How Keeping a Business Journal Can Boost Your Success -dp

How Keeping a Business Journal Can Boost Your Success

Do you keep a journal?

You should.

Keeping a business journal can boost your success.

Keeping a consistent, regular record of your business growth helps you keep track of new ideas, measure your progress, celebrate your successes and analyze your flops.

Write about your challenges and how you handled them-PX

What is journaling?

Journaling is simply the act of putting thoughts or ideas onto paper.  There are many ways to do it, but for our purposes, I consider journaling either using pen and paper or typing on the computer.  Audio and Video journals serve a different purpose and aren’t as effective for business journals as writing is.

Write down ideas, record your successes and your failures, write about your challenges and how you handled them. A journal is a great place to analyze and note what went right, what went wrong and what you would do differently next time.  Don’t waste time beating yourself up but if you need to vent, it’s better on paper than yelling at your partner or kicking the dog.

What’s the difference between a business journal and a personal journal or diary? 

A personal journal is just that—it’s where you write about your daily life, your kids, your vacation, current events and the price of milk. A personal journal is for the story of your life.  Your business journal is the story of your business.  It’s a place to brainstorm, to analyze and summarize meetings and events, and to plan strategies and assess your progress (or lack of).

Writing down thoughts and ideas frees your mind from having to remember everything, enabling you to focus on creativity and running your business.  Having a written record of your progress helps you see patterns, organize your thoughts,  find your passion, and see changes and refinements that will improve your business. Writing, especially by hand, can help boost your creativity.  It can be an outlet for emotions you aren’t comfortable sharing with others. Writing can give you clarity. I often find that a problematic situation becomes less so when I can put everything down on paper and then review it more objectively.

journal your ideas for business success

How Often Should I Journal?

Write daily if you can.  You don’t need to write a lot. Set aside 10 minutes at the end of each workday to journal.  If not daily, write at least twice a week and whenever the thought strikes. Writing about things while they are fresh in your mind will give you a more accurate and complete picture of your life and your progress.

The beauty of journaling is that you can do it anywhere, anytime. I carry a small notebook with me wherever I go. I never know when I’ll need to jot down an idea. And I never know when I’ll have a few free minutes that I can spend journaling. Ideas I journal are not always implemented right away. But sometimes I find inspiration when I read back through it at a later time.

Do you journal? How do you do it and how has it helped your business?  Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

9 Comments

  1. Hi Marie,
    I had not thought of this one for my business. What a great idea! It could be similar to an idea journal for me. Many days I come across a bunch of ideas and by the end of the week they are gone 🙁
    Thanks for the recommendation of this one and knowing it only takes a few minutes a day could be key for me!

    1. Marie Leslie says:

      Yes! An idea journal is great. I am the same way. I have learned if I don’t jot them down, they disappear. Sometimes they come back at 3 a.m., but most of the time they are gone forever. It’s so helpful to write them down, even if I’m not sure I’ll use them. Sometimes they lead to other, better ideas.

  2. Marie Hamilton says:

    My journals began as keeping a diary, and my posts were not regular at first back then. Later I joined the journal bandwagon and I find that my entries have been about once a month for many years. I like the hardbound books and write the time and date for each entry. I number the odd pages.

    1. Marie Leslie says:

      That is great. Even once a month is good journaling. There isn’t always something to write daily or even weekly, I think. And there is something about hand writing the entries, isn’t there? Keep up the great work!

  3. Hey, visiting you through the Alexa hop. I go back and forth with journaling. I’ve been doign that my whole life.

    Here’s my blog. Please leave a comment when you visit letting me know you were there My Baby Sleep Guide

    If you leave me an alexa review, I would be happy to leave one for you. Just leave a comment on my site letting me know.

    Thanks!
    Rachel

  4. I really like “free your mind,” thanks for the reminder of how powerful journaling can be.

    There is a great song with the line, “free your mind and the rest will follow.” I want to say it was by the Pointer Sisters but I know that’s wrong.

  5. The most journaling I do is through my daily blog, but I might raise the bar this year. 😉

  6. I am just beginning to journal again after years on not doing so. The idea of blogging specifically for business ideas is intriguing and I’m feeling that might be just the ticket I need as I forge into this new year. Thanks for the insights.