Boost Your Productivity with Journaling
/People have been journaling for centuries
Call it diary-writing if you like; journaling is an activity that involves putting your thoughts, ideas, and feelings down on paper. Journaling serves two primary purposes — recording events for posterity and for it's cathartic effect.
Many influential people in history kept journals, andpeople still use journaling for its many health benefits.
These benefits also improve productivity at work. And this is how:
1. Stress reduction
Putting your feelings and emotions into words activates the prefrontal region of the brain and reduces the response in the amygdala—the regionof the brain which turns on the stress response. Creative narrative writing and expressing your feelings in a journal protects against stress and anxietyas once your thoughts and feelingsare on paper, it is out of your mind no longer causing you to be overwhelmed. Thisboosts your immune system, protects you from further stress and even improves longevity. Journaling gives you the opportunity for quiet time and with that comes peace and less stress. And because you feel better, you are likely to perform productively at work.
2. Better coping and clarity of vision
Journaling is known to help people copebetter with stressfulsituationssuch as those encountered at a workplace. Journaling clears your mind of all overwhelming emotions. But as you write about those life-events, your mind clears,andyou stop thinking about the same stuff again and again. Thishelps you gain clarity and cope better with your situation.
Sometimes it’s difficult to know what you’re feeling. But when you journal about your feelings and your thoughts, it all becomes clear. In fact,by recounting and reflecting on your thoughtsyou are telling your own personalstory where no one can tell you how to think or feel and that feel good which makes an enormousdifference to your wellbeing.
But journaling is not only about expressing your stress and anxiety,it can also be used to set your goals and plans. When you do that, you can clearly seewhat has been achieved and how you can stay on track— a useful benefit when it comes to improving productivity in the workplace.
3. Improved problem-solvingand learning skills
When you face a problemor a dilemma,you’re probably thinking about it continuously. You may find that it’s difficult to sift through all the issues and come up with solutions. But when you write it down, suddenly you can see the problems from a new angle, andthe clarity you gain from journaling helps you come up with solutions you probably couldn’t think of before.
That’s because journaling enhances your creativity. When you put your thoughts on paper, the information comes alive and creates a bigger picture enabling us to see a different perspective.
Journaling unlocks your subconsciousmind and gives you creative insight and inspiration similar to engaging in meditation and artand embracing nature.
This can help when you are working on a problem at work, planning your goals or solving workplace conflict.
Journaling is also a springboard for fresh ideas and a tool for learning, which is handy for workplace efficiency. Brain research shows that drawing and writing about something you havejust experienced fixes that experience in the long-term memory. From that,you drawnew insights and make new discoveries helping you solidify your learning.
Start journaling today
There are no rules forjournaling. All you really need is a pen and paper to get started. Just 15 minutes of journaling can have a profound effect on your productivity as you feel better about yourself; improve your health and gain clarity, creativity and a new perspective.
