Author S.J. Scott Writes on Building a Daily Personal Journaling Habit

One of my favorite nonfiction/self-help authors S.J. Scott (also known as Steve Scott) has posted a cool article on his website Develop Good Habits.com. S.J. Scott wrote and co-wrote various books about building positive habits such as setting goals, increasing productivity and staying organized. In my top favorites now is CONFIDENT YOU: An Introvert's Guide to Success in Life and Business, which Steve co-wrote with fellow author Rebecca Livermore.

And guess why I'm sharing this (I gave you a clue :D )? The article Steve posted is about journal writing! I've been writing in journals for a long time but this article was so fun to read! :) I nodded in agreement quite a few times.

Some topics discussed are: The benefits of journaling; setting aside the time to write; what to write about; how to write in the journal; appropriate environments to journal (though it should be whatever works best for YOU). That's not all, though... there's still more! If you want to check this out now, click here.

As a quick tutorial, it's a great getting-started guide for building a daily journaling habit. However, it will depend on how you want your journal to help you. For example, some days I write paragraphs or pages in a big college-ruled notebook. Other days, the only journaling I've done is write a few lines in my pocket notebook. And that's okay; it's small but it's till also a journal of my thoughts, ideas and reminders. But sometimes those few lines... or even a few words... might mean the difference between a good idea and a great idea!

I go into more detail about personal journaling in my eBook Easy Journal Writing. For now, to get a strong introduction on personal journaling today, grab a few minutes to read Steve Scott's post on the daily personal journaling habit. You can find his article here.

If you also want to learn more about his habit books, check out this page on Develop Good Habits.com.

My Quiet, Private Way

I've been doing a lot of journaling and intense "brain dumping" in the last three weeks. And let me tell you, it's done a heck of a lot of good for me.

I realize I can't help everyone. I can't help every single person. It is impossible to please everyone, and I tend to be a people-pleaser. But here's what's going on.

Recently I've been reading more about my personality type. For around a year I've known I was an INFJ - Introvert, INtuition, Feeling, Judgment. (Judgment would be more about self-judgment in this case.) And it's true I have trouble adjusting to major changes or suddenly stressful situations.

So I've decided to reduce my stress by easing up on things.

I am learning new skills so I can create my products and work more independently and not need to depend on anyone else. I am learning how to use certain software and utilize techniques to facilitate independent creative work. I am not going to depend on someone else's schedule or agenda because I can do with less conflict.

Already I have mentioned I'm gearing up to be an authorpreneur. My workaholic tendencies can sometimes get the better of me, but I'd rather have that than a boss. I'm not accepting any client work now, not for at least another long while. When I know better what I can do, I can consider working for others, but I otherwise have only done excellent audio transcription as a freelancer and I'd now charge more for it than before, because my time is very valuable.

I am happier when I do entrepreneurial tasks that are congruent to who I am, what I like and what energizes me. So if I want to make journal books too, then I'll do that. I can still help more people without feeling like I'm worthless just because I don't do "real" work or have a "conventional" job. I will be helping others but in my more private, quiet way.

I apologize if this blog post feels somewhat of a mess. But I felt I had to update you and my other readers about what's going on, and it's not even everything. I'm taking a bit of time off to figure some things out and write some ideas out. It's very necessary... and right now I shouldn't deny myself this important period of healing and reflection.

My YouTube Channel is up: A New Author with New Beginnings

So, I'm up on YouTube now! Both nervous AND excited about this. :)

Hello There and Welcome!

Hello fellow writers and readers!

Welcome to my author notebook. I am Sara A. Watts, the author of Easy Journal Writing: Jump-start Your Journaling Routine with Expert Tips and Light Prompts.

This is something of a starter blog until I’m able to make a better website. But for now, you can learn more about me and my book's topics here.

I will also be writing my thoughts and experiences as both a writer and an introvert. The purpose of this blog is to continue sharing those experiences after my book has been published. But I will share them so that you may relate. 

I want to make it known there are many positive aspects about being an introvert writer. I am constantly learning about my new life and continue to journal. And since I'm an advocate of journal writing, you will benefit from what I share.

I enjoy personal journaling, which is one of those positive qualities as an introvert. It allows me to write more when I'm not at my computer. And, journal writing really is stress relief. I say this in my book too. At the end of the day my head is filled with thoughts and ideas that need somewhere to go. So I write them down in a notebook. 

It's very therapeutic. :)

As of today I'm in my final preparations to publish the book for the Amazon Kindle, so I'm very excited about it!

Glad you found me. Happy reading!