It’s been well over a decade since I read How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael Gelb, and I still practice the concept of journaling that I picked up from that book (although my journaling is more about information rather than how I feel). My notebook is with me all the time and I write it in regularly.

Whether I’m reading a book or article, or listening to an audio book or podcast, or watching a webinar or documentary, whatever the case may be I’ll make note of material that I believe is important. Just like I do with my training log, I’ll go back and read these notes periodically. Not only does this serve to refresh my memory on various subjects, but it also seems to spur ideas for new supplements, dietary approaches, training protocols, articles, and so on.

I’m a pen and paper type of guy. I like to write things down. I always have notes around me and I still use a paper daytimer to track my schedule as opposed to a cellular phone or some other electronic organizer. That’s just the way I operate. I’ll accumulate all these notes and enter them into my journal for safekeeping. As the Chinese proverb goes: “The palest ink is better than the sharpest memory.”

Get yourself a nice leather bound journal and carry it with you at all times. Whenever you hear, see, or think of anything interesting, write it down. By the time you get to the last page, you’ll have a collection of notes that will be quite valuable to you. My journals are like gold to me. I cherish them. The amount of information that I’ve collected in these little books over the years is astounding. I encourage you to do the same.