I’ve been part of some Mastermind groups, and journaling has become, for many, the ideal way to evaluate their progress. Ever since I was a youngster, I never felt the urge to write down what I’ve experienced throughout the day. Some of my friends were born with that hobby.

Now, I ask myself, does it help? Does it help me to get further? Is it worth the time to invest? There are two answers, in my opinion, so let me explain.

Does Journaling help me?

Let’s start things off with what I’ve been taught about having a journal. Friends once told me that writing helps you process your emotions and experiences that you’ve had earlier that day. Some others said it allows you to see flaws in your daily routine regarding your business ventures.

Now, I gotta admit. I had to force myself to sit down every night to reflect on the day. Putting the day into words and remembering things I’ve done to write it down was quite challenging.

Here is a list of what journaling has helped me with

1. Increase my memory functionality
2. Learn to put thoughts into words
3. Acknowledge my feelings
4. Improvement of my vocabulary
5. Sense of commitment to sit down for 5 min

I was hoping to get something particular from journaling

Expectations are usually a fantastic way to get disappointed. And as it is so thrilling to set yourself up to get disappointed, I did exactly this. And before you make any judgments, hear me out. I’ve been struggling with executing on side hustles ever since I was a teenager. I was a great follower who loved to get a command and then outperformed whatever the goal was.

When I was trying something new, I had to find something that guides me step by step. Most importantly, I needed to compare myself with someone because I wanted to outperform that person, aka my reference point.

So I was looking for my instant reference point. Unfortunately, I feel nothing I can compare myself with because I haven’t been there yet. I assume that this came from my active years in the motorsport industry. You look at someone who has done it and look at the weaknesses of that person. Once you are on track, you try to make adjustments in the corners your rival is lacking in.

Now, as I am writing this down, I see the beauty of finding the people who have done it before me. At the same time, I found out that most of the data you’ll find online is staged and edited with success-only stories without the weaknesses that have been a challenge to those individuals. Selling Mentorships or Coaching classes is a great way to learn, but only if the goal is to become a better version of the person who leads the class.

Here is a list I consider the downside of a journal

1. (if you’ve never done it) you don’t know how to start
2. It feels awkward
3. It’s a pain to invest 5 min into something that does not reward you instantly
4. Rewards are almost not noticeable*

Tips to start your journal today

Let me share some tricks that I’ve found from others and even books to keep it as simple as possible to stay consistent with journaling.

Pick Your Recording Device

I use a Journal book that has two days per page. It forces me to keep it brief and short. Getting to the point is an essential skill in business as well as in your personal life, so there is a benefit to it. You can get it here.

However, my Journal life started with a simple Notebook like this one because I used a simplified system that did not require me to write a summary.

Some others use the digital form of journaling on the computer/ smartphone by using an app like Notion.so. I like the idea, but it’s not great for your sleep if you do that right before going to sleep. So I started a hybrid, one part handwriting the other part is digital during the day.

Also, I’ve tried the 1-Minute-Vlog for two months. You pretty much record yourself while you speak to the camera and describe your day in general. I enjoyed it mostly. Quickly, I realized I am unable to correct myself ( for those who don’t know me – I am learning English where correction is essential for improvement ).

Your Journal System

Keeping it short and crisp will make it more attractive to you to maintain your habit building. So, how did I find the system that worked? TikTok. I found a creator ( I, unfortunately, forgot his name ) who talked about journaling how it has helped him scale his business for several years.

BUILD – Write down those Letters.

B	Body	Things that maintain your physical and mental health (i.e. Workout, Walk outside, Meditation, Cooking )
U	You	Activities that makes you genuinely happy (i.e. Video games, Scroll through Social Media, Watching TV, a hobby)
I	Income	Tasks that will result in financial income (i.E. cold calling, building funnels, launching an advertisement)
L	Love & Relationships	Communication with personal AND business relationships. Networking is important to become better.
D	Development	Learn and educating yourself daily is a necessity (i.e. Youtube learning, Podcast, Reading, etc)

Once you become used to pull out the notebook daily, you can add another section for your personal growth.

FEELINGS: I write down three significant feelings I’ve experienced throughout the day to ensure that my emotional compass is set to the right direction.

The Final Step

Summarize your day and include your story in your day. For me, this is fun to read-only. Because once a week, I fly over my week and see what happened and start memorizing corner points or milestones I’ve accomplished.

The Positive Side Effects

One important reason why I see value in journaling is to improve my writing skills with the 10-finger-system. I always wanted to learn, so I practice two types of journaling. One is my handwritten journal at night. The digital journal here on WordPress is to improve my fast typing skill.

Are you journaling? Let me know what tricks or tips you have to make it more attractive.

See you tomorrow.