What are the benefits of using the stream of consciousness technique in daily journaling?

Business is an inherently creative process. There is the opportunity to create new strategies, tactics, approaches, funnels, and other more basic blocking and tackling in the business, while there is also creativity in relationship building, marketing, public relations, culture building, on-boarding, leadership and every other step along the way! It is therefore essential for each business owner to slow down and create the space in their lives and protect their time enough to think, create and allow ideas to germinate both on their own to get in touch with their inner wisdom, and in think tanks with others. Introducing formal writing practices both individually and in groups can be a fantastic tool to leverage to tap into creative flow.

Imagine unlocking the power of your mind through a simple daily practice. That's what stream of consciousness journaling does. It's like opening a direct channel to your inner thoughts, letting them flow onto paper without any filters or judgment. When you sit down to write, you're giving yourself permission to be completely honest. No holding back, no editing - just pure, raw thoughts. This freedom can be incredibly liberating. As you write, you might find stress and worries melting away, replaced by a sense of relief and clarity. But it's not just about stress relief. This technique is a creativity booster too. By letting your mind wander on paper, you create space for new ideas to emerge.

Silencing the inner critic is an important step in the exploration of ideas, and particularly in the generation of new ideas. As a mentor of mine once told me, "before you put new furniture in a room, you need to take out the old furniture." Stream of consciousness allows us to put out all the flowing ideas and then explore them through sorting, priorities, categories and other mental structures. A great idea is always great in hindsight. Therefore, we need to allow our consciousness to provide us with a lot of ideas before we can identify them as valuable.

Lao Tzu said “Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom.” One way to know yourself is through journaling, for which the stream of consciousness technique can be applied. By setting aside five or ten minutes every day to let your thoughts flow on to your page. Don’t try to think in sentences or paragraphs but just let words flow, you will be surprised how you will start to see solutions to problems whilst gaining insight into who you are and the progression you are making.

Let's highlight the top reasons we need to use the stream-of-consciousness journaling technique: 1- It removes the stuck emotions and false narratives in our brains. 2- It processes the unresolved thoughts that are on repeat that cause us to overthink. 3- It releases false narratives or negative beliefs that get stuck in our minds. The "How To" of using this technique becomes more critical. You need to have a blank journal or paper and set aside 10 minutes without your phone or any distractions. Write, not type, out everything that is coming to your mind. It does not need to be a perfect sentence or a clear thought. It just needs to get onto the paper to help clear your mind and reset your brain.

Since being diagnosed with incurable stage 4 lung cancer metastasized to my brain I’ve used journaling to help me understand my feelings and emotions around my experience. By writing whatever comes to mind, good or bad, I’m able to embrace my experience and stay present to what I’m experiencing. Journaling allows me to share my experiences with others as I become very clear on what I’m feeling and experiencing. Referring back to my writing over time puts current challenges into perspective. I was given a 17% chance to live 1 year, 1.6% chance to live 5 years and most likely scenario would be 6 months. 5+ years later, 94 chemo treatments, brain surgery, radiation, and now liver tumors I’m still thriving. Journaling helped my mindset.

In the world of positive psychology, free writing is used in more than one Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI). It is research-backed to have a positive influence on your well being, both immediately and for some time after writing. The technique also provides a pathway to your unconscious mind and the busy-ness that goes on in your thoughts and feelings. Writing without censoring or filtering is valuable as it helps reveal your dominant or recurring thought patterns and the issues on your mind that most need to be dealt with. This helps with identifying vague or unclear stressors as well leading often to creative solutions to problems or challenges you are facing.

Writing in a stream of consciousness style helps you process complex thoughts and emotions, leading to greater mental clarity. Consider a scenario where you're a project manager dealing with multiple deadlines and team dynamics. By journaling your thoughts as they come, you might initially write about your stress and workload. As you continue, you begin to identify the root cause of your stress—a specific project or a miscommunication with a team member. This clarity enables you to take targeted actions to address the issue, such as prioritizing tasks or having a conversation to clear up misunderstandings

Benefits of Stream of Consciousness Journaling Stress Reduction: It can act as a release valve for pent-up emotions, anxieties, and daily stressors. Enhanced Self-Awareness: By freely expressing your thoughts, you may uncover hidden patterns, beliefs, and motivations. Improved Mental Clarity: It can help organize your thoughts, making them less overwhelming and easier to manage. Boosted Creativity: The unfiltered flow of ideas can spark new perspectives and creative solutions. Emotional Regulation: By acknowledging and expressing your feelings, you can develop a healthier relationship with your emotions. Personal Growth: Regular practice can lead to a deeper understanding of yourself and your experiences.

Stream of consciousness journaling can provide clarity by revealing your true self and your true desires. Without the restrictions of intrusive thoughts, you can allow the flow of all thoughts, ideas and emotions to come forth. This can reveal your true passions and potentially your “purpose” to guide you toward the work you love. We all know that we succeed much more easily when we have our passion dialed in.

Expressive writing is an evidence-based technique which has been proven to reduce stress and stress-related illness. It’s an easy technique but very effective.

I have done a lot of Journaling almost all through my life. This has helped me to remember what I got down from personal meditation. Usually, my best ideas come when I am meditating to solve a problem or to do something new. Sometimes you cant remember everything but with a good journal, you will be able to recall brilliant ideas you got from quest moments that will move your business ot company forward. I usually don't go to bed without my jotter and pen.

"Stream of consciousness journaling" may reduce stress by enabling you to freely express your thoughts and emotions without censorship or judgment. This unrestricted writing helps to release pent-up feelings, providing emotional relief and reducing mental clutter. By allowing your thoughts to flow naturally, you can gain insight into your inner experiences and identify stressors more clearly. This process promotes mental clarity, emotional regulation, and a sense of control over your thoughts, ultimately leading to lower stress levels. The best part for me is I feel heard, listened to, unjudged, and understood...

Journaling without constraints for many people is clears the mind. I have found that for me, real stress needs talked out, so I use a voice recorder; not everyone is comfortable writing stuff down, most everyone talks. Using a recorder to talk out your stress, is for me of reducing stress without doing anything else. Once was a book that said not to sweat the small stuff because it was all small stuff. Nonsense. I have emotions and I can hide them from the outside world, I cannot hide them from myself, nor would I want to. Whatever clears out the swirl in my brain allows me clearer thinking, and allows me to better connect with my team and those above or below me or peers. My clients hate it at first and love it after trying it. Ramble on.

The act of freely expressing your thoughts can be a powerful stress reliever. It’s akin to having a conversation with yourself, allowing you to vent and reflect without judgment. For example, a small business owner might feel overwhelmed by the daily challenges of running a business. By journaling in a stream of consciousness, they can unload their worries and frustrations onto the page. This act of writing can make their problems feel more manageable and less daunting, as the process often reveals solutions or simply provides a sense of release, making the stress feel lighter. This helps reflect deeper.

From a Neuroscience perspective, journaling helps improve decision-making by enhancing cognitive functions and emotional regulation. Writing engages the prefrontal cortex, responsible for logical thinking and planning, helping you organize your thoughts and consider various outcomes. It also activates the limbic system, allowing you to process and manage emotions better. By reflecting on your experiences and thoughts, journaling strengthens neural pathways associated with problem-solving and critical thinking, leading to more informed and balanced decisions. If you don't have time to journal tomorrow, take a hot (or cold 3 minutes or so) shower, take a walk through a park, or drive through the countryside... PQ Framework, make Sage choices.

Stream of consciousness journaling clears out the cobwebs, allows clear thinking, and allows one to judge available options with more understanding. Most especially for people in jobs that require linear thinking. Letting go of that way of thinking will almost certainly unlock thoughts regarding any issue. Knowing which issue is to be determined by your own personal journey into your sub-conscious thoughts. Too often we hide our genius away from ourselves. Allow your creative mind to expand, allow your decision making to be coming from all of you, all of your not yet fully formed ideas need some place to come manifest Journaling can take your on a journey to better decision making. Plus it almost always has a surprise for me at least.

Being decisive is a sign of success, confidence and leadership. Using stream of consciousness journaling can help you become more decisive as you identify patterns and develop trust in yourself. The simple act of keeping promises to yourself develops trust which contributes to confidence which lends to greater decisiveness.

Whenever I am faced with making a decision about something, I use the Ben Franklin "T-Chart" or "Pros and Cons" Method. I put a horizontal line near the top of a page, and a vertical line from that line down the middle of the page. All the "Pros" go on the left, and the "Cons' go on the right. I assess the likelihood of each, get more information or do more research, and then can make the best possible decisions. This is the best tool I have found for decision making.

Using the stream of consciousness technique can aid in decision-making by: Clarifying Options: Writing freely about a decision can help clarify your options and considerations, making the decision-making process clearer. Uncovering Intuition: This technique can help you tap into your intuition and gut feelings, which are often key in making sound decisions. Weighing Pros and Cons: As you write, you may naturally weigh the pros and cons of different choices, leading to more informed decisions.

A number of thinkers and authors have said "If you can ask the right question, you already know the answer." It implies that "we already know" the solutions to our deepest questions, challenges, and concerns. The key is to ask the right question(s). I find that by digging deep into understanding the source of a problem, finding the best solution is a lot easier, sometimes even more obvious. Writing everything down frees your mind to reveal and see things in new ways.

Let your genius out. By using stream of consciousness journaling you’re already making a move toward the solution. This act alone increases confidence and produces ideas for solving issues when they creep up.

This cannot be overemphasized, by jotting ideas you are creating a bank of information that will always come handy when one is running out of ideas that could transform your business or organization. It has been said that the shortest pen 🖊 is better than the longest memory, I found this to be true. Keep a journal.

Stream of consciousness journaling can enhance your problem-solving abilities by: Brainstorming Solutions: Writing without constraints encourages brainstorming and the generation of creative solutions to problems. Exploring Different Angles: This technique allows you to explore problems from various angles, leading to a more comprehensive understanding. Identifying Root Causes: By freely expressing your thoughts, you may uncover underlying issues contributing to the problem, enabling more effective solutions.

Oftentimes I find that writing down thoughts about an event that took place helps me to separate myself from what happened. Then I can see the event from a more objective point of view. Facts emerge and strong feelings may diminish so that I can decide what to learn from the experience or what action needs to be taken to solve a problem or perhaps encourage a coworker.

For my personal growth and development, I read at least four books per month. I meditate. I study with references and make notes. I compare ideas and contrast them at the same time. Leading comes with tough decisions to study more than others.

Incorporating the stream of consciousness technique in daily journaling can significantly contribute to personal growth: Self-Discovery: Regularly engaging in this type of journaling helps you discover more about yourself, your values, and your goals. Tracking Progress: Over time, you can track your personal development and growth by reviewing past journal entries. Building Resilience: Reflecting on your thoughts and experiences can build emotional resilience and a stronger sense of self.

Cut off all distractions, go for daily meditation and practicing of focus time. This will help to improve your task focus, overall concentration, and your “creativity management”; it will also let you better understand yourself to act consciously in everything.

Daily journaling contrasts the events during the day and how you handle the perceptions, opinions, and acts on those facts out of your control. Like Marcus Aurelius state in he’s book Meditations: "Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness – all of them due to the offenders’ ignorance of what is good or evil. But for my part I have long perceived the nature of good and its nobility, the nature of evil and its meanness, and also the nature of the culprit himself, who is my brother; therefore none of those things can injure me, for nobody can implicate me in what is degrading."

To welcome 'FLOW' into your life. Flow is that feeling when you forget time exists. When the mind indulges in flow moments it feels relaxed and engrossed completely. Such engagement of mind creates subconscious catharsis alongside conscious awareness. Conscious Journalling creates mindfulness and self awareness which can unleash us from redundant thoughts and obsessive actions. Thus creating spaces for us to take up and discover our inner meaning and purpose of life.

I started writing a diary when I was ten years old. I had a break of 12 years whilst my kids were little and have continued writing it for the past ten years. It’s a release. It’s part of my bedtime routine. It helps me unravel the day. It gives me spiritual comfort as I always end with a note of thanks for my life and gratitude to the universe/god/energy/earth/nature (delete as appropriate!) I never read them again and never will. The best thing about the past is it’s over.

Daily journaling can help you redirect your unconscious behaviour and focus. It can help you manifest your biggest goals and dreams when you understand how a successful mindset works. Its worth spending time to master the principles and applying them into your business and personal life.