Think of your thoughts like a game of Where's Waldo. There are so many busy, colorful & distracting characters, it can be a challenge to know where to look for what's important. Journaling allows you to examine & sift through all the non-Waldos in the form of extraneous, or superficial thoughts, in order to focus on the heart of the matter, which may, or may not be a guy in a striped shirt & beanie.