(Originally posted on June 23, 2017)
UPDATE at 7:30 pm EST: Wow!! Thank you so much for your interest in my little experiment! The response here, on Facebook, and by email has been overwhelming. Unfortunately, I won't be able to take any additional volunteers. I'll be sure to let you know if there's another experiment in the future.
Thanks again, so much, for your interest!
Is anyone up for a little journal experiment?
When I think carefully about why I’m so drawn to journaling, it comes down to two things: simplicity and transformation. On any given day, my journal entries are mostly about noticing. What works? What doesn’t work? What thrills me? What doesn’t thrill me? Over time, however, as these observations accumulate, they lead to small, gradual changes that make my life better – steering me away from the stuff that doesn’t work and toward the stuff that does.
It’s not earth shattering, but it is profoundly useful. It fills me with gratitude for what I have and it gives me the confidence to choose and pursue the goals that matter most. That’s the journaling I’d like to share with you and I’d like to explore ways to share it more directly.
My experiment, which is really a hunch on my part, is to email you one super-simple journal prompt every weekday for two weeks. In week one, you’ll answer the same prompt every day. In week two, it will involve progressive prompts on the same subject. Simply send me a quick reply each day and at the end of the week, I’ll round up your replies in a lovely little PDF and send them back to you (and only you) with some additional prompt suggestions.
The idea is that each PDF will give you a week’s accumulation of data all in one place. My hope is that you’ll begin to see patterns or trends in your data, leading you to discover small, but mighty, tweaks to your daily routine or your personal pursuits that will make your life better.
UPDATE: Thanks so much for your interest! Unfortunately, I won't be able to accept any additional volunteers. I'll be sure to keep you posted about any future experiments. (ORIGINAL POST: If that sounds intriguing to you and you’d like to give it a try (at no cost to you), send me a quick message to let me know and I’ll follow up with a start date.)