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Always Be Journaling (2018)

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Re: Always Be Journaling (2018)

#61

Post by arvinsim »

wry_discontent wrote: post #32
ncphillips wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Emotions _are_ facts. By not reporting your emotions around a subject, you're omitting the facts of the situation.

I'm not a very outwardly emotional person, which sometimes causes tension in my social life. I've been trying recently to regard my emotions more as a more primitive version of thinking, rather than some other kind-of-thing. They're automatic thoughts coming from my brain that manifest as "feeling" something rather than something I can articulate into facts. It's been somewhat helpful in trying to accept my emotions…

I dislike the current culture that we have that demonizes emotions. The stance that being emotionless is superior to having emotions.

Emotions, like everything else, can either both drag people down....or be used to amplify their strengths. The problem is that society seems to only consider the former and disregard the latter.

Re: Always Be Journaling (2018)

#62

Post by arvinsim »

sh87 wrote: post #58

Some observations I'd like to share based on my experience journalling for the last 5 years. * Brevity is important. With journalling, it is very tempting to go off on a rant. Feels good at the time but its usefulness declines rapidly with time. Short notes that encompass your state of mind or emotions or feelings with some context and timestamps go up in personal value with passage of time. I keep details and rants…

> * Summarize regularly. Every once a few months when you have down time, summarize your notes and make observations. My favorite bit is to find an old note with a sidenote/annotation and see how I look at the same things differently or still have the same mindset.

I feel that this runs counter to what a journal is. Wouldn't the value of the journal be to record what you felt at that moment of time?

Re: Always Be Journaling (2018)

#64

Post by tuesday20 »

justinlloyd wrote: post #55
complianceowl wrote: post #14

Has anyone here ever refrained from being too honest in your journaling, out of fear someone read it some day?

I have two sections in my digital notebook that are off limits, encrypted and password protected (with passwords I never share and 2FA) that contain "Dark Thoughts" and "Bad Thoughts About People." Dark Thoughts section is where I journal about some internalized toxic negativity, usually fabricated by some mild background depression, running through my brain. Dark Thoughts section lets me compartmentalize and objecti…

Is your journal on your laptop? What if you are asked to decrypt at the airport?

Re: Always Be Journaling (2018)

#65

Post by sh87 »

arvinsim wrote: post #62
sh87 wrote: post #58

Some observations I'd like to share based on my experience journalling for the last 5 years. * Brevity is important. With journalling, it is very tempting to go off on a rant. Feels good at the time but its usefulness declines rapidly with time. Short notes that encompass your state of mind or emotions or feelings with some context and timestamps go up in personal value with passage of time. I keep details and rants…

> * Summarize regularly. Every once a few months when you have down time, summarize your notes and make observations. My favorite bit is to find an old note with a sidenote/annotation and see how I look at the same things differently or still have the same mindset. I feel that this runs counter to what a journal is. Wouldn't the value of the journal be to record what you felt at that moment of time?

Although its a preference, I don't seem to share your concern.

A half yearly summary of distilled main themes, decisions and learnings has been crucial for me to continue my journalling process.

When I want to know what I was doing late 2017, I go through my summary. Any detail I want to re-visit is available in my running log.

Re: Always Be Journaling (2018)

#67

Post by richard78459 »

jsilence wrote: post #15

On my I3 window manager I start emacs in a hidden floating window that I can bring to front with a one handed hotkey (Super- Then I use org-modes org-capture to either capture into journal.org multiple times daily or notes.org when having interesting ideas. I use org-rifle to search through the journal and notes. The files are synced between devices via owncloud.

Is the hidden floating window better than having emacs in a permanent workspace ? What are your thoughts ?

Re: Always Be Journaling (2018)

#68

Post by jsilence »

Naac wrote: post #43
jsilence wrote: post #15

On my I3 window manager I start emacs in a hidden floating window that I can bring to front with a one handed hotkey (Super- Then I use org-modes org-capture to either capture into journal.org multiple times daily or notes.org when having interesting ideas. I use org-rifle to search through the journal and notes. The files are synced between devices via owncloud.

Can you explain more about your setup? What if you're in a different workspace? Does the floating hidden emacs window follow you across workspaces?

Yes, the floating hidden window always pops up on whatever workspace I am currently working on.

I thought about automatically hiding it, when switching to another workspace, but have not yet come around doing this.

I use a simple script to start emacs in case I accidentally close it:

  i3-msg 'exec emacs -name emacs-server' 
  i3-msg  \[instance=\"emacs-server\"\] move scratchpad;
  i3-msg  \[instance=\"emacs-server\"\] floating enable;
  sleep 1
  i3-msg  \[instance=\"emacs-server\"\] scratchpad show;
  i3-msg  \[instance=\"emacs-server\"\] move position 450px 0px;
  i3-msg  \[instance=\"emacs-server\"\] resize set 950 100 ppt
  i3-msg  \[instance=\"emacs-server\"\] scratchpad show;
The i3 config portion additionally has the key binding:

  bindsym $mod+less [instance="emacs-server"] scratchpad show

Re: Always Be Journaling (2018)

#69

Post by shoes_for_thee »

idoh wrote: post #54
shoes_for_thee wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a good idea. I get attached to the artifact, though. I think I'd need to make it an annual or bi-annual _event_. Build a fire, smoke a cigar, burn the past. Sounds nice.

I do it from time to time, it is cathartic. You live near SF? You can come over and we can burn our things together.

lol

nah, on the east coast for better & for worse

Re: Always Be Journaling (2018)

#70

Post by Psyladine »

complianceowl wrote: post #14

Has anyone here ever refrained from being too honest in your journaling, out of fear someone read it some day?

The idea of journaling was filling the need to talk to someone about something, but another person could never be trusted. Anne Frank would be mortified that people read her most private thoughts and fantasies.

It's rooted in psychological well being, much like therapy. It's why I was most offended by the judge mocking Ross Ulbricht for committing his private observations, including criminal ones, to his diary. Modern life asks that we be strangers, even unto ourselves, understood only by our digital merchants.

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