How Much Time Should You Spend Journaling?
If you haven’t been journaling at all or you journal very little (e.g. once per week or less), my recommendation is to start journaling 15 minutes per day.
Building your HABIT of journaling can be compared to training to run your first marathon. If you haven’t been running at all, it’s usually a poor idea to go out and run 15 miles on your very first day. There are exceptions of course such as Ryan Hall, the top qualifier for the U.S. Olympic marathon team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. One day when Ryan was old 15 years old, he told his father he wanted to run a full lap (15 miles) around Big Bear Lake.
Live surveys of my audiences during introductory journaling webinars have revealed that about half of the people who attend these journal regularly. Of those who journal regularly, about half of them journal for 15-30 minutes per day and half of them for 30-60 minutes per day on average. No one I surveyed journaled for more than 60 minutes per day. I journal lots more than that, but that’s because God has prepared and equipped me to teach others.
Just as someone who sets a goal of running a marathon must start off gradually with his training, so you must start off gradually with this new habit of journaling. Usually, when you add something new to your daily schedule, something else must come out. So decide beforehand what you are going to give up as you add the new habit of journaling.
I love what Rick Warren says, “The best way to begin is to begin!” So, my recommendation to you is to choose one method that seems most appealing to you and start with that. As the Nike slogan says, “Just do it!”
I highly recommend you get started journaling ASAP. If you’d like my help, then order my book “UNCOMMON Journaling For Breakthroughs” and hop right way to the “Getting Started is as easy as 1-2-3″ section under Appendix B: Your Story.
Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the greatest journaler ever. Thank You for leaving us the Bible as Your love letter to us. Thank You for Your disciples who wrote down what you told them to leave us a legacy. May You touch the hearts of those who read or listen to this message to inspire them to develop a daily consistent habit of journaling that helps them grow closer to You. Thank You Jesus! Amen and hallelujah!
Blessings to journal daily for long enough to encounter God in a deep way!
R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist
www.empower2000.com
P.S. Spiritual Journaling will transform your life!
Journaling is the key
to unlock YOUR dreams!
Receive FREE E-book Introduction to UNCOMMON Journaling For Breakthroughs
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[...] How Much Time Should You Spend Journaling? [...]
Thanks for starting to post more messages. Can you do the same with your daily blessing? Many of us are just living one day at a time now.Just share one thought from your time journaling each day.
Manna
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http://journal777.com/wfj-rest-in-me/
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Manna
As I woke this morning, pondering, to understand what (and why?) God has allowed my thoughts were turned to EX 16 when the Jewish people murmured again God. I turned to it. He used manna (money?) to teach His chosen ones a lesson about trusting wholly on him for provision. I am having a vary difficult time learning this lesson. Thus God (in his love) is reminding me that the road ahead will not be traversed successfully without total reliance on Him and Him alone.
http://journal777.com/wfj-rest-in-me/
This just came and when I opened and read it I realized that it was a confirmation of what God is saying to me. Had I read it before He turned my thoughts to Ex 16 I might have rejected it, thinking I had manufactured the thought in my own head.
The Greater Blessing
This has ben a challenging week. On Monday my wife took all of our liquid assets out of our joint accounts and deposited then in her a personal account she had opened for her business. She not only took all the cash out of the checking accounts she removed all the funds from the money market account. Taking all our cash assets was a ploy to prevent me from being able to higher an attorney. Last Sunday I requested prayer at our church (http://www.communitybible.com/) and ask her pastor Diane Beavers
if she would be willing to pray with us. She declined meeting with us because my wife has consistently refused counseling of any kind from anyone.The restraining order has a hearing set for December 1. In it she is requesting possession of both of our automobiles , all our belongings in our home, and restricting me from access to our home. God has blessed me this Thanksgiving above all others. He has answered my request and is allowing me to put my trust in Him and Him alone. What a great God we serve!!!
Hi John, Thank you for your regular comments on my blog. Thank you for your prompting me to post more regularly to Your Daily Blessing blog too. I’d like to do that soon. God is re-ordering my daily and weekly schedule in dramatic ways to allow me to do this. My highest priority is my daily morning communion (dialog) with the LORD. Blessings, Joseph
Thank you John for sharing your transparent message about Manna and Exodus 16. Our most important meeting every day is our meeting with the LORD. I’ve found that 2-way journaling (dialoging with Jesus) is the most effective way to hear and apply what the LORD is telling me. Blessings, Joseph
Hi John, Thank you for being so transparent. My heart goes out to you and your marriage. It seems asking Jesus questions daily and writing down what comes to your mind may help you break through. Let me know. Blessings for Jesus to be the third strand to the cord in your marriage! Joseph
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[...] How Much Time Should You Spend Journaling? (Nov 26, 2009) [...]
[...] How Much Time Should You Spend Journaling? [...]
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