🌱 TREE 175: If a tree grows in a forest and no one keeps a journal about it, does it make more sense just to check your horoscope and hope for the best?
A thing I have learned is that really effective people keep journals. They journal to keep track of their decisions and actions. When things happen – good or bad – they can look back and see the actions that lead to the good/bad thing. Then they can repeat or change their behaviour going forward. Effective people do this because they know:Â
Human memory is pretty unreliable.
You don’t know which things you do will be the ones that matter.
I started keeping a sporadic journal of my actions in December 2019. It has been useful. Two weeks ago I decided to take my ‘grow slowly’ advice seriously. I’m on my way to being a disciplined journaller. It takes me less than five minutes a day. Have I seen any benefits yet? Of course not. Slow growth looks like no growth at first.
I started journalling in a notebook. When I got serious, I changed to Day One. It makes journalling super low effort. I have reminders set each day for a time when I will already be at my computer. It’s easy to include links, emails and photos. It’s searchable. I think digital journalling is the way forward for me.
Next week’s guest author
Jess Lea-Wilson is Brand Manager at Halen Môn, the Anglesey Sea Salt Company. I’ve worked with her on projects there for years. She does marketing for cook and food writer Anna Jones. She’s a graphic designer and artist. She is the co-founder and producer, along with her brother Jake and Kiri Pritchard McLean, of Comedy at the Covid Arms which has raised crazy amounts of money for The Trussell Trust food banks throughout the pandemic. She also sends out a beautifully curated monthly newsletter called Good Things. Obviously go subscribe right now. Next week, Jess is bringing the Good Things experience to TREE. Hooray!
Something for the weekend
Are you ready to get organised and deliberate about growing slowly? Here’s your guide.
Happiness
Jeff
Good weekend vibes (except for maybe the last lyrics)
The Memory of TREE playlist – every song from every email: