I’m supposed to be a software engineer. Math, science, logic, numbers.

So a lot of people ask me how I got the “courage” to write online. How do you know what to write about? What if you’re not a “good writer”?

What if people—gasp—read what you write??

Well, that’s kind of the point.

However, I didn’t start by publishing a book’s worth of wisdom. I started by journaling a few words in a personal Google Doc. Nobody else has ever seen those words.

Reflective journaling is an incredibly good exercise for your mental health. And, if you take it a step further, writing in public can also lead to crazy opportunities and expand your sense of what’s possible.

I know it feels daunting however, so here are 3 unconventional methods to make it significantly easier.

Lots of research shows that journaling is very effective for reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Now, you can even use AI journaling apps to help you connect the dots in seconds.

So why don’t we all do it?

The problem is that standard journaling advice feels prescriptive.

You “must” write pen to paper and carry a notebook around. Do it every day, at least x pages a day in the morning first thing when you wake up and also last thing before you go to bed. Etcetera.

That’s BS.

Forget all of the “rules.” You can’t be good or bad at it. It’s not “writing” in the conventional sense. Nobody is going to see it. Unless you decide otherwise after it’s written.

Just brain dump.

You have thoughts all the time. Simply materialize those thoughts into the real world. Any recording method works. Writing, typing, audio, even video counts.

I am a “roll out of bed 6 minutes before my first Zoom meeting” kind of person. I can’t be bothered to write morning pages with pen and paper before that.

Lazy people like me need to minimize emotional and physical friction when it comes to journaling. Find something you can stick to.

In high school, I thought I hated writing. Turns out, I just hated writing about things I didn’t care much about.

I realized I really like thinking and organizing. And writing is just organized thinking on paper. So why wouldn’t I like writing?

For this exercise, focus on thinking without any organizing. I type because it’s faster than writing by hand. The only rule is that YOU CANNOT PRESS BACKSPACE.

Before I made my first public video, I was very uncomfortable talking to a camera. To practice, I talked to my phone for 50+ days straight. Every day, I pressed record, stared into the lens, and yapped for 5+ minutes about nothing. And also everything.

After 50 days, I had accidentally created a video journal.

It became almost meditative.

Video and audio capture tone, facial expressions, and energy levels. You can see yourself how your friends see you, from a third party point of view. Are you visibly tired? Excited? Apprehensive? Anxious?

I did this for a few months during COVID, but stumbled upon it again this week in a book.

“Homework For Life” comes from Storyworthy by professional storyteller Matthew Dicks. The idea is to take a 5 minutes a day and jot down one thing that made that day different from the rest.

This is for the <10% who might actually take action on this.

This week, try one of these 3 methods for 7 days in a row. Make it as lightweight as possible so you can stick to it. Even 5 sentences or a 60 seconds video clip is better than nothing.

Invest in yourself. It’s worth the 5 minutes a day.

If you’re part of the extra motivated 1%, email me back to let me know how it went. =)

Hi, I’m Kat! Welcome to my newsletter—your weekly dose of mindset, perspective, and mental health for sustainable success.

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— Kat