I think one of the best tips I can give someone is to keep a journal. At the beginning of this semester I asked my English teacher what I could do to improve my writing. She told me to keep a journal. At first I was skeptical that keeping a journal would help me in any way, but it has helped me greatly.
At the start of this journal keeping experiment, rarely would I make an entry. I would always feel too tired. I realized after a while that on the days I wrote in my journal I would get to sleep faster. Instead of lying in bed thinking about random things not able to sleep for 15 or so minutes, I was able to fall asleep much faster because I had already spewed all those random thoughts down on paper.
Keeping a journal is a great way to remember things. Although I haven't really kept a journal for very long, already looking back through it, there are a great deal of things written I have forgotten about. I don't really think it has effected my writing much yet, but maybe I will notice a difference over time.
I have adapted this idea of keeping a journal to help with school. Everyday in my notebook I make a star next to ideas which I think I should remember forever. When I get home I look back through my notebook and make a note-card for each fact I wanted to remember. One of my desks in my room is covered with note-cards. Every night before I go to sleep I go through as many as I can. This has done wonders for remembering python functions.
When you are 60 you will thank yourself for keeping a journal. Not only does it tell you what you did but also your mindset when you did it, which is something almost impossible to remember well.
I'm glad you've begun keeping a journal! It's funny, I noticed this just last night - this observation you make about falling asleep earlier. Usually if something is bugging me, I can't help but chew on it as I try to fall asleep, which tends to keep me awake. Last night, I was writing in my journal about something that was bugging me right before I went to bed, and I fell right to sleep.
ReplyDeleteA journal is great for unloading stuff that's on your mind, but it's also great (as you note) for remembering things. I always try to write at least a little note when I see or experience something esp. wonderful. It's amazing, reading an old journal, how often I forget something that's happened, but then remember it when I read about it in my journal.
I'm also confident that it will improve your writing, if you stick with it. It's like playing scales on whatever instrument you play. It may not be amazing writing per se (or it may!), but practice is good in and of itself.