“Create an environment where you’re free to express what you’re afraid to express.” — Rick Rubin

Why? While life is short, it’s too long for our memories.

• 比起模糊的記憶，模糊的紀錄總是比較好。
• 留下生命的軌/足跡，把每個時刻的自己快照（Snapshot）起來，相信「未來的自己」一定會很感激「現在的自己」有留下紀錄，就像是「現在的我」很感謝「過往的我」都有回顧覆盤的習慣一樣。¹
  • Mental Time Travel: Imagine yourself in the past and consider yourself in the present.
    • Make decisions that your 10-year-old self would be proud of.
  • Reverse Mental Time Travel: Imagine yourself in the future and consider yourself in the present.
    • Make decisions that your 80-year-old self would be proud of.

Journaling is more than putting thoughts on paper—it’s a sacred dialogue with the one who knows you best: yourself.

Use daily diary as a place to ask yourself questions, then question your answers.

Wins I Achieved

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.” — Robert Louis Stevenson

• Writing down daily achievements—not matter how small/tiny—gives me a sene of completeness.
• Focus on the seeds, not the trees. What seeds are you planting today?
• Keep a “Victory Log” to document your daily small/tiny wins to build self-belief and momentum.
• David Goggins’ The “Cookie Jar (餅乾罐)” Method
  • The “Cookie Jar” is a metaphorical repository of your personal victories—instances where you overcame obstacles, endured hardship, or achieved goals against the odds. Goggins refers to these memories as “cookies.”
  • When facing a difficult situation, he mentally “reaches into the cookie jar” to remind himself of these past successes, reigniting motivation and reinforcing self-belief.

Things I Can Improve

• The Bug Book

Journalling is a time machine. It freezes your brains thoughts. You realize the value of this when you get to see them 5–10 years later. Your brain usually creates a false narrative of the past. It’s only when you thaw old thoughts out from the freezer do you see what your brain used to look like.

E.g., feelings, emotions, thoughts, memories, special moments/occasions/events

Advantages

1. Helps to imprison the cluttered mind and racing thoughts (梳理腦中的想法)
2. Helps to offload emotions/worries/anxieties
3. Gives the brain a moment to rest
4. Significantly increases cognitive functioning

Principle: 4-Step Cycle

1. Recall (by writing down)
2. Reflect (by reviewing what you wrote down)
3. Refine (by finding insights and takeaways)
4. Respond (by taking actions accordingly)

Approaches

• “The 1-1-1 Method” by Sahil Bloom
  • 1 win from the day
  • 1 point of tension, anxiety, or stress
  • 1 point of gratitude
• “Bullet Journaling (Bujo)” by Ryder Caroll
  • A chronological record of the day
• “Shadow-Work Journaling (陰影日記)” by Keila Shaheen
• “Morning Pages (晨間日記)” by Julia Cameron
  • Three pages of unfiltered, longhand, and stream-of-conscious free writing (自由書寫).
  • About anything and everything that crosses your mind.
• “Homework For Life” by Matthew Dicks
  • Write down those “story-worthy” moments that happened during the day. Save the beautiful life memories. One day, those memories might save you.
• “Interstitial Journaling (間歇式/流水帳式日記)” by Tony Stubblebine
  • Combines note-taking, to-do lists, and time tracking in one unique workflow.
    • Similar to The “Done List” ²
      • During your day, journal every time you transition from one work project to another. Write a few sentences in your journal about what you just did, and then a few more sentences about what you’re about to do.
      • The times between work projects (i.e., when you take breaks) are the interstitial moments when you should write in a journal.
      • This approach provides a touchstone to track your progress throughout the day. It offers a sense of security, helping you avoid the misleading/false feeling of “never enough” and allowing you to internalize how much you’ve accomplished.
    • You can also flip it:³ Write short, simple notes on the goals before you put any effort into it. This helps you plan, strategize, and think ahead (forward thinking). It gives you focus and a clear view of the big picture. It also encourages you to add perspective to daily activities and tasks that a to-do list can’t do.
    • You can also flip it: Write quick, simple notes about your big goals before you start your day. This helps you plan, think ahead, and stay focused. It gives you a clear view of what matters, something a to-do list can’t do.
• Atomic/Incremental Journaling
  • Jog down keywords anytime and anywhere throughout the day, rather than sit down to write in complete sentences at a specific time each day.
• The Five Minute Journal
• Gratitude Journaling (感恩日記)