Firstly, I never say no! I am so determined to please people that if I'm asked to do an extra shift, a quick errand, or any other task I always say, 'Yes!' This is not helping me at times, I really need to take a moment and decide if I can fulfill this request? Do i have time? It is not a bad thing to sometimes say no!
Secondly, I don't take time to digest information. During my day to day life I never seem to allow anytime to digest information I have recieved. I attended training day at work a few weeks ago. Part of the day consisted of a lecture from a lifestyle coach who said that as human beings we should all allow thirty minutes per day to ourselves. These thirty minutes should be spent doing something you enjoy and makes you relaxed and ready for the day. I never do this! Taking some time out will not only allow the digestion of information but also a little reflection.
Thirdly, putting it off until tomorrow! I am a terrible procrastinator and this really needs to stop! As Thomas Jefferson said, 'Never put off tomorrow what you can do today.'
I really feel that through my journal I am learning these lessons about myself and can adapt and use them in my day to day life. As a task I think journal writing is enriching my learning experience and allowing me to put my thoughts in order.
Positive Outcomes
Somedays I have been quite suprised at how positive my experiences have been. Last Thursday, for example after writing about an audition I attended I wrote,
'The dance side of the audition was great, once I got into it and lost my inhibitions I really enjoyed myself. My singing also went well, though I do find I am really hard on myself when it comes to singing. I got great feedback in my interview and feel really positive - fingers crossed!'
Learning through reflection is not always about what you did wrong, it can also be about what you did right.
Whilst exploring ways of writing my journal I have looked elsewhere at other methods of capturing and reflecting on the day. The Overview of tasks states,
'You may need to find your own way to 'puzzle through' . This is part of your professional development - it is important to find the ways that you best think and 'puzzle through' ideas.
I agree with the idea stated here. As human beings we all take information in at different rates and can work through in different ways. For example I could sit and read for hours at a time but I need to digest the information before I then sit down to write. A good cup of tea is always in order!
So how do you write a journal?
I think the idea of 'writing a journal' can be greatly expanded on. Here are my views on the methods we have been asked to try;
Description - This has been the most natural way for me to write. Description allows me to state what I have done during the day and when and where the events took place.
Initial Reflection - I often write quite emotionally about the events of the day, how did it make me feel? What were my thoughts? How did I react?
List - I love lists! In my day to day life I have millions of lists! I list things I need to do, things I need to afford, Christmas presents I need to buy, Christmas presents I want! My lists are endless! I often think I need to compile a list of all my lists! This was such a natural way for me to write, I particularly liked to use a list to summarise what I had learnt that day.
Evaluation - Looking at what has worked and what has not been so successful is a great way to reflect. Basic evaluation can give your day great meaning and even when things are maybe not going to plan you can see through evaluation that not everything you did was necessarily wrong.
Graphs, Charts and Diagrams - Definately a harder method for me! However when I recorded my day in graph format I was suprised at my productivity levels. Graphs are a great way of finding out how much time you are wasting!
Here are my activity graphs for the weekend 17th and 18th November;
What if? - I found this way of writing quite poetic. It was particularly interesting to write this way after a recent audition. 'What if I get this job? The location is perfect for me, the job is a great, the shows are great, the money is good, I would be so happy being able to at least speak to my boyfriend everyday, I will be able to see my family, I won't miss to much of my niece growing up' As lovely as it is to write in this way, it didn't suit me so well because I don't like the idea of tempting fate. I like to look at life as what happened and how it affects me.
Another View - This was the most challenging way to write for me. I chose to approach this by looking at a situation from another persons point of view. How did I make that person feel? What was their point of view on the same situation? I think this way of writing is really important for reflection as it makes the writer 'step outside' of their comfort zone and see a different view of the same day.
My general day to day writing became a hybrid of a few ideas, Description, initial reflection, list and evaluation. I would often describe what happened, how it made me feel, list what I had learnt and then evaluate the day. For example
Sunday 4th November (First day of rehearsals for a Christmas show)
I started today with the usual trepidation of starting with a new company and also the excitement of spending a whole day dancing. After introducing everyone involved with the show we started hammering through the choreography. I find it easier to learn choreography to music I already know, I was picking everything up well.
The Rock and Roll medley was a personal highlight because I always enjoy partner work and my love of, 'Strictly Come Dancing' seems to keep my increasingly tired brain active! However we broke for lunch around one o'clock and resumed at two. My brain and ability to absorb choreography seemed to have completely lapsed. A complex tap routine to 'Candyman' from Willy Wonker was eluding me completely!
We ended the day re-running what we had learnt and discussing how the next few weeks would progress. After driving home and filling my family in on the events of the day I took a moment to think things through. Here are my notes from the day;
*Preperation - I should have spent more time with the CD on getting to grips with the music and my solo songs so I started the day with more confidence. (I had just listened to the CD in the car)
*Concentration - I find my concentration wavers after lunch. What can I do to keep my concentration level up? In the past I have used a homeopathic concentration spray, I think I need to find it!
*Warm up/Cool down - at this stage in my career I should be more disciplined with myself especially as at the moment I have a back injury
Journal Entries using web 2.0
Now the idea of compiling a journal has become part of my life I have realised that recording our thoughts and ideas are all around us. This may not take the format of sitting down with a book and writing. It may be a facebook status telling friends what we have done or achieved that day, it may be a photograph that captures what the day intails or it may be a video. The idea of a video particularly struck me as we see this use so often in TV. For example in the reality TV shows, 'Big Brother' and 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here' the contestants use the 'Diary Room' to record their views of the day. Here are a few rules for the 'Big Brother Diary Room'
THE DIARY ROOM
The Diary Room is provided for you and your fellow Housemates to share your experiences with Big Brother. As it is an important part of life in the Big Brother House, it is compulsory for all Housemates to come to the Diary Room when specifically requested to do so by Big Brother. You are also free to come and talk to Big Brother in the Diary Room, at any time.
The Diary Room is a confidential room where you will make your nominations, you can vent your frustrations and share your concerns and your feelings, safe in the knowledge that they will not be overheard by the other Housemates. For this reason, Big Brother will expect you to keep all conversations in the Diary Room confidential. When Big Brother does ask you to pass on information to other Housemates written instructions may be provided for you to read aloud.
Source; /www.bigbrotherwebsite.net/house-rules/
I decided that I would try this method of recording my day, here is my video diary 16/11/12;
Although it is an interesting way of capturing the day I didn't find recording my video as helpful as writing. There is something about writing the words down and formulating your thoughts on paper that give you a basis to reflect and see the day and what you have learnt more clearly.
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