Maximize the Value of Your Journal Notes: 5 Simple Steps to Follow
As a writer, I often journal my thoughts and ideas. But sometimes, I find myself overwhelmed with too much content that doesn’t have any real value. That’s why I’ve developed a process for extracting value out of my journal notes.
Scan pages: First, I scan through my journal pages and mark any that don’t have any value with a big black cross in the corner. This helps me quickly skip over pages that don’t have anything of interest.
Mark content: Next, I label sections of valuable content in a different color. I only mark the headline of the content, so I can easily find it later. For example, I might use a red pen to underline a title.
Process the content: Then, I process the valuable content. If it’s a draft, I might rewrite it for clarity. If it’s the seed of an idea or project, I flesh it out in more detail.
Migrate the content: After that, I migrate the content to its proper place. For instance, to-dos go into an app or planner, quotes go into a text file, and article ideas go into the draft folder of my blog. However, my daily driver notebook (which I call “the Hulk”) is where I keep early concepts and project ideas, so I don’t move them anywhere else.
Archive the content: Finally, I archive the content by letting it live where it is or by going back through the previous steps to make sure I’ve properly processed and migrated the information.
It’s important to build a habit of getting value out of your finished journals. By following this process, you can make sure that you’re not wasting your time on content that doesn’t matter and that you can easily find and use the valuable content when you need it.