The Longest Memory vs. the Shortest Pencil

Writing it down is important.

Successful self improvement writers such as Anthony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar and others repeatedly emphasize the importance of having goals…in writing. A written goal brings clarity and focus. It gives you a direction. And, by writing your goals, you not only reaffirm what your goals are, you may also have found new insights that bring more clarity and focus to your goals and your life. A written goal is also a powerful reminder that you can use to keep yourself on track.

Here are just a few reasons (my favorites) to write things down:

Remind yourself to focus. You can use paper or your screensaver or another program to give yourself reminders. Often we get caught up in our everyday business and lose track of what is most important. To keep yourself on track, instead of just keeping yourself busy with low-priority tasks, simply write down a reminder that can stop your thoughts when you see it and guide you back on track again.

I like the reminder: Is this useful? Then put that reminder where you can’t avoid seeing throughout your day.

Unload your mental RAM. When you don’t occupy your mind with having to remember every little thing (like how much milk to get) you become less stressed and it becomes easier to think clearly. This is, in my opinion, one of the most important reasons to write things down. Feeling more calm and relaxed does not only improves your health but also makes life easier.

Think clearer. You can’t hold that many thoughts in your head at once. If you want to solve a problem it can be helpful to write down you thoughts, facts and feelings about it. Then you don’t have to worry your mind about remembering, you can instead use it to think more clearly. Having it all written down gives you an overview and makes it easier to find new connections that can help you solve the problem.

Keep a record of what you were thinking. I have already noticed how interesting it is to just go back a month to see what I was thinking then. I believe that when you have kept a record of your thoughts for quite a while you’ll have some fascinating reading on your hands. It can also show you how you have changed and improved.

Record your positive qualities. When I read what have written it is sometimes fuzzy and unfocused. But other times I’m kind of surprised at how clever I was. Keeping a written record could be a good way to remind yourself of your positive qualities.

Improve long-term focus on what’s important. Reminders that I described above can be useful to keep you on track in your normal day. But you can also use a journal as a way to keep an overview of your thinking over a longer time span and to recognize both positives and negatives in your thinking. You may, for example, think of yourself as a healthy person but realize when you read through your journal that you have only been out running four times this month. This can help to spot trouble and keep you on track within a larger timeframe.

Become better acquainted with yourself. You may, for instance, have an image of your life where you are a positive person but discover when reading through your notes for the last month that you are negative about your job or a relationship in almost every entry. This might tell you something that you haven’t really paid much attention to about yourself and/or something about that job or relationship. This can bring clarity to your life.

Track your achievements. If you are working out or investing in stocks it can be useful to keep written record of your results and thoughts over a longer time span. It can not only motivate you when you are feeling down about your perceived lack of positive results, but it will let you see how far you have really come. It can also help you use problems and solutions from the past to find solutions to new problems (or readjustments to prevent problems before they even appear).

By: Henrik Edberg
For full article and credits:
http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2007/09/12/why-you-should-write-things-down/

ZDT Author’s comment:
A blog (like Zillion Dollar Thinking) is simply a written record for all to see. A written and visible MODELTM is the basis of Zillion Dollar Thinking.

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