Summarize:

It's not enough to write in your goal journal every day. While the act of writing itself has benefits, you also need to read over those entries on a regular basis if you want to track your progress.  By going back over your entries, you may be able to identify patterns in your behavior that you didn't notice before. You can see how your work towards this goal is impacting other areas of your life. Set aside additional time at the end of each week to go through your entries for that week – just a couple of minutes is all it should take. Then at the end of each month, read over all of your entries for that month. You may want to leave extra space in your journal for thoughts or reflections on your progress at the end of each month. You want your goal journal to exist as a permanent record of your progress towards your goal. As you're reviewing your entries, clean up any mistakes and clarify sloppy writing. You may want to do your initial journaling in a notebook, then copy your entries once a week into a clean computer file. The act of copying your entries also will help you review them and notice patterns emerging in your behavior. Your goal journal may include discussions of sensitive situations, or reveal intimate details about your life. Keep your goal journal safe from prying eyes by hiding it in a secret location or in a locked drawer.  You need to be able to be 100 percent open and honest in your goal journal. You may be less inclined to do that if you are afraid someone else will be able to read it. If you're keeping your journal on your computer, you may want to password protect or encrypt the file so that anyone who accesses your computer won't be able to look at the document. Your goal journal is a record of your progress towards your goal. Even after you've achieved your goal, the journal has information that can help you if you decide to go after a different goal.  Looking back over your accomplishments also can be motivating. If you have a goal you achieved, you can read back through your goal journal when you're feeling a little down to remind yourself of how far you've come. If you're keeping a notebook as your journal, you may want to make a computer file each month, or once you've achieved your goal, to keep as a permanent record. You can either scan the pages or retype them from the words you wrote.
Review your entries regularly. Update and rewrite illegible entries. Protect your privacy by locking away your journal. Keep your journals indefinitely.