One Week of Insight Narrows Focus

We’ve all heard of the term “journaling.” Whether it’s food or finances, almost every program includes this as a tool for change.  This word can have several connotations associated with it.....it immediately seems long term.....it can seem time intensive and involved.  But you don’t need to do it forever to gain some valuable insight.  You can learn where your current focus needs to be, within a very short period of time.

I've never been able to do it for more than a couple days....and I can count on one hand how many times I've been able to do it for two weeks straight.  But each time, I was able to build on what I learned from last time.  Sometimes just seeing the same patterns over and over again proved to be big insight.

Let's take a look at eating habits, as an example...

• The First Week – Just write down what the food is (write it on scraps of paper, put it in your phone, just make a note of it somehow)
• Next Time – How much of that food are you eating, and When
• Then – The activity you are doing while eating food (eating out at a restaurant, eating while you are watching TV or reading)
• Then - What is your mood before and after, how does your body feel

Over time, you'll become more aware of what you truly need to focus on.  Because it can be something other than eating more fruits and vegetables.  And it isn't always the obstacle we originally think it is.  The more aware and honest you can be, the more you can see what needs to change.