I am a big proponent of using some sort of journaling system for several reasons, but if you are new to the whole idea of journaling, then you have probably thought to yourself, “Okay…what to write in a journal? Should I write down everything? Should I focus on XYZ?” The answer to this question is going to be different for everyone, but lets explore our options.

What to Write in a Journal

If you are looking for some specific focus for your journal, here are the ones I have focused on/currently focus on. If one strikes a cord with you then by all means go ahead and try it.

What to Write in a Journal – The Mind Purge

The first time I thought of using a journal to “purge my mind” was when I woke up with an extremely bad headache and kept thinking about all the tasks I had to do for the day, the week, for life, etc. I woke up on a work day and had to take the day off due to what I thought was a migraine, and the first thought that went through my head was, “Okay, call the office, make sure everything is okay and I can skip today’s busy schedule, then recollect and speak with every account manager and make sure the clients are getting their services, then check to make sure I have no prospects waiting for my call or an appointment. Then I need to make sure… etc etc etc” This constant thinking was driving my headache towards a cliff and I had to stop, so for the sake of my sanity I started writing everything that was previously stored in my head onto paper. Once I wrote out what was in my head I tried to erase it from memory so I could focus on something else – which I would then write down and the process was repeated. What happened?

It worked – my headache was feeling better and the stress of the day slowly melted onto the journal. If you are someone who often carries a lot of information in your head, try journaling a few days a week and see how it feels.

Right here is a proven way to de-stress using journals.

What to Write in a Journal – Anti-Habits

What is an anti-habit? It is a word I made up for something that everyone experiences, and I can prove that with a question; Have you ever tried to form a new habit to replace another, and were having a hard time doing so because you put off the new habit many times and developed aversion to it (waking up early, dieting, cold calling, public speaking, asking Susie out, etc)? The answer will be yes (99.99% of the cases) and I would consider this aversion an “anti-habit” because you have become a professional in not adapting to a new habit. How do I know what to write in a journal to beat anti-habits?









Whenever I do something that is a part of the new habit that proves to be a positive experience (and against the long held beliefs brought by the anti-habit), such as cold calling (and being afraid of it) and having a sale in the first 5 minutes, I would write down that I had a great time calling and perhaps my anti-habit didn’t really need to exist (because the fear of cold calling was mainly from my aversion and nothing else). This could go for dieting (maybe your first week was really easy and you love the taste of tomatoes) or anything else – all you have to do is prove that your anti-habit is all make believe and you shouldn’t be afraid to switch it for the better habits. Its hard to beat facts!

So now you can choose to journal to create new habits!

What to Write in a Journal – Goal (Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, etc)

We all have goals (I hope), but we often lose sight of the things we are interested in because life gets in the way. When we journal about our goals we make a clear action showing that what we write down is important to us, and because we have written it down, it is now something we can look back on and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment for when we reach those goals. Journaling our goals is also a great way to actually reach our goals because we can have it in our face, all day, knowing that we have something to strive for. How often do you set a goal and then immediately set it aside? Wouldn’t journaling your goals help you accomplish those goals?

If you need to reach those goals, journaling could be your ticket.

What to Write in a Journal – Conclusion

Journaling can be helpful in a lot of areas in our life, but do what makes the most sense for you first and then experiment from there!