Chronicles of Creativity: the best journaling protocol for creativity

I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train.

Oscar Wilde

In the realm of creativity, there exists a need for balance between the exploration of limitless possibilities and focused problem-solving. The balance required for creative output makes journaling an indispensable tool for anyone looking to unearth their creativity from their deepest recesses. Specifically, a journaling strategy that interweaves divergent and convergent thinking writing prompts brings about the best results.

As discussed in Chronicles of Creativity Part II, convergent and divergent thinking are essential for generating creative ideas. Divergent thinking involves brainstorming many answers while convergent thinking involves refinement of thought to determine the best answer.

Embracing Journaling

Journaling acts as a sanctuary for self-reflection and a home for idea capture. Pen to paper, fingers to keyboard, any method of recording thoughts can liberate, battle writer’s block or clarify a problem.

In a conversation on the Huberman podcast, Rick Rubin, renowned music producer and author, recommends seeing the act of writing as a diary entry whenever you write to eliminate self-judgment.

For those who struggle with articulating thoughts or find the blank page intimidating, here are some amazing book recommendations:

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin

The Artist’s Way Morning Pages Journal by Julia Cameron

The Benefits of Journaling

The deeper you get into research or focus on a topic, the more knowledge you have regarding the topic. The more knowledge you have regarding a topic increases your ability to make profound connections amongst previously unrelated topics.

The intense meditation journaling provides on a topic allows you to marinate on your ideas and potentially come back to them later. Maybe you will realize that the “aha” moment you had in a journaling session is not as valuable or applicable as you thought in the moment. Comparatively, maybe your subconscious mind will mull the idea over more and find value or a connection within the idea. Keeping a record of your idea capture will ensure you don’t forget the idea regardless.

If I have a thousand ideas and only one turns out to be good, I am satisfied.

Alfred Nobel

Practicing creativity: divergent and convergent journaling prompts

The following prompts produce a physical mediation of the meditation protocol recommended by Andrew Huberman to enhance creativity. Pick a divergent thinking prompt and follow it up with a convergent thinking prompt immediately after, dedicating no less than five minutes of free writing to each prompt.

Journaling prompts for divergent thinking

1. Think about a machine and imagine an alternate use for it. What modifications would the machine need to function properly in its new role?
2. Take two of your interests and/or hobbies and combine them to make a new job or practice.
3. Take an aspect of life people tend to take for granted, e.g. the blueness of the sky, and come up with a fictional explanation for it.
4. Look at a famous art piece and create a story behind it.
5. You are on the board for a commission dedicated to perpetuation human life in case of an apocalyptic scenario. Given that no one knows what the disaster could be, come up with a possible disaster plus some solutions to continuing human life as a response to that disaster.
6. Take a fact almost everyone accepts as true (the earth is round). For whatever reason, imagine that the fact has been proven untrue. What would change? What are the other possibilities (is the earth actually flat, rectangular, the shape of a ring)?
7. Create a menu item for a restaurant that describes the plate in emotions.

Journaling prompts for convergent thinking

1. Think of one of your top goals and imagine three different ways or roadmaps to attaining the goal. Eventually, simplify the roadmaps to the single most effective.
2. Focus on an emotion you have that you know is slightly illogical. Completely flesh out the emotion and why you are feeling it. Try to identify its root.
3. Spend some time researching a problem you feel strongly about. Try to gain a deep understanding of the problem and its proposed solutions. Eventually, get to the point where you are no longer taking someone else’s interpretations of the data or the problem to understand it yourself. Instead, get to the point where you can compound your own solution to the problem.
4. Pick out a paradox of life and write about a time when you’ve experienced it.
5. Given your personal life experiences, come up with the theme for your life. It could be a slogan or life lesson.
6. Imagine your ideal self and identify a point or two that your current self differs in from the ideal. Identify one think you could start doing today that would be most effective in making you more like your ideal self.
7. Identify a choice you are struggling to make or a life problem you have. Brainstorm five possible solutions.