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I've been thinking about this for a while, so I figured I would write about it here to see what you all think and maybe to recruit some other people to join me. Basically, I want to start keeping a journal.
I guess in this day and age, especially for a male, this isn't really that common of a hobby. In the past it seemed pretty commonplace among those that were educated, and then (in the 90's?) it was recommended mostly to preteen girls as a "dear diary" practice, and now I don't really even hear about it anymore. I suppose that with the advent of social media you can always just bring up one of your old posts or tweets or profiles and see what you were like at that time, plus let your ideas out for the whole world to see online rather than just for yourself. And of course there is weird shit like "life logging" that just seems completely anal and unnecessary.
Well, I'm not a huge fan of social media, and to be honest most of the things I post have nothing to do with how my life is actually going and what I am truly thinking about. But, there are really quite a few reasons that I can think of to start a journal:
1. It will help me analyze my day without boring my friends, family, or random people online. It will also keep my own thoughts about my day and what is happening to me more organized and clear, and I will be able to revisit my thoughts later.
2. I can use the journal to set goals and write about my progress, any difficulties, and any changes that I need to make. So, let's say I want to consume less soda and drink more water. I can log how much of each that I imbibed throughout the day, and can keep track of this over a long time.
3. Fitness: lately I've realized that it would be a great idea to start lifting weights seriously and eating better so that I can become healthier, get a productive hobby, and become more attractive (probably not the best reason to start lifting, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a reason). A journal will allow me to track my progress in terms of my max ORM, my weight, and pictures of what I look like.
4. When I'm older or dead, people will be able to look back at my journal. Maybe this is too egotistical, but I know that I would love to read a journal from my grandparents or great-grandparents; even if I can't read something of theirs, I can at least provide something for my own descendants to peruse. Hell, even when I'm older, it would probably be interesting to read the musings of my 17, 20, or 30 year old mind. And there is of course a minute chance that I will one day be important enough that people like biographers or textbook writers will want to see my journal 
5. I have idle thoughts and ideas that I could develop more through writing than just thinking to myself for a few minutes. These range from anywhere from weekend plans to technological ideas to debating with myself the merits of one choice over another.
I am going to keep the journal primarily digitally. I think that would be easier for me: I have horrible penmanship, and this way I could access and find things easily. I am thinking of keeping the journal on my main computer hard drive, on some sort of external storage (like a flashdrive, disk, or maybe just a HD), and on an online service like dropbox. Every month I'll print off the journal (at school, free paper hehehe) with small print and put it in a binder or something. This way I won't lose everything, and I will be able to access my journal almost anywhere.
As for the format: I am thinking of trying to write for about 30m per day, about 20 days per month. I'll probably keep a different word doc for each day, and maybe excel sheets for certain goals that I am setting that can last 1+ months. I think every week or so I'll do a self-reflection to set short term goals and update past ones, and every month or so I'll discuss long-term goals and how those are going. Hopefully this isn't too ambitious, but we'll see.
Thanks for reading and maybe I can convince some of you all to try this out as well. I really think it will be beneficial, and hopefully it will prevent me from spending so much time on forums
 
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This is a really good idea, i have tought about it several times but never really started a daily habit of it. Occasionally i will write down a dream and then re-read it some months after, but i have never kept a full on account. I would really like to start writing things and thoughts as soon as i wake up, thats the best time for me to write words.
Actually i don' t think it egoistical at all to look back on your own life. I thinks its rather intelligent and insightful, and can help you fix bad habits and bad toughts. Sorta like looking and analizyng your own replay. 20 or 30 years from now it might be some sort of personal historical document, but then you should at least print it out and keep it somewhere to be sure to have it again (unless like you said its online, but then yeah sharing such things..)
EDIT: i doubt do that i' ll do this, its one of the things i always talk about but never do. Maybe i havn' t found my own system that works yet
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I've kept journals for maybe 6 - 7 years now. One thing that's amazed me is how bad my memory is. I mean, it's easy to recall something after you are reminded of it, but until that time it's like that experience was lost in a black abyss. So reading through old entries it's almost as novel and surprising as reading someone else's story.
The practical upshot is that you can analyze trends over time when they're all before you on paper. Like if the same thing keeps happening once or twice every year, it's hard to recall every instance and fit it to a pattern just by sheer will of remembering. But if you "experience" them separated by minutes rather than months, the connection is easy to see.
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intrigue
Washington, D.C9934 Posts
i've had a dreamlog and a general journal for ideas and thoughts as google docs for a long time now. dreamlogs especially are really fucking interesting, i can scroll down, read a few key words from a dream from 4 years ago and feel the rush of details fill themselves in around it. quite amazing to experience. funny to see what details get warped though by time
there's weird things you can learn about yourself over time, as someone said. for example, i realized i have very few entries for december and january dreamlogs. i don't dream during the coldest months? i don't know what to do with this information.
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Yo Chocolate. I know we've been PMing back and forth for a while now, but if you ever want to talk about anything in general I'd definitely be happy to just bs. I've been lifting kind of seriously for a few months now and I've gained some strength and size so I'd definitely be happy to talk to you about that kind of stuff.
A journal is a cool idea, in my opinion. It's a great outlet to get thoughts out of your head. I will often times just sit and think about everything in my head, kind of like a journal without actualizing my thoughts. I think there's an indescribable process that occurs when you translate thoughts into words; if you do it right you can really feel like your own thoughts and ideas and convey them clearly.
Anyway, what I'd say about lifting is that you're not going to be "happy" with your results for the first few months. It will take lots and lots of time to look like you lift. The biggest impacts I think you'll notice are that the way you feel, the way you conduct yourself and the way that you move will all change. Don't neglect stretching and eating enough though. I don't know how big/small you're starting at, but to start with you'll probably want to eat a lot. TL Health and Fitness is awesome, with some great guys who know a ton willing to help.
Good luck with writing a journal, sounds like a cool idea.
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Yeah, I need to eat a TON to start getting big. I am 178 cm and 64 kg lol. What's actually going to be harder is probably finding a place where I can lift, as my school has a gym but I'd have to join the powerlifting team or something if I wanted to get access to weights every day, and I don't know any gyms near my house.
And yeah, one other reason I want to focus on fitness for a little bit is that I really want to fix my posture. I know it's a long term change I have to make and that the gratification is only going to come with time, but hey, maybe the journal will end up being a big help in keeping me focused. I am thinking of just following starting strength for a while as I figure things out.
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Well if you feel like shelling out a lot of money, buying your own stuff is super convenient and cool. You're also about 3 inches taller than I am, but about 5-10 lbs less. I'd recommend that you try to look up Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.
Eat ~3000 kcals/day and lift 3 times a week. If you so desire, do cardio 1-2x a week if you want to be "fitter" and not just lifting oriented (if you want to play sports or just be more athletic in general). Also, I'd recommend spending about 20 minutes a day "mobilizing" (fancy term for stretching, look up Becoming a Supple Leopard or watch Kelly Starrett's youtube videos on stretching) and try to gain flexibility. Also, you may want to pick up a foam roller for ~$30 in addition to joining a gym. A lacrosse ball and resistance bands are nice too, but you don't really need them.
Try to limit soda and processed/refined carbs also, and try to take in ~100-150g of protein a day. It's hard, but it's definitely worth it.
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I've kept a journal for over 8 years now. I don't really refer back to it and the internet has made it easy to reminisce about many things.
I will comment that if you intend to print your journals out and they contain private thoughts, you may become paranoid that someone is looking through them.
The idea of using spreadsheets is good. You'll never look back at your diaries otherwise imo. It's hard to find the time.
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A couple times now I've sat on the thought of creating a journal, but only ever carried out with it once, which lasted about two weeks in my senior year of high school.
I do like the idea for a lot of the reasons you mentioned, and I don't really think it's dumb or egoistical at all either. I think 30 minutes is quite a long writing time though, but that might just be because I hate writing/reading. If I could just download my brains working memory to a piece of paper it might be different haha
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On March 18 2014 15:49 Grobyc wrote:
A couple times now I've sat on the thought of creating a journal, but only ever carried out with it once, which lasted about two weeks in my senior year of high school.
I do like the idea for a lot of the reasons you mentioned, and I don't really think it's dumb or egoistical at all either. I think 30 minutes is quite a long writing time though, but that might just be because I hate writing/reading. If I could just download my brains working memory to a piece of paper it might be different haha
Yeah, I'm actually a senior in high school right now. I have a bit of down time from now until when I go to university, so I might as well start some good habits while I can.
Today is day 2, let's do this. I am using my beginner's zeal to give a little backstory to my life as well so that the journal isn't like I am starting solely on this one day.
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EPT
