Who keeps their own journal?

[hanzosbm]

I recently went to a bookstore and picked up a small, blank journal. I have been using it to keep notes for myself on various Masonic subjects. I find that as I dig deeper into the symbols and allegories, it's easy to find myself going off on tangents, some of which uncover some great information, others wind up at a dead end. However, by keeping a journal and writing down what I'm find and from what sources, I'm able to collect all the data I find relevant.

As an example, I was recently researching the antediluvian pillars and their relationship to early Masonic myths. I quickly found myself down a rabbit hole with Biblical, Talmudic, Gnostic, and Islamic sources. Tying all of these together was proving difficult, but I now have several pages of information written that I can quickly look up.

I was curious if anyone else out there is doing the same thing. And, as a secondary question, how are you utilizing this information?

 

[JJones]

Being a fan of Jim Rohn, I've tried starting and keeping a journal a few times. The thing is, I really don't know -how- to organize and maintain it. I'm sure there's really no right or wrong way to do it, I'm just OCD like that.

 

[hanzosbm]

Wow, it's almost scary how much I can relate to this.

For this exact reason, I purposely didn't try to organize it at all. I literally flip it open to the middle and start writing. Then, when another topic comes about, I flip it to a completely different section and do it again. I've found that all of the lessons in Masonry are so interconnected that trying to lay out one's points in the linear fashion that writing comes with is counter productive. Some day, once it's full, I might go back and add an index or table of contents or something, but for now, it's just a collection of thoughts.

 

[pointwithinacircle2]

I think you are correct, keeping a journal is more important than organizing it. Occasionally someone will comment on a post of mine that is so old that I have to reread my post to understand their comment. Sometimes I find myself realizing that I have posted and forgotten something that is valuable to me. This is one of the dangers of the digital age, that we forget our thoughts with such regularity.

 

[Glen Cook]

I keep a journal.

 

[hanzosbm]

I've gotta say, I had some time today to do a pretty serious amount of reading, reflection, and then writing in my journal and it was tiring. This isn't the first time I've pushed hard on Masonic research, but by writing it down, I was forced to focus my thoughts a bit more, which was more exhausting over a long period of time, but, because it is now written down, I have preserved it for later.

 

[Browncoat]

Being a fan of Jim Rohn, I've tried starting and keeping a journal a few times. The thing is, I really don't know -how- to organize and maintain it. I'm sure there's really no right or wrong way to do it, I'm just OCD like that.

Take a look at Microsoft OneNote. Combined with the GTD (Get Things Done) system, it's a powerful tool for a lot of organizing.

There's a part of me that wants a spiffy leather bound journal with a big strap, but in the digital age, it's just so much easier with today's technology.

 

[Pscyclepath]

Mine is a lot more of a workbook or wheel book than a journal, but i keep it up regularly. Things to do, notes on lodge or other activity that I need to remember or follow up on, as well as a little bit of reflection crammed inand around the notes... Definitely one of my working tools ;-)

I started keeping it with my year as junior warden, and am a little over halfway through the second volume ;-)

 

[drw72]

Browncoat said: ..."but in the digital age, it's just so much easier with today's technology"
hanzosbm said: ..."by writing it down, I was forced to focus my thoughts a bit more....because it is now written down, I have preserved it for later."

While cyberspace opens a world of information not easily accessible in meatspace, I think old fashioned pen and paper work better for me.

I do use Google Keep and MS OneNote to clip and save information I find online. I also keep links to interesting sources. The problem I run into is I accumulate too much information. To me, taking the time to read and write not only makes it stick in my head, but as hanzosbm said, it focuses my thought and makes me think more.

Not only that but I use a computer the majority of the day at work and at home (my hobby is web design) so I do get tired of looking at a screen all the time.

 

[Brother JC]

I've kept a journal for decades, though not daily by any means. There was a period where I wrote three pages a day.

 

[GKA]

I have kept a journal since I first became a Mason, I read back on some of the stuff I wrote, very funny