When you commit to writing a dream down on paper, it becomes a goal.
The written goals of the business evolve and change. A goal written down by a business owner is a start, but in order to implement it into a clearly communicated vision statement, it may need time to “distil”.
One of the tools I use to distil my ideas and dreams is a business journal. I don’t write in it every day, but when I take a trip, I will bring it along for when I have a few quiet moments to document my thoughts. I also use it to document when a big milestone occurs and the story that goes with it. I have been doing this for nearly 20 years and I have eight journals now.
Observations and benefits of keeping a business journal:
- Confidentiality – You can write to yourself in your journal with complete confidentiality. You can state exactly how you feel without offending anyone.
- Clarity – When a thought is committed to paper, it gives the writer clarity on the thought. This benefit alone is worth the effort in my opinion.
- Trendspotting – By far the most fun comes when you can look back over journal entries for a year or more. Having the documented thoughts on your important business issues over time provides valuable insight.
One of the observations I have found in my journals is when I have an idea that I think is fairly new and I discover it was recorded in my journal many years ago!
It is also a fact that our memory of events and thoughts change over time although because it is subconscious, we wouldn’t know it happened. However, if we put our thought down in a journal, we have documentation of it to compare to our current thinking.
If you are one of those people who doesn’t think a journal would serve you, I encourage you to at least try it for a short period of time just for the fun of it.
If you are one of those people who just doesn’t have the time to write, there are great technological advances to help you. Press a couple of buttons on your iPhone and it will record your voice.
It is easier than ever to create a business journal, but you still have to take a quick moment a year from now to review your observations.
