The biggest changes in my life rarely came from epiphanies and radical decisions.

They came from tiny habits accumulated over time, most of which involve my notebooks.

I say these are "tiny" journaling habits because they don't take more than a few seconds and are easy to incorporate into daily life no matter your circumstances. And, I say "HUGE impact" meaning, these journaling habits can lead to substantial positive benefits for you, as the have for me.

So let's talk about three of them.

1) Carry a pocket notebook.

Before I bought my first pocket notebook I was hooked to my phone.

I used it for everything: my notes, reminders, ideas, education, entertainment, and social life were all mediated and accessed through a six inch screen.

At first I loved the power in my hands but it quickly turned into dependence. I could no longer imagine a world where I would choose to leave my phone at home. I wouldn't have my second brain, my social life, or my anxiety pacifier. Just the thought of it made my heart race.

But when I slid that first pocket notebook into my back pocket something changed: I had an alternative. Suddenly, there was an option to reach for something other than my phone–a choice that had been misssing from my life for over a decade.

I felt independent.

Now I could choose creativity over consumption. Focus over distraction. The real world over the digital.

It opened the doors to a whole new world of journaling, thinking, and remembering that didn't rely on a phone that was making me miserable.

I'm rarely on my phone anymore (much to the annoyance of people trying to reach me) and I've never been more satisfied with life.

The reason I list this habit as the first one is because it makes the following habits easier to do.

Any time, any place, you can pull out a pocket notebook and write something down. They're small enough to slide into you pant pocket or a coat. You can throw them in a bag or a purse. They're cheap, easy to find, and infinitely useful.

This habit completely changed my life but, you might be wondering what to use a pocket notebook for?

2) Idea Capture

The biggest lie we tell ourselves is, "I'll remember."

The modern world constantly barrages us with information: news, commentary, data, notifications, and emails. Every app, advertiser, and algorithm is vying for our attention.

Working memory is limited and under constant stress from the media enviornment. This information overload makes it harder than its ever been to remember our own thoughts.

This problem is solved every time you take a few seconds to write down what your're thinking in a pocket notebook.

When you write something down, you free up space in your working memory. It's one less ball to juggle in the mental circus act.

But it gets better because writing things down does more than externalize an idea, it helps encode information into long-term memory. That's why people who have a habit of writing quotes down in their notebook always seem to have a quipy phrase ready at the tip of their tongue.

The process of writing things down is itself a tool for memorization.

I've made it a habit to write down ideas for creative work as soon as I have them and it's paid massive dividends.

This newsletter is a result of this habit. During a busy shift I had the title come to me. I knew I'd forget if I didn't write it down so I rushed to the bathroom to write out a quick bullet point outline while the inspiration was hot. A few days later I opened the notebook and there it was, an idea I had already forgot about that was now going to serve a purpose.

So take a few seconds to invest in your idea bank and capture ideas, quotes, and to-do lists when they pop into your head. You'll be grateful for it later.

But ideas aren't the only thing we forget that are worth documenting.

3) Make memory maps.

If I asked you what you did last Monday would you remember? What about last month? What about this day last year?

We forget the life we lived fast. Even the events that seem important in the moment can fade away like a dream after a few days.

The pace of social media, the news cycle, and our working lives seem to be accelerating this forgetting curve.

That's why I have a simple habit of writing down one memory from the day before laying down for bed.

Life feels like it's passing us by when we don't take note of it. That's why I like to take a few seconds to take note.

I keep it simple, one or two sentences, documenting whatever memory comes to mind when I open my journal.

These tiny entries act like zip files for my memory. A single sentence can trigger a cascade of memories from that day creating a sort of memory map of my life.

Memory is contextual and interrelated. Remembering one moment triggers other memories, that trigger others, and so on.

You don't have to write extensive diary entries to relive chapters of your life. You just need a few sentences to replay your story.

Now why does this matter? Well, like I said, without memories life feels fast and frantic. Like the years are flying by and you don't know where the time is going.

This habit slows that process down.

And more than that, you never know when a memory is going to be useful for you.

Just the other day I was trying to figure out what led to my first YouTube video breakthrough and I opened my bullet journal to that week. There it all was, a sentence by each date creating context around the moment.

A book I bought browsing the bookstore on my birthday. An Italian Renaissance notekeeping method I learned about in it called a Zibaldone. A sentence about my frustrations with Notion and my decision to stop relying on digital apps for notetaking.

It was all there.

You can't put a price on a time-machine and this is close as I think I'll ever get to one.

You can build your own time machine with just a few seconds at the end of the night.

It's a tiny habit but I promise, it will have massive impact.

Prompt:

How can you build one tiny journaling habit into your life and what effect do you think it might have on you?

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