the discipline of a diary.
(this is a comment to an earlier post by sphinxie on the subject that I also wanted to have as a regular post)
I have yet to find the venue for my inner thoughts and dialogue.
I would say that, by and large, diary writing doesn't exist to a great majority of people these days. Part of that comes from the increased velocity of the world in general. From television, to video games, to the internet, to texting, to iphones, people are becoming more and more complacent to let life carry them passively to the next form of entertainment and instant gratification.
That said, diary keeping requires more discipline now that there are so many other things that could occupy our time. Many psychologists, occultists, spiritualists, yogis, self-help writers and others tout diary keeping as an essential part of living a better (more mindful, grateful, introspective, spiritual) life. This has brought many to diaries who may have never given the practice a second thought without (insert aforementioned people) suggesting it as a solution.
I used to write in a diary sporadically as a teenager, because it was the only forum i had for my troubles. When I began blogging for the first time in high school, it too was sporadic and more of a way to update those who care about my life about different things that would happen in my life, This was especially valuable when I lived in a different state from many of my friends and when my sister moved to another state from me. Now, with the ease, accessibility and extensive use of Facebook, it has taken the time which I would otherwise perhaps spend on blogging (which effectively took the place of personal diary writing) and replaced it with updates, sharing, stalking and (gasp) Farmville. I am not proud of this evolution and have been trying for YEARS to find a method of diary keeping that I could discipline myself to. I have tried Morning Pages (an Artists Way thing), Magical Diary keeping, blogging, LJ, various books on the subject, and even an iphone APP (momento) that keeps thoughts in a short format (like FB or Twitter) and integrates those daily (private) thoughts with your actual historical FB updates. while the app did not make me a diarist, it does keep my FB statuses cataloged (even those from before the app was added) in a way that removes game updates, links, videos, etc.
None of the myriad of attempts have succeeded in giving me all the things necessary to keep a daily (or even weekly) record. I lack motivation, followthrough, discipline and stability which I think are some of the necessary components to any successful daily practice. I don't think I am the only person to have this same problem with this particular daily discipline. I also feel guilty if I miss a day or stop for a long period of time which results in things like my blog(s), LJ, and a dozen notebooks that are all half-filled-- left incomplete.
Any advice on successful diary-keeping would rock, because it is a practice I would LOVE to integrate but I seem to have little or no success with it.
I have yet to find the venue for my inner thoughts and dialogue.
I would say that, by and large, diary writing doesn't exist to a great majority of people these days. Part of that comes from the increased velocity of the world in general. From television, to video games, to the internet, to texting, to iphones, people are becoming more and more complacent to let life carry them passively to the next form of entertainment and instant gratification.
That said, diary keeping requires more discipline now that there are so many other things that could occupy our time. Many psychologists, occultists, spiritualists, yogis, self-help writers and others tout diary keeping as an essential part of living a better (more mindful, grateful, introspective, spiritual) life. This has brought many to diaries who may have never given the practice a second thought without (insert aforementioned people) suggesting it as a solution.
I used to write in a diary sporadically as a teenager, because it was the only forum i had for my troubles. When I began blogging for the first time in high school, it too was sporadic and more of a way to update those who care about my life about different things that would happen in my life, This was especially valuable when I lived in a different state from many of my friends and when my sister moved to another state from me. Now, with the ease, accessibility and extensive use of Facebook, it has taken the time which I would otherwise perhaps spend on blogging (which effectively took the place of personal diary writing) and replaced it with updates, sharing, stalking and (gasp) Farmville. I am not proud of this evolution and have been trying for YEARS to find a method of diary keeping that I could discipline myself to. I have tried Morning Pages (an Artists Way thing), Magical Diary keeping, blogging, LJ, various books on the subject, and even an iphone APP (momento) that keeps thoughts in a short format (like FB or Twitter) and integrates those daily (private) thoughts with your actual historical FB updates. while the app did not make me a diarist, it does keep my FB statuses cataloged (even those from before the app was added) in a way that removes game updates, links, videos, etc.
None of the myriad of attempts have succeeded in giving me all the things necessary to keep a daily (or even weekly) record. I lack motivation, followthrough, discipline and stability which I think are some of the necessary components to any successful daily practice. I don't think I am the only person to have this same problem with this particular daily discipline. I also feel guilty if I miss a day or stop for a long period of time which results in things like my blog(s), LJ, and a dozen notebooks that are all half-filled-- left incomplete.
Any advice on successful diary-keeping would rock, because it is a practice I would LOVE to integrate but I seem to have little or no success with it.