Daily Ramblings – Thinking Thursday – Reflection

Tags

Clarifying, Exercise, journaling, Learning, Organizing, reflection, Thinking, Translating, Writing

When was the last time you sat down and thought about your life?

Many of us are moving at warp speed. We rush to work. We rush home from work. We rush to get dinner and chores done. Then we plop on our couch and watch a show or movie, read our Facebook newsfeed, or watch videos on TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram. Then we go to bed to start all over again.

Reflection can occur as you journal, which is why I think journaling is such a great habit. Journaling allows us to gather all those random thoughts, reactions to situations in our lives, and anything else rattling around up there and translate it into words on a written page or typed on a digital one. The time we take to think about what we are feeling, where we are, where we want to go, and where we’ve been is healthy and it helps us clarify and define what is important to us.

“Journal Notepad” by Cathryn Lavery/ CC0 1.0

Reflection can also occur when we take a walk, run, or exercise. Exercise can be quite mundane, particularly if you walk or run the same route. You see the same things; you hear the same things. When boredom kicks in, the mind wanders. You think about what happened today. You think about what you need to do. You think about what you’d like to do. Ideas come. The exercise coupled with this boredom is the perfect storm for reflection. I tend to do a lot of reflecting when I am watching a show that I’ve seen over and over again. The different scenes spark thoughts about this or that.

“Woman Walking” by Matt Bango/ CC0 1.0

Listening to music is also a great time for reflection as different songs will bring up memories, motivate us, and spark our creativity. I tend to have a difficult time thinking when I’m listening to any music with vocals. The kind of music that helps me during my reflective periods is labeled focus by Apple Music. They are instrumental, low-key, and inspire me to think. I’m listening to some of this music now as I write this posting.

“Free listening to music image“/ CC0 1.0

When is the best time to reflect? It really depends on you and your schedule. My best times are early morning when the rest of the house is asleep. I find this time to be very healing. I also find the peaceful calm of the early morning helpful to inspire pondering what is possible. I daydream if you will, while I journal and work out some sticky thoughts that need unravelling.

Sometimes it comes easy. Sometimes not so much. So, I write in my journal what comes to mind and always reread the previous day’s notes to see if I can reword something that is clearer now or jump into a new topic or stream of thought. I find the consistency of journaling is what makes it easy to capture everything because I never miss a day.

Reflection can also be captured by recording something on your smartphone using one of the apps for recording. I do this if I’m on a walk or working out. I don’t like to miss ideas or thoughts, so I capture everything and then listen to them when I have something to write or type with.

Here’s a short video that discusses the importance of reflection.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. I hope you have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Gratitude Journaling

Tags

Content, Grateful, Gratitude, Gratitude Journaling, Happy, journaling, Thankful

As each of you know, I write about something each Thursday I am grateful for. This is an easy exercise, because I write down all the things I’m grateful for in my Gratitude Journal each day. It is a terrific exercise, because it focuses me on the good in life, rather than the bad. A quick flip of the switch and I am in a better mood for the whole day. The real trick, however, is capturing what I am grateful for during the day and writing these down before bed.

It is nice waking up and thinking about the things I’m grateful for, and I sleep so much better, when I realize how blessed my life has been. If you have never tried gratitude journaling, give it a whirl. I developed the habit using The 5-Minute Journal. After using it for a bit, I decided to add this to my Onenote app. I use Onenote for all of my journals. It’s nice to have everything in one place, and have access to it everywhere, since Onenote is a cloud-based app.

Give this a whirl. Start small. Maybe you only write down one thing you are grateful for starting out. I stick with three. Sometimes I have more, though. It’s your journal. Make it what you wish.

I hope all of you have a terrific Thursday, and have something to be grateful for when you go to bed. I always do. You just have to look around a little bit.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Thankful Thursday – Journaling

Tags

Diary, Dream Journals, Free-form Writing Journals, Gratitude Journals, journal, journaling, Writing

Today I am grateful for my journaling habit. From time-to-time I will revisit my journal and read through my entries in a month or a quarter. If I have time I revisit an entire year of journal entries. What wonderful stories, experiences, and learning!

Many of the things I record in my journal are my thoughts about various topics. Sometimes I rant to get something off my chest; other times I simply record my feelings about an event, the family, or my relationship with my wife. These are deeply personal and hold special meaning for me.

This blog is also a snapshot of my inner being, exposed for the world to see.

My journaling time is a time for deep reflection. Why do I feel the way I do? Why do certain things piss me off and other things make me laugh? How does my attitude alter over time? How have I evolved?

A journal is a great way to have deep, intimate conversations with yourself. It is a way of overcoming fears, challenges, and recording memorable events in your life–events that may fade with time, if you do not record what is happening.

I journal for all types of reasons, but the habit started simply by reading an article on line that explained the benefits of journaling. I didn’t save the link, so I cannot offer you that, but if you do a Google Search (or your preferred search engine) using keywords like: journaling, diary, benefits of, you’ll find an article that may lay it out for you better than I could.

Personally, I have gained many benefits from journaling and take about 20-30 minutes each day to record my thoughts first thing in the morning. If you read my recent post about items that you do automatically to kick off your day–this is mine. The very first thing I do to kick off my day is hit my journal and begin writing.

I use Microsoft OneNote. You could use this, MS Word, Google Docs, or EverNote. You get the idea. You may have found another technology that works that is not mentioned here. The point is to use something that has the ability to keep all your journal items in one place and is accessible by all of your devices for easy access. This is particularly important when you are on a trip and do not bring your laptop, but have access to a tablet or phone. This was the case when we flew out for my niece’s wedding. I did my journal entries on my iPad, instead of my laptop during this period.

There are all kinds of journals you can keep. Gratitude journals, dream journals, diaries, writing journals, cooking journals, reference diaries, you name it. The key is to create a journal that you will stick with. For me, it is a combination of dream, gratitude, affirmation, and free-form writing that build my journal entries.

Well, that’s it for today, folks. If you do not journal currently, you may want to give it a try. It has worked wonders in my life, and it will for you too.

Have a great Thursday!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Journaling first thing in the morning

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clarifying your thinking, clearing your head, free writing, habits, journaling, morning fog, motivation, psychological, thinking things through

I hope your Monday is going well!

I have touched on journaling quite a few times in my postings, but wanted to address it again here. I do a free-writing session every morning for about 5-10 minutes. It literally is the first thing I do (after making a cup of coffee, of course). I fired this practice up again recently, because I find it helps me clear my head and get on with the work of the day much more easily.

Do you deal with a lack of focus on Monday morning? This may be the hack to get you through it.

I use One Note, one of the applications offered by Microsoft 365, but you could also use Apple’s pages or Google docs. I like using One Note because it is available on all of my devices. Whatever you decide to use, try this out. I find some days where I have all kinds of things to write about, while other days I’m pressed to get in a few sentences. The days when I do not have anything to write actually a good thing. It means the mind is clear. There are no pressing issues to disrupt your task flow for the remainder of the day. The practice will keep it this way.

Your brain dump sessions can be about anything. Just write down whatever comes in. It could be a dream you had, a reminder to do something you haven’t recorded anywhere, or even a review of the books, movies, or articles you’ve read. It literally is anything that is in your mind. If you are having troubles, this is a great way to get those troubles out of your head an on paper–a very healthy move psychologically.

Give this a whirl, folks. Many people do this every day and I have to tell you, it works.

Have a great day, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – Week of Aug 24, 2020.

Tags

Coding, Exercising, journaling, K.M. Allan, Learning, motivation, Reading, Spiritual, Writing

I hope everyone’s weekend was outstanding! I got my work done and took some time to watch a few Marvel movies. I re-watched Iron Man, Iron Man 2, and Iron Man 3. These are all great stories, and the special effects are over the top. I also got in some entertainment reading. I’m reading K.M. Allan’s second book in her Blackbirch series, which is really entertaining. I don’t read a lot of fiction, because non-fiction is more up my alley, but the Blackbirch series is awesome. I highly recommend you buy it, if you enjoy a good story. Here’s the link: https://amzn.to/2QlKrmR

Anyway, I hope all of you have a great week! Here’s my daily schedule:

Journaling daily (Personal, Dream, and Spiritual)

Coding daily (Data Science Path Codecademy)

Writing daily (Book, Blog, Classwork)

Exercise daily (See Workout Routine)

Reading daily (multiple books, articles)

Learning daily (Codecademy, Masterclass, Study.com)

Spiritual daily (Contemplation, Spiritual Reading)

That’s it folks! Have a great week!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Weekly Challenge

Tags

Bucket List, Five Minute Journal, Goals, Intelligent Change, journaling, Weekly Challenge

This week’s challenge should be an easy one: Write your bucket list.

This is courtesy of the Five-Minute Journal

Don’t worry about it being too big or small, just get one started. I review mine every month and add or take away something I’ve done. Sometimes you are prompted to add something after reading an article, talking with a loved one, or seeing a great movie. Nothing is off limits on this. Go for it.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Weekly Challenge

Tags

Exceed, habit, journaling, Push Yourself, Spread Your Wings, Stretch, The Mighty.com, Weekly Challenge, Win

Challenge: Write something every day that you like about yourself. 

Challenge from: The Mighty.com

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Weekly Challenge

Tags

Appreciation, Feel better, Gratitude Journal, journaling, Weekly Challenge, Writing

This week’s challenge is brought to you by: Embracing Simple

Challenge: Start a Gratitude Journal this week. Start simple. Each morning and night, write down one thing you are grateful for. Post your comments if you accomplished this for the entire week!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Take a Different Route

Tags

Disrupt the Mundane, journaling, Spread Your Wings, Tracking, Try Something Different, Weekly Challenge, Writing

This week’s challenge is:

Take a different route to school, work, or some place you frequently visit this week.

Courtesy The 5-minute Journal

This is a terrific way to explore your surroundings and see different things. Give this a whirl. It is terrific! It turns a mundane drive to one of “Hey, look at that!”.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Wisdom Wednesday – Reading and Writing can Extend Your Life

Tags

Alzheimer's, Dementia, Entertainment, habits, journaling, Joy, Reading, Writing

Today’s Wisdom is provided by Kreuz (2019). His article (see reference below) provides the benefits of keeping a journal and reading fiction.

“Keeping a journal, for example, has been shown to substantially reduce the risk of developing various forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.” (Kreuz, 2019)

Journaling is personal. It can be a diary of sorts where you write about your day or it can be more specific like what you eat, your exercise routine, or even a catalogue of your thoughts, poems you like, or books you have read.

I do my gratitude journaling in the morning and keep a personal journal that I write in. My version of a journal is like a diary. It is a collection of ideas, things I think about, and a way to get things out of my head and onto paper.

The easiest way to start a journal is simply to buy one and set a time in the morning, afternoon, or evening when you write in it. Keep it handy. Over time, my journaling has evolved into a set session in the morning, followed by internal nudges that say “Hey, this is important or this is bothering you–write it down.”

Reading is also important. Kreuz (2019) states:

 

“Reading fiction, meanwhile, has been associated with a longer lifespan. A large-scale study conducted by the Yale University School of Public Health found that people who read books for at least 30 minutes a day lived, on average, nearly two years longer than non-readers. This effect persisted even after controlling for factors like gender, education and health. The researchers suggest that the imaginative work of constructing a fictional universe in our heads helps grease our cognitive wheels.”

The easiest way to start a reading habit is to set aside a time to read each day. I like to read in the afternoon and evening before I go to bed. It helps me sleep, and it does exactly what Kreuz (2019) explains–it works the brain because you have to create the worlds the author is depicting.

I read one chapter a day. If I have time, I read more than that, but the daily goal is one chapter. Everything after that is bonus reading. You can do the same. The key to reading consistently is to find books that really engage you. What genre do you enjoy? I’m a science fiction fan. I like stories about spaceships, aliens, clones, cyborgs, and the like. You may like mysteries, thrillers, or even romance. Find the genre you enjoy and stick with that for a bit. Once you begin reading and getting into a story, you’ll be hooked like I am.

Reading and writing are terrific ways to entertain yourself and keep that brain working. Try it out. A journaling and writing practice should take about an hour a day. Both will keep your mind working and keep your mind clear.

I hope all of you have a great Wednesday!

Until next time…

Dave

Reference

Kreuz, R. (2019). How reading and writing can help us live longer, healthier lives. Retrieved from: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/09/reading-thirty-minutes-day-increase-life-expectancy