Why Write a Journal?
For me, keeping a journal comes down to a single activity: describing the obstacle.
What's blocking me now? What's stopping me from being free, happy and creative right away? What hidden snag is getting in the way of the next step?
Two things matter:
First, it's only about describing. Not finding a solution. Not trying to fix myself. I dig up the obstacle and look at it from every angle. I trace where it reaches inside me. I ask myself why it bothers me now, and in this particular way. And that's it. Once the problem is out in the light, I let other forces inside me take care of solving it.
Second, it's an immediate obstacle. Something that's keeping me from moving forward right now. I'm not trying to settle the situation forever. So the effort is neither theoretical nor intellectual. I deal only with what's in front of me, assuming the next difficulties will be handled the same way: in the present, when they come up – if they come up. We'll deal with the future when it gets here.
That's why the journal has been part of my daily routine for almost 3 years, and why it's an essential exercise for staying present.