Writing in my diary and journal has made a huge difference in the world for my learning, reflecting, and peace of mind.

I started writing on my daily diary around the year 2013, and on my daily journal this year (2019), early March. I wish I had started earlier, like when I was the age of 6.

I had always wanted to journal but kept on procrastinating, until early (February) this year. I was awakened up from my procrastination by Keith Deutschman, an elderly man who confessed to me that one his greatest life regrets was procrastinating journaling until it was too late. He said, Benard, “Once you are back to Kenya, you must start journaling immediately,” I promised him I would.

How to do it.

You can use hard copy diaries and journals or simply opt to use online apps (or websites). Apps or websites allow cross-platform/device synchronization and thus you can access and write on your journal from anyplace. For journaling, I use an app called, Penzu. I use the Pro version since it has more functionalities. For the diary, I have always used a hard copy. I may change to digital as well. Digital takes no space and you can have it with you almost everywhere always. For Penzu, the Pro version allows you to even create several (unlimited) journals dedicated to different aspects of your life! And you can also export all this into a PDF/Text to keep a backup.

What to write.

I write what I did today, how I am feeling, even if it seems boring. It works best as a nightly routine. I just take a few minutes and write at least a few sentences. If I have the time, I write down everything on my mind. Clear it all out. But if I miss a night, I make time the next morning to write about the previous day. Penzu can also be timed to send you email reminders on a daily basis.

Years from now I might be looking back, wondering if I were as happy or as sad as I remember during this time. So I don’t only write the drama and dilemmas. I include the daily facts of life.

We so often make big decisions in life based on predictions of how we think we’ll feel in the future, or what we’ll want. Your past self is your best indicator of how you actually felt in similar situations. So it helps to have an accurate picture of your past.

You can’t trust distant memories, but you can trust your daily diary or journal. It’s the best indicator to your future self (and maybe descendants) of what was really going on in your life at this time.

If you’re feeling you don’t have the time or it’s not interesting enough, remember: You’re doing this for your future self. Future you will want to look back at this time in your life, and find out what you were actually doing, day-to-day, and how you really felt back then. It will help you make better decisions.

Just put aside a few minutes to write what you did and how you felt today. If you care about your thoughts, keep them.