Keeping a journal isn’t for everyone. For those who do journal, there are a lot of different approaches.
The Gratitude Journal.
The One Sentence Journal.
The Bullet Journal.
Since today, April 17th, is National Haiku Day, you could give Haiku journaling a try and see if this might be an approach that resonates with you.
Haiku is a form of poetry that originated in Japan. With just three lines, the poems have simplicity. To create a haiku, the first and third lines have five syllables, and the second line has seven syllables.
Many people find haiku to be a great way to express emotions and capture small moments in the day. Originally, haikus were focused on nature, capturing moments of beauty and stillness in the world. Today, they are written on just about anything including humor, to evoke emotion, or remember something from the past.
My Story
I tried the haiku journal several years ago to capture memories of small moments at work. For me, the practice had several benefits.
- Documenting the Details – We tend to keep little details of life outside of work but aren’t as good at capturing memories from the activity that takes up so much of our day.
- Reduce Stress – When my mind was overthinking something, shifting my thoughts to the haiku provided a break and a bit of stress relief. When shifting back to the original topic, I was in a better mindset to handle the challenge at hand.
- Explore Creativity – Writing the poem was a way each day that I knew I would spend at least 5 minutes doing something creative and outside my everyday responsibilities.
Here is one of the poems I wrote:
I love great podcasts.
Thinking. Planning. Inspiring.
Great start to the day.
Your Turn
Pay attention to the details of your day – what stands out?
How could you turn this experience into a haiku?
Over time, what patterns do you see in the haikus you write?Bottom of Form