Why I Started Carrying a Notebook Everywhere.

Have you ever had a conversation so good you wished you could replay it? One where something clicked — eyes widened, hearts raced — and you thought: I need to remember this.

And then you didn't.

My clients and I have some amazing conversations. The problem is I kept forgetting them. You know how sometimes you have a laugh so hysterical and long about something, but then you can't remember what it was about? It was like one of those moments. Over and over again.

Eventually, I decided I didn't want to forget anymore.

My first solution was my smartphone. Handy, always with me, theoretically perfect. There was only one problem: I don't prefer typing over writing. The things I talked about didn't stick the same way. They didn't click.

Here's what I mean by click.

Research shows that when you learn something new and then turn around and teach it to someone else, you retain it better. The same is true for writing — for most people, the physical act of putting pen to paper improves working memory in a way that typing doesn't. Writing is learning. The brain treats it the same way it treats talking through an idea out loud.

Also, I like the sound of scribbling. I think it's an ASMR thing.

So I started journaling.

You've probably heard about journaling. A lot. People journal to declutter their minds, exercise creativity, improve focus, sharpen their writing. I wanted all of those things, so I bought a small Moleskine pocket journal and started carrying it everywhere.

It worked. Better retention of the things I talked about. Better content. And something I didn't expect: it helped me achieve my goals more consistently.

None of this is new. Most people have an intuitive sense that journaling would help them. And yet most people don't do it.

Why?

Journaling takes time. It takes energy. Sometimes it takes vulnerability — even on paper, who wants to admit their faults, weaknesses, and failures? Not many of us.

More than anything, it takes consistency. Gee, just like literally anything else. Can't life be a bit more autonomous and low-maintenance?

We know we should sleep more, stress less, move more, eat better. Journaling joins that list easily. The gap between knowing and doing is one of the most human things there is — and it doesn't close just because the evidence is compelling.

So I'm not going to tell you journaling will change your life if you just commit to it. What I will say is that I kept the bar low enough that it didn't feel like a commitment at all. Five minutes. Four questions. A pocket-sized notebook I could lose in a jacket. That was it.

Here's the other thing worth knowing: we like talking about ourselves. Who doesn't love a conversation where we're the center of the universe? Paper isn't a person, but at least it won't judge you. You won't have to worry about what the paper thinks.

Anne Frank once said: "Paper is more patient than man."

I journaled every day for about 30 days and noticed real improvements in mental health and productivity. Not earth-shattering — like my sense of humor — but enough to keep going, albeit a bit more sporadically. I still keep my Moleskine wherever I go. Except maybe to the barber.

Here's what I'm asking of you: try it for 30 days. Not because the research says so — because I did it and something shifted.

If you're not sure where to start, here are four prompts straight from stoic literature. Simple, honest, takes five minutes:

Give it 30 days. You can even share what comes up with me — even though I prefer to talk about myself.