A daily journal can be a tool for generating and capturing ideas, enhancing productivity, and prioritising tasks. The practice of journalling reduces stress and increases focus, organisation and playfulness, and can help you tackle other projects, like writing your novel. Some planning systems take a lot of work and time; this approach is endlessly customisable. You can spend five minutes a day on it or as long as you wish. It is, in essence, a practical approach to mindfulness, with a focus on calm, creativity and clarifying priorities.

This energising, interactive course blends approaches from a number of sources on productivity, incorporating insights from brain research that will help you harness your motivation and concentration. These classes will include exercises, supporting information, tips and techniques and pointers on where and how to find more information after the course has finished. The journal you end up with will give you an overview of your life, a forward-looking tool to generate ideas and complete projects but also a review tool for learning lessons and a record of your journey, as colourful and detailed as you want it to be.

 

Course breakdown

Week 1: How to begin and why: This week we’ll explore the exciting world of journals, productivity and creativity and cover tools to get you started, including in-class exercises. We will survey what works and why and the information, motivation and exercises you need to begin making this keystone habit part of your daily life. Homework each week will help you incorporate this keystone habit into your daily life.

Week 2: Creativity: This week we’ll explore in-depth journal exercises and practices to inspire and capture creativity, and share homework and experiences to reinforce this new and powerful habit.

 Week 3: Productivity: this week we will have fun experimenting with ways of improving productivity and consistency while increasing mindfulness.

 Week 4: Long-term goals: we will bring all this work together to help you work toward your long-term goals: write that novel, start or finish that degree or even cement habits that help manage physical and mental health.

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Expected Learning Outcomes

1. Participants will learn how to set up a daily journal to capture ideas, enrich creativity and prioritise tasks.
2. Participants will gain an understanding of how to use a range of journal techniques to achieve large goals such as writing a novel or finishing a degree.
3. Participants will gain an understanding of how and why an analogue journal complements digital tools, and how to progress beyond the exercises and techniques offered during the course to continue learning and customising their journals.

 

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Participant Requirements

You will need to bring a blank journal, preferably about A5 size, no dates or days. The pages can be blank or lined but dotted is generally best.

You will also need to bring a pen or three (preferably at least black, blue and red) and a ruler. Coloured highlighter markers are very useful. The journal can be as basic or as fancy as you wish: many consider the Leuchtturm 1917 Bullet Journal to be the ultimate journal, or the Moleskine. These journals are beautiful, useful, and the perfect size but they are not cheap so do feel free to bring along whatever journal is best for you. This is a tool you will use every day for it to be effective, so if possible choose one that delights you without inhibiting your creativity.