The Journaling Method That is Changing My Life



Journaling is like choosing a specific diet:Want to use intricate layouts and symbols? Try bullet journaling. Want to focus on managing your negative and positive thoughts? Try mindfulness journaling. Want to document your life on a strict, day-to-day basis? Try daily journaling. But the reality for me is — diets don’t always work — when strict rules, guidelines, and limitations are bound to what I eat — one of my few loves in the world — it simply does not work. Instead, I like to see journaling as a buffet. It begins with an empty plate, carefully inspecting the options that are given, then picking out the best bits. In practice, this meant taking inspiration and stealing existing tools from different journaling methods that suited best for me. This has left me with a simple journaling method. I thought I’d share it today:If you’ve ever taken a chemistry or cooking class, you would be familiar with this piece of equipment called a funnel, typically shaped like an inverted cone, with a wide opening at the top and a narrow opening at the bottom. The purpose of a funnel is to allow easy passage of material flow from a large volume to a more narrowed volume. This “method” of journaling follows a similar idea — to allow easy passage of thoughts to flow down and narrowed down into action. Funnel journaling can therefore be broken down into three phases: