In Juli Hall's post “Writing is Like Therapy” I was reminded that sometimes writing down the big stuff like decisions or processes can help a group of two more individuals come to a consensus about what they know to be true – or at least what they thought was true.
In my line of work I form what is known as a decision matrix to track and share how I came to a decision that was implemented. Sometimes I think this would be a lot more effective if I could just free write my understanding and decisions – but in that case my co-workers might learn a little bit more about my feelings than they bargained to know.
“Writing it out” has also helped me boil down my feelings before I shared them aloud with another person. When thoughts and emotions are coming at you from all directions it is important to know what to share and know what is really only something to acknowledge internally. Actual honest to goodness journaling eludes me, however. I don’t have the discipline to return to a journal on a regular basis - which has given way to microblogging sites like Facebook and Twitter which only require short entries and can also convey mixed media like news articles or opinion pieces.
Most of my work and school notes are so messy nobody could be asked to follow along, but just glancing back at the chicken scratch from a week old project will jar my mind to remember the details and I can clear up any resulting confusion myself. On these occasions I cherish my note taking, even though outsiders would probably take one look at my process and wring their hands. “Writing is like therapy, but it’s a lot less expensive,” is something that resonates with me even though I have been known to balk at something as short and sweet as a grocery list.
Works Cited
Hall, Julie. "Writing is like Therapy." N.p. 2011. Web. 22 March 2011. Juli's Blog. 2011. http://julihall.blogspot.com/2011/03/writing-is-like-therapy.html
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