by When the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020 and “shelter in place” was a thing, I busted out my paper and pens–and bought new ones–to reinvigorate my relationship with scrawling my thoughts directly on a toothy piece of paper. Besides the science behind the benefits of handwriting, it offers a kind of satisfaction–connection–to the words that don’t exist in my digital world. (And though I do enjoy a clicky keyboard, taking notes electronically just isn’t the same for me.)
I keep a few different journals: one where I record thoughts briefly every day, one longer form where I write about the happenings inside and outside my head and include pictures from my Sprocket printer, and one for work. My work journal is separate from my notebook for work. Notes are captured from meetings that instruct me on what I need to do next in my role. My work journal is different. It’s an after-the-fact account of meetings where I capture observations and thoughts from them each day.
I love it and find it invaluable–not only for the reasons outlined below, but handwriting just makes me happy. It’s a soul soother for me.
I record “wins” in my work journal. Triumphant moments–no matter their scale–give me a sense of confidence and purpose in the work I’m doing, which one can sometimes lack in a new role. I struggle with frustration as a recent joiner and can be very hard on myself when I don’t feel like my work is quite on point. (This is when you’re lucky to have a supportive manager and team.) I’m hardest on myself–it’s just my work style–and being able to call out moments in any given day or week when I have an “a-ha” moment makes a huge positive difference in how I view myself and my performance.
Handwritten notes help me remember. Writing about observations and takeaways from meetings helps me to remember them! As mentioned in the link above, handwriting builds memory and supports neuropathways in your brain. The activity of writing some of the same things–or variations of the same things builds up my memory in the same way practicing your tennis game helps you improve your backhand. Repetition is key.
Keeping a work journal helps me connect the dots. Handwriting builds and strengthens neural connections in your brain. For me, the repetition of writing about work projects reinforces them in my head. It helps me see patterns and reveals the bigger picture of how the projects I work on fit into the mission of the division and the company.
My work journal is my second brain. I’d be lost without it. Luckily, I never have any “sync” issues and never need to reboot it. It’s just there on my desk, waiting for me to record my thoughts and help me understand how all the little pieces fit into the giant puzzle of my work world.
