My Jungbub Journal – Twenty-sixth Day of Dong-ahn-guh (winter meditation retreat)
Try to write journal every day
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Journaling is giving me lots of insight.
As I start Dong-ahn-guh 2018, I decided to write the journal on my website.
I want to continue journaling even after this winter meditation retreat. Yet, to make it fit my schedule more sustainably, I need to change a couple of things. I usually write my journal at the end of the day. It’s the best time to reflect my day.
Yet, the problem is I can’t spend enough time with my wife. Her work starts at 7 am. So she has to wake up at least at 5:20 am. While I was writing the journal, she already fell asleep. It was okay for a couple of weeks. But, I don’t want to make it permanent.
So, I decided to write my journal during the daytime. I will continue to reflect and meditate at night. Just don’t need to wait until evening to write the journal.
The second thing is that I don’t want to spend too much time to journal. I can sit and write everything in my mind for half a day. But, that’s not what I want. I don’t want to conclude everything in one day. Because today’s answer will not be the answer for tomorrow.
That’s the power of journaling. Make 30 minutes every day and write down my observation. Then, in three months, I can discover much deeper wisdom which I would never know if I concluded just in a few days.
I use the Pomodoro App when I write. Set 25 minutes and start to write the journal. And for 5 minutes, review, edit and post.
When the Pomodoro timer starts, I try not to stop. Just keep typing. It’s possible because I already clarified my mind through the reflection. Writing is not about using fancy vocabulary, but about how clearly I describe my organized thoughts.
English is my second language. I don’t know much vocabulary. Just enough to organize my thoughts. That’s all I need to write my journal.
2 things that make journaling more suitable in my schedule
- Write the journal during the day (reflect in the evening or throughout the day)
- Allocate 30 minutes for journaling every day (use Pomodoro timer – 25 min to type, 5 min to quick-review, edit & post)
