When you’re the leader of an organization, facing difficult times is inevitable. If you’re looking for ways to persevere, start journaling, says author and entrepreneur Damon Brown in Inc.

“The best way to make a better future is to truly embrace where you are now—and write it down,” Brown says. “High performers from Tim Ferriss to Mark Cuban swear by taking the time to reflect (in longhand) on your day. It could be first thing—the so-called morning pages—or the evening setup reflecting on your day.”

How does this help? Our memory is unreliable, and journaling gives us an accurate recording of what happened that day and lets us later analyze events in context.

“We can gather insights after something happened, but we don’t remember how we were processing things while they happened,” Brown says. “Some diary writers said they thought the World War II conflict would be done ‘in a matter of weeks.’ Chances are that they remember believing something different. We automatically reframe the truth in retrospect.”

Journaling also helps you learn from the past, Brown suggests.

“How did you navigate your biggest challenge, say, five years ago? As I write this, we’re talking 2015. Chances are you don’t remember the feelings you navigated, the insecurities you overcame or the ways you grew. If you do remember, your view has been shaped by almost 2,000 days of experience,” he says.

Work on a Side Hustle at Home

Whether you want to start a business or pick up temporary gig work, here are some ideas for carving out time. https://t.co/kqsEl1Rzcq

— Fast Company (@FastCompany) April 1, 2020

If you’re stuck at home with many responsibilities, working on side projects might be difficult. But there are ways to pursue additional streams of income even with limited time, says Stephanie Vozza in Fast Company.

Don’t take on too much when you’re getting started, she suggests. Creative projects that are small in scope might need only 20 to 30 minutes of your attention each day.

“Narrow your focus,” said author Chris Guillebeau in an interview with Fast Company. “To be successful, you need to start with one product, one service, and one platform.”

Other Links of Note

Email doesn’t just have to be a place for annoying and unnecessary messages. It could be used as a learning platform, argues Sarah Mercier on the Learning Solutions blog.

Need to quickly change your communication strategy for 2020? A recent post on the Bloomerang blog breaks down several ways to do it.

Trying to lead an association from home? Follow these five tips, says Chris O’Meara on the MemberPlanet blog.

(PeopleImages/E+)