry David Thoreau elevated journaling to a form of literary art, using it as a means of introspection and self-discovery. Personal journals have also served as a record of history. We’ve all heard of (and maybe even read) Anne Frank’s diary, a poignant record of a young Jewish girl’s experiences during the Holocaust. The diary not only captured her personal history, but also served as a powerful record of the harrowing historical events of World War II. The 20th century brought a surge in the popularity of journaling, propelled by a growing awareness of its psychological and therapeutic benefits. Today, in the digital age, the tradition persists, adapting to online platforms and personal blogs while maintaining its core purpose as a conduit for personal development, mindfulness, and accountability.

I’ve maintained some kind of a journal since childhood. As a child and teenager, I had diaries that I kept hidden under my clothes lest my family discover it & read my darkest secrets (I had a few that I definitely didn’t want discovered). As a young adult, the diary morphed into my first blog, which was a rather public and filter-less record of my life. Whatever the format, I updated my personal journal very religiously at the end of each day, till the travails of adulthood caught up with me, and I stopped journaling for a few years.

In December 2022, I used a template shared by the guys at Ship for 30 to reflect on the year gone by and I loved the exercise…enough to create my own system and start sharing the major events of the month, as a monthly recap, on Twitter (sorry, I refuse to call it X) and Instagram. As the months went by, I found that the exercise not only helped me keep track of what I had achieved (or not) during the month, it also served as a great reminder of the good things that had happened when the weeks had seemed rather challenging. The last quarter of the year despite being very intense and difficult, didn’t seem half as bad when I did the recap and saw that the months hadn’t been a complete wash-out.

After a year of doing these monthly recaps, I can definitely vouch for their efficacy in providing a therapeutic outlet for stress during difficult times. The exercise of doing a monthly recap in a structured manner forced me to acknowledge challenges and victories. Though I’ve always been open about my life, showcasing small victories and highlights that might fall in the category of showing off didn’t come easily. What was even more difficult was cataloging the struggles publicly. But I have to admit that it’s been cathartic, and allowed me to reassess and recalibrate my strategies, while holding on to my natural optimism.

Last year I kept the template simple:

• Recap about work/Adaptiv: to record of what our progress as a bootstrapped startup.
• Cultural activities and excursions: to keep track of all the wonderful experiences.
• Social efforts: to remind myself to keep meeting people and not forget the art of listening and building human connections.

This year, I’ve decided to tweak things further and be more focussed on personal accountability. Here’s the template I’ll be using:

• Professional Recap:
  • ✅ Goals achieved / Hurdles crossed
  • ❌ Targets missed and obstacles encountered
• Personal Recap:
  • ✴️ New Experiences (museums, trips, restaurants)
  • 📚 Book(s) started and finished
  • 📺 Interesting show(s) watched
  • ❌ Mistakes and anti-accomplishments

I’m looking forward to recording a happier, more productive, and more peaceful year, and hope that I will have fewer struggles and anti-accomplishments to report than 2023. 🤞