Friday, March 11, 2016

The Importance of Regular Reflection

In an article recently posted on the Harvard Business Review website, Laura J. Adler articulates why it is important for leaders in a organization to journal regularly.  My father clearly had the same information because my sister and I were required to keep a journal starting in fifth grade.  My journals have always been a place of comfort and growth even though I resisted my father in the beginning.  Over the years, they have definitely changed in size, shape and content (high school drama!) but they have remained a consistent tool for my personal and professional growth.  Adler discusses several key components to journaling that will make it a more worthwhile process.

  1. Buy a journal - There is something about a composition book that I just love.   I have received many gifts of pretty journals but I always feel like there is too much pressure to write something profound.  But over the years, I have used binders with plain notebook paper too.
  2. Commit to reflecting - When I am most productive, I am also journaling all the time.  It helps me focus my thoughts and prepare for the next day.  I usually write my journal at the end of the day right before I go to bed.  I have fallen asleep writing my journal many times and I think that I probably should avoid writing my journal in bed.  My goal has been to fill up at least two pages of writing every night, an idea I got from reading The Artists Way many years ago.  Sometimes I succeed - other times I don't.  But the goal is set.
  3. Find a quiet place - I often struggle with this because of my two young children who pop up out of bed from time to time.  Still - my room is quiet and comfortable and meets this criteria.
  4. Choose the right time - As an instructional coach, there is no such thing as not being interrupted when I'm at school.  I want to be available to my teachers for anything that might come up.  This means I have to journal at home and with my sons at home - this can also be a challenge to find.  
  5. Write whatever comes to mind - Going back to the idea of always writing something profound - sometimes empty pages are incredibly daunting to me.  Part of writing for most people, even accomplished writers I have heard, is just doing it.  I will (and do) make excuses to not write but just getting the messy ideas down allows for the better ideas to come to the surface.
  6. Don't share your journal with anyone - I have to say I disagree with this one.  I am not saying that we should always share ideas all the time - certainly there are ideas that I want to keep to myself.  But I do think that selectively sharing our ideas, even the messy ones, with people in our thought community or personal learning network can help us grow.  But then again I am a huge Vygotsky fan and agree with him that knowledge construction happens through dialogic communication.  
I also like to track patterns in my journal.  I like to end each entry with:
  • Things that I'm proud of:
  • Things I need to work on:
  • Book(s) I am reading:
This regular pattern helps me close out my final thoughts for the night. 

I would love to hear if you keep an off-line journal.  If you do - how many of Adler's ideas are you able to apply?  Is there any ideas that you struggle with?

3 comments:

  1. I journal every weekday morning in a Moleskine notebook with a fountain pen. I do share my journal as it is usually what we use to document our vacations. I find that I sometimes want a private journal but am unsure of how to manage that split. I think it has made it easier for me to process my emotional state since I am rarely aware of it.

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    Replies
    1. With whom do you share your journal? I regularly share things from my journal with my family, especially my spouse. I agree that it allows me to process my emotions in a productive way and helps me share it with those who care for me. Could you flag pages as private and trust that your loved ones will respect it?

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  2. I journal every weekday morning in a Moleskine notebook with a fountain pen. I do share my journal as it is usually what we use to document our vacations. I find that I sometimes want a private journal but am unsure of how to manage that split. I think it has made it easier for me to process my emotional state since I am rarely aware of it.

    ReplyDelete