The value in journaling

I started writing in a journal a few months ago. Yesterday, I signed in and began reading what I wrote.

What I read was remarkable. Here's a sampling of what I wrote:

• "Started thinking about what to call this thing last night. I don't want to refer to it as a journal. That's not the valuable thing here."
• "I feel lucky. Work today was good. Felt like the week was very productive."
• "We bought (our son) a crate from KiwiCo. It was fun watching him open it yesterday. I think he really enjoys the new toys. He played with them for awhile before bed."

It's not often we get to peer into thoughts we had months ago. For whatever reason, we forget. At the time it was unremarkable - something we take for granted.

Pair that with the fact that writing stream of consciousness is mostly discouraged online.

A journal gives you a private place to do it, free from the eye of the internet. What I wrote, the memories of my son playing with his new toys and the mundane commentary about work - that's special to me now.

I don't remember the random thoughts or feelings I had in the past, but reading those thoughts, jogging my memory, makes me want to continue to write them down. It's a chance for reflection.

The product I'm building gives me a place to do that: mindlogz. I know what I'm building is valuable to me and I hope others will find that value for themselves.