It Starts with Passion, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 26Create time & space to think

I believe that every day we gain ideas, insights and information that can make a difference. These ideas may not be useful right away, but they may be further down the track. Being able to capture your thoughts and access them later is an asset whose value most people don’t fully grasp.

Journaling

You have a number of choices when it comes to capturing your insights and ideas. You can buy yourself a notebook from the stationery store, set up an electronic document on your chosen device or even download a voice recording app to your smartphone. I recommend placing a number of notepads where you often have great ideas — beside the bed, on your office desk, in the kitchen and in your car.

In 2012 I attended the Behance 99% Conference in New York, where Harvard professor and co-author of The Progress Principle Teresa Amabile spoke about the value of keeping a daily journal. She had conducted an analysis of 12 000 journal entries from 238 senior executives from 26 different project teams, seven companies and three industries across the USA. She asked them to keep a journal every day as a way of reflecting on the day, refocusing them for the next day, capturing the ideas gained, celebrating the wins and what they had learned.

I am a great believer in journaling, and Teresa offered some great ideas to help start the process:

• Start small, setting aside five minutes a day.
• Decide on your medium — for example, a paper journal or an electronic ...