I've been writing in my journal since I was sixteen. I just turned forty-four, so that means I have journals covering almost thirty years of my life.

When other people hear about my journaling practice, they say things like "I could never do that", or "I tried it but I couldn't keep up with it."

So if you, too, would like to keep a journal but are struggling to start or maintain it, I thought I'd talk about how I've managed to do it consistently for so long.

1. First of all, for me, it is definitely not a daily practice! I absolutely do not care how often I do it. Sometimes I write more than once in a day. Sometimes I write a couple times in a month. It doesn't matter to me. This is because..

2. I don't try to write about everything that happened. Yes, I do write about some things that happened, but these may or may not be big things. I write about the big things, sure, but I also write a lot about small, insignificant anecdotes that I'd like to remember. But most of what I write isn't even about things that happened. Instead...

3. I write about whatever is on my mind. I use journaling to dump my thoughts on to paper, to give myself a time and place to process the things going on in my life, and help me to put into words the feelings and worries and hopes and goings-ons in my world at that moment. Whether I'm puzzling over which direction to go in my business, or processing a big social event I just attended, or thinking about some world event, or documenting the unfolding pandemic, or taking stock of those special moments as a parent, my journal is a place where I can "think out loud" (on paper).

4. I write as little or much as I feel like. Sometimes I write just a few sentences. Sometimes I write five pages. If I feel like stopping, I stop. If I get pulled away to do something else, I may or may not come back to finish later. It doesn't really matter. I don't try to write a full page, even though the journals I use have a place for the date at the top. I'll stop and start on any line.

5. When I start writing, I write the date. When I'm done, I sign my name and close the book. It's not important, but I did this as a teenager for whatever reason, and this gives a sense of closure, like the thoughts are now frozen in the book and I can walk away and leave them behind.

6. I can go back and see how I felt at certain times in my past. For example, my wife is pregnant with our second son, so I was recently going back to reading what was going on in my mind when she was pregnant with our first son. It was surprising to be reminded of all the stuff that was going on back then that I'd totally forgotten about. It's always enlightening to read about the things I was worried about that never came to be. And it's fun to read about decisions I made while journaling that ended up having a significant impact on my life for years to come. It's also interesting to see the patterns and cycles, the ups and downs in my life, my business, and in my energy levels and inspiration, that ebb and flow year after year.

7. Even though its nice to go back and read old journals, almost all the benefit comes from the journaling itself. It's the process of thinking, reflecting and writing that takes the thoughts out of my head and puts them on paper. When I'm done journaling, it's like a fresh start. I'm decluttering my mind, getting my thoughts in order, and throwing out things I no longer need. When I'm done journaling, I have a fresh energy where I'm ready to take on something new.

8. Although I don't have any strict routine around journaling, I almost always like to journal on Saturday mornings with my first coffee of the day. It's a great time to have some quiet time to myself, wake up slowly, reflect on what happened over the past week, take stock of all that's going on in the back of my mind, and decide on what I want to do with my free time on the weekend. I'll sit there for an hour or so, and when I finish, I'm relaxed and inspired and ready to go have a wonderful weekend.

9. I don't write for anyone but myself. Sure, I know in the back of my mind that one day, in the far future, my children or grandchildren might read through these, so there are a few things I might not say, or might write in a secret code for myself, but otherwise these are secret documents that are written for nobody but myself.

10. It doesn't really matter what books or pens you use, as long as you enjoy them. My favourite books are either Moleskine or Leuchturm1917, A5 ruled black hardcover notebooks. They're pricey, but they don't fall apart, and they're a pleasure to write in. I want them to last a long time. My favourite pen at the moment is a retractable black Stabilo Palette 0.4mm gel pen.

If you're curious about journaling, or struggled with it in the past, I hope this helps you see a different approach that might work better for you. I highly recommend journaling, though it might not be for everyone. For me, it helps me think and process my life, allowing my mind to be quieter overall, while having the small benefit of documenting the things in my life that would otherwise be easily forgotten.

It used to be fun to post online and share things with friends. It didn't matter what you said or did, you'd get comments and likes from your friends. Now, that has all changed.

I don't remember when The Algorithm showed up. At first nobody noticed. Our feeds didn't change much. When we opened the Social Network, we'd see some big news from a friend at the top. It was helpful not to have the important things buried, so we thanked The Algorithm.

Slowly, eventually, things got confusing. We would share some things with friends, and nobody would see them. We would share other things with friends, and they would go viral. We all struggled to understand what The Algorithm was doing.

Only The Algorithm decides who will see your posts. Nobody understands the rhyme or reason of it all. Not even the people who work at the Social Network.

You must be very careful not to make The Algorithm angry. But nobody really knows what makes The Algorithm angry.

Some think it's the words we use that anger The Algorithm. People whisper in the shadows, "Do not use this word, or you will be punished." "Use this emoji instead of this word to hide the meaning from The Algorithm." "Uh oh, it seems The Algorithm has learned of the emoji, use this one instead."

Others think it may be our behaviour that can make The Algorithm happy.

"Be sure to like and comment on others' posts to boost your reach." "Log in once a day to show The Algorithm that you're a faithful servant." "If you don't enable push notifications, The Algorithm will have its revenge."

I've seen so many people become a slave to The Algorithm. They started off sharing the things they care about. They didn't get much response. Then, one random day, they shared yet another thing. Maybe it was a photo of themselves at the beach. Maybe it was a funny video they made on a whim. Maybe it was a meme they made about a politician. Suddenly, The Algorithm smiled at them and showered them with more attention than they had ever experienced in their entire lives.

The next day, still glowing from their newly found fame, they shared again. The Algorithm ignored them. They stared at their notifications, but nothing came. Nobody saw what they posted.

"What does The Algorithm want from me?" they wondered. They tried sharing something else, something very similar to what had succeeded. Maybe it was another photo of themselves in a swimsuit. Or another funny video. Or they made another meme. The Algorithm nodded at them and they got some more attention, but nothing close to what they had experienced before. They hungered for more, but didn't know how to get what they desired. They were trying to win a game, but had no idea what the rules were.

Soon, they were posting the same thing every day. Swimsuit photos. Funny videos. Political memes. Whatever it was The Algorithm had liked at first, they tried again and again to recreate it. But it was never as successful as that first time.

See, The Algorithm is doing more than shaping your feed. The Algorithm is shaping you, and everyone on the Social Network. The Algorithm rewards and punishes us at random, leaving us to guess what the secret factors are. The Algorithm encourages us to self-censor, or to create content we don't care about. We just want to be heard. We just want to share and connect with friends. The Algorithm knows this and knows how far we're willing to go to get what we desire.

Well, I refuse to be a slave to The Algorithm. I'm not going to try to guess what The Algorithm wants. I'm not going to play its games.

I'm going to spend my time in places without a gatekeeper. I'll be writing on my own blog. I'll be scrolling through my RSS reader to read others' blog posts. I'll be listening to podcasts in my podcast player. I'll be reading books and listening to audio books. I'll be reading and posting and liking and boosting on Mastodon. I invite you to join me.

Today is Battery Collection Day in my city. A chance to say goodbye to all those dead batteries I've been collecting all year. I put them out with the many bags of dead leaves I raked this week. There's also a recycling box full of old paperwork I managed to get rid of while cleaning my office.

Autumn is naturally a time to purge and simplify. Animals retreat into their homes, stockpiling food or preparing for hibernation. Trees, anticipating the destructive force of winter, pull their energy inwards and shed their leaves. Farmers harvest the year's crops and sell what they can, or store some away for the cold months.

Coincidentally, or maybe not, I also feel a deep urge to simplify my own life, to pare down, to have less, to do less. I'm saying "no" to more opportunities, the ones that don't feel like they fit. I have my few favourite clients, and I'm not looking to take on new work. I'm looking to declutter my house, to sell, donate or discard items which I don't need.

I feel a desire to finish things instead of starting new things. I'm playing video games I started when I was a child but never finished. I'm reading books that sat with a bookmark in them for years. I'm checking items off my To Do List that have been on there all year. I'm filing taxes and clearing out drawers and getting things done. I'm drinking tea that has sat in my cupboard all year, enjoying tossing the empty boxes away.

There's a coziness that comes with simplifying. As I check off each task, discard each item, or finish each project, my world feels calmer.

Eventually Winter will be here, a time to hunker down and enjoy the simple life. Eventually it will be time to start new projects, to expand my world and embrace the excitement. My wife will be having a baby, and there'll be new life in our home, a new beginning.

For now, though, you'll find me drinking tea and trying to finally beat Final Fantasy on the NES.