GradHacking: Keeping A Journal

Eric Riley April 22, 2018

Song of the Day

You don’t ever need help

From nobody else

All you got to do now

Express yourself

Charles Wright & The Watts

Hello fellow GradHackers! I hope you all are having a wonderful day and are getting that last minute work done before the semester is over, I know I am. Gotta get ready for those finals! Good luck to all of you taking a final this semester, study hard I’m sure you’ll do great. Just don’t cram the night before, it’s psychologically proven that if you cram you’ll remember less when trying to shove information in at the last minute. So take the time to study, it’ll be worth it. Today’s topic of the day is keeping a journal, this may sound silly but for the people like me that are either in a design degree or just someone needs to express themselves and doesn’t want to do that to people, get a journal. I personally have at least 5 of them floating around my house just in case I think of something great on the spot and I need to write it down. In other cases I just have them laying around for me to vent; we all have those days where someone did something that just kind of rubbed you the wrong way. Sometimes getting those feelings out on paper, instead of just getting mad at the person, can help you work through those tough times.

Now I’m not here to be your therapist, don’t get me wrong I’m the first person to ask you what’s up when I see something off about you but if you want to really be able to express yourself, get a journal. We need to have a release outlet. You can talk to your friends and family, but sometimes you don’t want to tell them everything that’s going on in your life. I know I don’t. Being an introvert, I enjoy hiding in my room sometimes, in the dark, flashlight in hand, just writing, and it doesn’t even have to be about me. Sometimes I just write stories, but somehow they’ll relate to something I’m going through or something I’ve witnessed. The power of the pen is incredible, but don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what some students from around campus had to say when asked about the importance of keeping a journal. I won’t include the students names I’ll just label them as student 1, student 2, etc.

Student 1 states, “It’s great to keep a journal because it helps you stay organized.”

Student 2 states, “My opinion on keeping a journal. As a scatter brained musician and writer and all around thinker there is no way I could keep all my thoughts in my head. Also, once I put those thoughts down I can go back to them and expand and I can look at old notes or entries and compare my thinkin or feelings then and now and in the future. Also, as a guy that doesn’t just let everybody know everything I’m thinking it’s a good record if anything ever happened. Also, if I’m feeling extra about something it’s a much better way to let out a feeling or two than going out and doing somethin stupid.”

Student 3 states, “Keeping a journal is a good way to help you express your thoughts. It also can be used as a keepsake for the future you to look back on, to see how you’ve changed as a person.”

Student 4 states, “Keeping a journal is important for the creative because it allows you to track down ideas and develop them. Also it allows you to track down when creative hits you when you post the date and time of the entry. For me, i have a digital journal as well as the traditional one. The digital one on my phone allows me to put down ideas on the go so i never forget a great concept when inspiration hits me.”

These were just some simple examples of how people use journals to their advantage. You don’t have to be creative. For me journals are a safe space to get out your thoughts and ideas. For some people they’re used to organize or write down something before they forget it. Some like me use it to get things of their chest. Journals can be used for anything, but I promise you investing in one is worth the dollar from the dollar tree.

Looking over this post I found myself getting lost again. I started the post in my mind trying to translate the importance of keeping a journal and communicating your words to paper to vent and make yourself feel good inside. I guess the real importance of this post is writing. Writing for yourself, writing for your thoughts, writing for peace, and just writing to write. I think people undermine writing in general; it’s not only good for you to express yourself etc. but it’s good for your education. Once you get to the graduate level, whether it’s your bachelors, masters, or especially your doctorate you will write. You will write papers galore. For those of you still in English 1101 or 1102 watch out because it doesn’t stop there, but don’t be discouraged. Writing is good for us. Writing is fun! Writing can help you learn a lot about yourself. I hope I’m getting my point across that everyone should write, something. It doesn’t matter what it is, write because writing is including in everything. Unlike math like all those math professors like to tell us. Just kidding, math is important too. Haha. Overall as I’ve drilled in your head writing is awesome; but I want you to hear it from someone else. Adam Falkner, a teacher in Brooklyn talks about how writing can change the world. If you have the time, watch the video. It might encourage you to pick up a pen or pencil.

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