What To Write In Your Journal To Improve Productivity

I've read (and even asked) the all-too-common question.

What do you do to solve the problem of planning your day the night before but then waking up with absolutely no motivation to actually follow up with your plans?

Let me start off by sharing my two favorite quotes related to the art of productivity, motivation, and memory.

It's the great Steven Pressfield who said, "Like a magnetized needle floating on a surface of oil, resistance will unfailingly point to true North - meaning that calling or action it most wants to stop us from doing. We can use this. We can use it as a compass. We can navigate by Resistance, letting it guide us to that calling or action that we must follow before all others."

In less flowery words, it means that we feel the most resistance with doing what either matters most or that which has too many steps. So, it's a sign that we MUST do that very thing first.

A) If it has too many steps, apply Divide & Conquer.

B) Understand that motivation is not action and that it's truly important to be a product of your decisions, not your emotions (or lack thereof).

Next, a Chinese proverb.

"The faintest ink is more powerful than the strongest memory."

Write down what you think is important to keep indefinitely. Records matter. Memories don't. Memories are somewhat false most of the time. Essentially, don't overestimate the importance of your memory which will fade as time passes. So, I can have one million thoughts per day, but most of our thoughts are either not helpful, senseless, or a distraction from what is most important. If you have a thought which can actually serve you in some way, write it down and work it out. Otherwise, discard, put it out of your mind, and move forward.

How to plan your day? Well, I'll be showing you how to track your day using Goodnight Journal!

First thing's first.

Create a notebook titled "GTD", which simply stands for Get Things Done.

Next, you will create daily entries. Title them by the date, using H1 (header 1). Then, break your tasks into Pomodoros. Like so:

May 1, 2020

Pomodoro 1

8:00 AM: Morning Meditation. ✅

8:25 AM: 5-minute break. Get some water, do push-ups, use the restroom. ✅

8:30 AM: ❗Start research project. ❗

8:55 AM: 5-minute break.

9:00 AM: Study time. 🔰

This method is simple, yet more time-consuming. The reason I choose this method with no reminders is because it forces me to manually type out and think about the things I'm doing rather than simply ticking off a checkmark. It's engaging rather than the alternative. Typically, I would suggest at least 3 Pomodoro sessions per day, but a minimum of 2 is fine.

The first task you put on your Pomodoro task session list will always start off with some sort of meditation or exercise for 25 minutes.

❗The first actual "work" task will always be the one you have the most resistance towards or the one you have doubts about. ❗

You can also do a tracklog, which is simple. Always have your Goodnight Journal entry open, and do a stream of consciousness log.

9a: Just finished breakfast, will start doing research for my paper now.

9:15a: Did some research, and found out ______________.

9:20a: Phil just called, he said _____________.

9:30a: Heading out for a quick break. Need some air.

9:40a: Just learned this! (Jot your detailed notes down. A great place to reflect on lessons learned is in your daily log!).

Your logs can also be a place of reference to reflect on lessons learned that day, not just review bulleted tasks and logs.

Personally, I find this easier if you have the discipline to actively engage with your entry to jot down everything you do so that at the end of the day, you can reflect and measure your progress, see where you can make improvements, and track what you'll work on tomorrow.

You can also do "The Rule of 3", which in simple terms, boil your day down to the 3 most crucial tasks that must be completed by the end of the day.

I use the e.ggtimer website to time myself. You can manually enter your desired time, or simply click on the Pomodoro tab to activate a Pomodoro session.

There are two different types of motivation: Push requires willpower, and willpower never lasts. What will last is pull - having something so exciting, so attractive, something you desire so much that you have a hard time going to sleep at night, you get up so early in the morning to take it to the next level.

"Reasons come first, answers come second. If you've got a compelling vision and you've got strong enough reasons that will push you through the tough times, you’re gonna do things that other people don’t do."

Your past does not equal your future. What matters is not yesterday but what you do right now. So many people are trying to drive into the future using a rear-view mirror to guide themselves! If you that, you’ll crash.

It is your decisions, and not your conditions, that determine your destiny. Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.

There we have it. What do you do to stay productive and accountable?

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