I love to journal – I've been doing it every day for nearly 10 years now.
Most of the time, I'm recording my thoughts or just talking to myself. It's a remarkable tool that teaches patience, clear thinking, and observation. That last part (observation) I've recently started to cultivate in a new way, which forces me to summarize my observations in short form.
Here's one of them:
"Life is a constant search for the right changes that will evolve into consistently cultivated standards and rituals."