Is Journaling A Waste Of Time?

Question

Is journaling a waste of time?

Like a diary or just using LiveJournal or notepad and Use it as a journal of how things are everyday.

I dont think much would come out of it. And some people say its to discover yourself. Cant I do that in my head instead of typing it down?

Answer 1

I don't think so.  I don't know about you, but writing my thoughts down helps me sort things out with much greater clarity than I could ever do just staring at the wall.  It has been for me a very helpful aid to clarifying my ideas.

Answer 2

I think the best reason to keep a journal is to build your writing style and mechanics. You can watch your writing style evolve and spend time really figuring out how to word stuff- you take more time to get the wording right when it's your feelings and you'll get better at it in all parts of writing.

As for discovering yourself... maybe? It's common knowledge that getting stuff out of your head through writing helps clear your thoughts and alleviate stress. There are studies that say it does even more than that (see below or Google 'benefits of journaling').

Everyday is hard, and you might feel stupid at first, but in the end I think journaling is a good thing.