St. Thomas Aquinas once said that the “hand is the conjoined instrument of the mind.” A great deal of research has gone into studying brain processing and its connection to handwriting, and the evidence clearly favors it over other forms of note taking (ie typing). It would seem St. Thomas Aquinas was correct in connecting the process. It’s a good starting point for recognizing the value of journaling.

To start the habit of journaling, here is a simple process you can do every morning:

Write down one experience that stood out to you from the previous day. Try to name any emotions you felt and draw out patterns.
Pick a goal a write a list words that are relevant to improvement. For example: If my goal is to be less angry, I might include words around patience or self-control.
Look back on your previous day’s experience and see if you can find where opportunities for your goal may have come up. From our previous example, these would be opportunities for practicing patience.
Ask God for the grace to recognize those opportunities next time.

Over time, go back and revisit some of your journals. You’ll be astounded at the way you used to think and how much you’ve have changed over the years. You’ll be grateful for cultivating a personal development mindset which helps us realize our sense of agency in becoming who we are.