The simplest way to think of “journal injuries” is to think of them as injuries you give yourself through journaling about unmet expectations while ignoring your actual accomplishments.
You sit down to work and you journal about the process of working not the work itself. If you journaled about the work, you would see clearly that you’ve accomplished more than you’ll give yourself credit for later when you look back at all the expectations you set but didn’t meet.
Challenge yourself to write 3 hours a day every day but fail after the first 2 days? You’ll see that in the journal entries. In loving detail, you’ll discuss the things that got in your way, or how you’ll stick it out this time, for sure, or how you took a break for coffee and how in the world did that take thirty minutes…? You won’t see that you finished two chapters, made a cover, set up a page on your website for your upcoming book… Do you see where that’s going?
Journal injuries, at least mine, have come from a mindset where I value the process more than the work. If I spent my time journaling about the work instead of the process, I’d have a lovely record of all my accomplishments. Instead, I have a treasure trove of journal injuries waiting to get claws into me when I revisit them.
So, any future logs, or journals, have to come from me with the mindset of journal the work, not the process.
It’s worth repeating. Journal the work, not the process.
I started writing down one thing at the end of every day — what I actually managed to do. Not a to-do list, not plans. Just one small win. It’s surprising how quickly it shifts your perspective.
I’ve tried the “small wins” philosophy before. The truth is that I have to try different things at different times, because I get bored quickly, lose motivation easily, and have an interest-based motivation system. In other words, nothing works for long even when it does work. Perspectives change easily, and then change again. It’s better to be on to the next thing than to get stuck in a quagmire of guilt because what used to work isn’t working any longer. That means I inevitably end up with a lot of journal entries that highlight my failures instead of my successes. I think the best rule I’ve ever come up with is to write about the work, not the process.