A learning log will increase the returns on your self improvement investments

A learning log or journal should be seen not as an optional extra but as an essential aid to create ideas for future self improvement and learning (e.g. when investing in your personal development).

Why?

For four excellent reasons:

1. as a capture mechanism:

* for new ideas

* for new uses of old ideas

* for random thoughts that might be useful in the future

* for analysis of situations and opportunities so that positive learning is the outcome

* for encouraging self discipline and determination in achieving goals

2. as a stimulus to new thinking:

* when you're stuck, browse through your journal to get your thinking going again

* when you need to think differently, scan your learning log to add some left brain or right brain options to your usual thinking preferences

* browsing will sometimes makes connections between ideas that were captured months apart

* you may see patterns of behaviour or thinking or ideas or....that you would probably not have spotted otherwise

3. as a self motivator:

* your learning log will enable you to see self improvement progress as a "fact" which can be very motivating, especially if you are feeling stuck or disheartened

* this can also encourage you to celebrate your successes.....

* ........or persevere with determination and self discipline when others would have given up

4. to help you learn:

Remember the definition of positive learning?:

enhancing your capacity to create your own future.

A learning log will help you achieve positive learning and avoid negative learning.

A journal is, and should be, very personal - whatever works for you is fine.

And, of course, it will tend to match with your thinking preferences.

For example, if you have a strong left brain limbic thinking preference you may want to have your learning log very well organised with headings, checklists etc.

Or, if you have a strong right brain preference in your thinking you may be quite happy with a plain notebook in which you can doodle and scribble and draw ideas randomly.

Whatever format or layout suits you, however, often the content of your journal, to achieve its primary purpose of helping you to learn, will reflect your responses to questions such as:

* what has been my learning? (e.g. from this situation or barrier or opportunity)

* if I was doing it all over again, what would I do differently? (and why? and how?)

* how has this learning increased my capacity to create my own future?

* what's the double loop learning here?

* for my future, what should I start doing?; stop doing? and do differently?, as a result of my learning?

* how do I make sure that I achieve the best returns on my self improvement investment here?

As with many of the self improvement techniques on this site, be sure to take action, get some feedback about what works and what doesn't, change things as needed, and do it again............but do it.

A learning log is your best friend when it comes to self improvement.
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