I've been journaling every day for 10 years, starting in 2014. 3473 days later, here's why I think journaling is the ultimate cheat code. ### How I got started journaling I wasn't getting very good grades in my English classes. So I asked my English teacher, Ms Hunnewell, for advice. She told me: "write every day. Write even if you don't have anything to say." It took me a year of trying, but I couldn't get the habit. That's until I read Keith Haring's public journals. And I saw how journaling helped him understand himself and the world. If it worked for Keith, it could work for me. I downloaded DayOne, a great journaling app, and I haven't stopped using it ever since. ![[Pasted image 20240901120216.png]] ### I can think more clearly Writing is thinking. And if you can't write it down succinctly, you probably don't have a clear idea. ### I can remember all my life Can you remember what you did on January 22nd, 2016? Probably not. But I can. What's the value of that? Well, when you have a record of the past, it's harder to rewrite and romanticize one's life, which I find detrimental. ### I know more about myself Every week, I do a recap of what happened and what I want to do next. I do the same every month and year. I also write myself a letter for myself 5 years into the future, straight into DayOne. These are moments to re-read some of what I wrote. ### Interesting findings from 10 years of introspection - [[We have just a few core ideas]] - [[Ambition kills creativity]] - **We're both impatient and don't dream big enough**: The idea that "we overestimate what we can do in a month, and underestimate what we can do in a few years" is 100% true from what I've seen in my journal. Consequences of this idea: - Dream bigger for long term goals, because they are actually feasible. - Be patient for short term goals. ### Going further: chatting with my clone, JournalGPT [[Cloning myself by uploading my journal to ChatGPT]]