For those unfamiliar, the rubber duck method is more or less laying out a problem to something else (rubber duck, pet, whatever) to try to solve it. I’ve most often come across this as explicitly talking to the rubber duck, but apparently writing to them is also an approach?

In any case, those that go about this method writing already know where I’m going with this…Journaling can be like extending the rubber duck method to anything else, but especially oneself.

It’s especially nice when done analog or via local-only software, so you can sort things out offline. Plus if you do decide you want to share what you’ve worked out, or worked on, with others (probably with some revisions) you’ll already have a backup in place.

If you don’t already journal and were looking for what to write about, or some reasons to, there’s a few for you right there.

(bonus for the analog method is you can trail off and start doodling goofy stuff as you write)