Journaling

When I was an athlete it wasn’t the murderous, twice daily work outs that I loathed; it was the requirement to keep a daily journal. We were expected to catalog our workouts, note our weight, pulse and blood pressure and add a few comments about how we felt (which was usually “exhausted”). As much as I hated this theft of my time and intrusion on my privacy, not to mention the discipline it required, I came to appreciate that the journal wasn’t for my coach – it was for me! Over time I found it interesting that patterns appeared which could predict if I was getting sick or over training. Most interesting was the uncanny way my journal provided insights for my future performance breakthroughs. 

Call it what you will, wisdom or experience, but to make a breakthrough in business, we need to detect market patterns. If you look for them, market patterns will reveal opportunities that provide the insights for a meaningful strategy. It takes time, discipline and reflection to keep a good business journal, yet science tells us that journaling can play a big part in creating meaningful acumens. A leader good at journaling, is most likely a leader worth following. Here’s why……

Scientists tell us that journaling lets the analytical brain do its work by ordering our thoughts and importantly creating space and time for the creative part of our mind to do its magic. Insights might come in the middle of the night and sometimes someone else’s acumens trigger a whole slew of new insights for us. Though the process can be frustrating (given we don’t know when or from where insights might appear), if we’re disciplined and patient enough, market patterns will emerge. 

My skeptical side would have dismissed all this as hocus pocus if I hadn’t been forced into daily journaling by my speed skating coach. Now, as someone obsessed with finding business insights and helping others create great strategies, I’m an obsessive journaler. Diligent journaling is superb way for the creative mind to capture market insights. So where can you start…..

1.  Buy a cool journal: A cool journal that feels good in your hands and is great to look at is a journal you’ll use. 

2.  Scribble down you long term goals: take some quiet time to dream a little and imagine where you want your business (business unit) to be in 2 – 5 years

3.  Break it down: List the steps needed to get to your goal…….then prioritize the steps into…..

4.  Monthly Goals: Looking at your priority list write down your goals for this month

5.  Daily reset: take 5 min each day and jot down when you worked on those goals, the progress you made when were you most effective and how you could improve

6.  Record events: Each day add some notes about events in your market place

As a business leader you’re constantly looking for new business opportunities and better ways to service your customers. A journal is a great way to organize your thoughts and find the business breakthroughs you’re looking for. Start journaling!