Benefits of Keeping a Journal

Famous people and their Journals

Many think this is a school girlish habit. Fact is, the best thinkers, scientists, politicians, philosophers and writers are known to have kept a journal. Some of the well known and famous ones are Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, Francis Bacon, Joan Didion, Vladimir Nabokov, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill and others that include some of the world class athletes.

Many writers and scientists have said that keeping a journal not only helped them delve into old ideas but also helped sharpen their memory. The same can work for us.

The advantages of a diary

Keeping a journal has many benefits. For one thing it allows you to keep a record of the most important happenings of the day and when you read your journal after time has passed, sometimes months and at other times even years, your journal gives you new insights into life. These insights into your own self and also into others can prevent you from making the same mistakes over and over. Of course, I have made many mistakes in my life and will make more as I go on living. It’s alright, so long as I don’t repeat my mistakes.

With time our thoughts and beliefs change. Keeping a journal helps us get a perspective on how we grow. It also motivates growth. After all, personal growth and helping others grow is one of the purposes of life. Growth allows us to make better choices. It also allows us to see how our perspectives change over time.

I have often heard people say they are so overwhelmed with work that they don’t have the time for trivialities such as keeping a journal. My thought on this is that the choices are with us on how overwhelmed we get and lead ourselves into self destruction or even make life a challenge. That is among one of the first points in my journal.

Photo: Shutterstock

Support us!

All your donations will be used to pay the magazine’s journalists and to support the ongoing costs of maintaining the site.