The Journalling Techniques that Changed My Life

Here are the five most important questions you should be answering as you reflect on your day:

1. What excited me?
2. What drained me of energy?
3. What did I learn?
4. What are 10 things I’m grateful for?
5. How do I keep moving forward?

Aim for about 5-10 bullet points for each question.

This form of journaling is for people trying to really improve themselves and their lives.

• Divide the page into three columns, and label the first “actions,” the second “the worst version of myself,” and the third “the best version of myself.”
• At the end of the day, write down everything you did in the actions column.
• Decide whether each action would be closer to something the best or worst version of yourself would do.
• Score yourself, which each action belonging to either column giving it a point. E.g. drinking a beer=1 point for the worst version column.

Answering these four questions can help you overcome cognitive distortions and see issues in new ways. Aim for about half a page for each one.

1. What happened objectively?
2. What did I make it mean?
3. How would I comfort a friend I loved if this happened to them?
4. How is this the best thing that has ever happened to me?

This form of journaling can help you identify and overcome your anxiety.

• Divide the page into three columns, and label the first “fears,” the second “fixes,” and the third “the outcome that I would bet on.”
• In the first column, break your anxiety down into its true fears/causes.
• In the second column, write down a basic strategy to overcome each fear.
• In the third column, write down the objective most possible outcome.

Fill a page with bullet points that list all of your obligations and everything you want to do.

Audit your list by asking these questions:

1. What is non-negotiable?
2. What is exciting?
3. What on my list, if done, would make everything else easier?
4. What of these, if the opportunity was taken away from me, would I fight to get back?
5. What 20% of the activities are producing 80% of the results?

1. Clearly define the decision/problem.
2. What are the options? Aim for about 10, unless the problem is pretty binary.
3. If I had to make this decision in 60 seconds, what would I choose? Start a timer and choose an option.
4. Could I live with this outcome? Yes or no, why a few points as to why.
5. What would this look like if it were easy?

Your life is like an x, y graph, in the sense that a single point is not enough to establish a clear direction.

Answering these questions should help with finding more of the points on your “graph.”

1. What did I want five years ago? Use bullet points and separate this into categories.
2. What do I want now?
3. What do I think I’ll want in five years time?
4. If I knew I couldn’t fail, what would I do?