--- title: My Life: Writing Can Make Your Life Much Better description: Get ready to write canonical: https://time.com/3914538/notebook-writing-life-better/ author: Eric Barker article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-12T04:01:28.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:49:37.045Z article:section: Ideas og:title: This One Simple Thing Can Make Your Life Much Better og:description: Get ready to write og:url: https://time.com/3914538/notebook-writing-life-better/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19f7c7f44b3c2b4d/698853b12dce0182889e4184/84869616-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: open-journal-pen og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: This One Simple Thing Can Make Your Life Much Better twitter:description: Get ready to write twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19f7c7f44b3c2b4d/698853b12dce0182889e4184/84869616-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # This One Simple Thing Can Make Your Life Much Better ## Video: Maya Angelou's Most Powerful Quotes in 2 Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): Maya Angelou's Most Powerful Quotes in 2 Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kfMCnBPK.m3u8) (2:04)  _Published 2014-05-30. A collection of the poet and author's most memorable speeches, poems and interviews_ by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jun 12, 2015 4:01 AM UTC  Getty Images by [Eric Barker](https://time.com/author/eric-barker/) ## Eric Barker Jun 12, 2015 4:01 AM UTC Many people have written to me saying they love all the research on bettering themselves but need that first step on how to shoehorn it in to their day-to-day life. Incorporating a lot of the blog’s strategies can be as easy as buying a notebook. (No, it doesn’t need to have glitter on it or say “MY SECRET DIARY” on the front.) Others might think: “I don’t need to write stuff down. Reading is enough.” Nope. A lot of research shows your brain sees writing differently than thinking or talking. Writing forces you to organize and clarify your thoughts. You [learn better](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/05/whats-an-easy-way-to-increase-your-learning-a/) when you write things down and are [more likely to follow through](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/05/what-little-thing-can-increase-the-chance-peo/). So what should you be writing in this notebook? ## 1) Write down what you’re looking forward to People who devote time to anticipating fun experiences are happier. So at least once a week, make plans, write them down and when you need a boost, look at the great things you have coming up. From Shawn Achor’s [The Happiness Advantage:](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307591549/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0307591549) --- > “” --- (For more activities that will make you happier, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/08/here-are-the-things-that-are-proven-to-make-y/).) ## 2) Write down your progress Want to know your strengths and weaknesses? Make predictions, write them down and compare against results. This is an excellent way to see where your natural abilities are and if you’re improving. From management guru [Pete Drucker](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/06/how-can-we-keep-improving/): --- > “” --- Making notes about your preferences and experiences can help you turn your notebook into a [personal handbook](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/02/is-a-notebook-the-key-to-lasting-self-improve/). You’ll know yourself better and be able to make better decisions if you record your feelings and expectations when things happen. (For more on how to motivate yourself, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/how-to-motivate-yourself/).) ## 3) Write down your goals You’re [more likely to follow through](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/05/what-little-thing-can-increase-the-chance-peo/) on things that you write down. Writing down obstacles and how you’ll address them [increases levels of hope — and success](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/have-hope/). [Writing about your goals](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/08/what-should-you-write-about-if-you-want-to-in/) can make you happier and even _healthier:_ --- > “” --- Everybody knows they should write down goals and everyone has goals but no one does it. Why? They take it too seriously and they’re afraid. Don’t sweat it. Just jot them down. Goals can change but in the meantime they will help guide decisions when you’re stuck. (For more on how to stop being lazy and get more done, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/).) ## 4) Write down your ideas Many of the [great geniuses all kept notebooks](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/strokes-of-genius/). Why? Their ideas rarely, if ever, exploded out as one big _EUREKA!_ They developed over time and that evolution needed to be recorded and shaped. Via [Zig Zag: The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BG62E9C/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BG62E9C&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Got an idea? Good one? Mediocre one? Doesn’t matter. Write it down. Many times those mediocre ones _become_ good ones with work. (For more on how to be successful and happy, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/).) ## 5) Write down your anxieties Research shows writing about your worries can [calm you and even increase performance](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/04/how-to-quickly-and-easily-reduce-worry-and-in/): --- > “” --- Projects at work bothering you long after you leave the office? [Write down a plan for how to deal with them](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/10/how-can-you-stop-worrying-about-projects-at-w/) before you leave. Research shows [talking to someone after a traumatic event doesn’t help](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/06/does-talking-about-your-problems-make-you-fee/). But writing about it does. [Designating a time to worry](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/09/whats-a-simple-trick-to-help-you-worry-less/) can actually be a great strategy, funny as it sounds. And write those worries down to put them to rest. (For more on how to stop worrying, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2015/05/how-to-stop-worrying/).) ## 6) Write about your relationship [Writing about relationships](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/08/whats-a-quick-and-easy-way-to-strengthen-your/) improves relationships: --- > “” --- (For more on how to get people to like you, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/).) ### 5 Horrible Habits You Need to Stop Right Now  Do Not Email First Thing in the Morning or Last Thing at Night “The former scrambles your priorities and all your plans for the day and the latter just gives you insomnia,” says Ferriss, who insists “email can wait until 10am” or after you check off at least one substantive to-do list item. Chris Pecoraro—Getty Images  Do Not Agree to Meetings or Calls With No Clear Agenda or End Time “If the desired outcome is defined clearly… and there’s an agenda listing topics–questions to cover–no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes,” claims Ferriss, so “request them in advance so you can ‘best prepare and make good use of our time together.'” Sam Edwards—Getty Images/Caiaimage  Do Not Check Email Constantly Batch it and check it only periodically at set times (Ferriss goes for twice a day). Your inbox is analogous to a cocaine pellet dispenser, says Ferriss. Don’t be an addict. Tools like strategic use of the auto responder and Boomerang can help. Jetta Productions—Getty Images  Do Not Carry a Digital Leash 24/7 At least one day a week leave you smartphone somewhere where you can’t get easy access to it. If you’re gasping, you’re probably the type of person that most needs to do kick this particular habit. by nacoki ( MEDIA ARC )—Getty Images/Flickr RF  Do Not Let People Ramble Sounds harsh, but it’s necessary, Ferriss believes. “Small talk takes up big time,” he says, so when people start to tell you about their weekends, cut them off politely with something like “I’m in the middle of something, but what’s up?” But be aware, not everyone agrees with this one (and certainly not in every situation), and you may want to pay particularly close attention to norms around chit chat when traveling internationally. Reza Estakhrian—Getty Images ## 7) Write down the good things that happen to you Long time readers have heard me beat the drum on this one a million times. (Which makes me wonder: Have you guys ever actually _tried_ it?) Professor Martin Seligman at the University of Pennsylvania, who developed the technique, refers to it as [3 blessings](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2011/08/was-grandmom-right-about-counting-your-blessi/). It’s been shown [again](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-are-quick-little-things-you-can-do-to-in) and [again](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-any-of-this-make-yourself-happier-stuff) to help people improve their outlook. Seligman explains it in his book [Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1439190763/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20): --- > “” --- Give it a shot. Only takes a minute every night. (For more secrets of the happiest people, click [here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/06/happiest-people/).) ## 8) Write down your story Reinterpreting your life events into a story, from a new perspective, can not only change how you see your life, but change how you behave going forward. Timothy Wilson, author of [Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316051888/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&tag=spacforrent-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0316051888), talks about how [the process of “story-editing”](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/are-stories-the-secret-to-changing-our-lives/) can help us improve our lives: --- > “” --- Time to get a [notebook](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/8883701143/ref=as%5Fli%5Fss%5Ftl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=8883701143&linkCode=as2&tag=spacforrent-20). **Join over 190,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD)**.** **_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2013/07/personal-writing/)**_._** Related posts: [How To Stop Being Lazy And Get More Done – 5 Expert Tips](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/08/how-to-stop-being-lazy/) [How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/) [New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3914538/notebook-writing-life-better/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3914538/notebook-writing-life-better/"},"headline":"This One Simple Thing Can Make Your Life Much Better","datePublished":"2015-06-12T04:01:28.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:49:37.045Z","description":"Get ready to write","url":"https://time.com/3914538/notebook-writing-life-better/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19f7c7f44b3c2b4d/698853b12dce0182889e4184/84869616-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eric Barker","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eric-barker/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt19f7c7f44b3c2b4d/698853b12dce0182889e4184/84869616-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"open-journal-pen","caption":"open-journal-pen","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3914538/notebook-writing-life-better/","name":"This One Simple Thing Can Make Your Life Much Better"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Maya Angelou's Most Powerful Quotes in 2 Minutes","description":"A collection of the poet and author's most memorable speeches, poems and interviews","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/kfMCnBPK/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-05-30T20:44:41.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/kfMCnBPK.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3914538/notebook-writing-life-better/","duration":"PT2M4S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3914538/notebook-writing-life-better/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```