The 5 Journaling Techniques That Changed My Life

About this video

Clark Kegley shares five journaling methods from more than a decade of journaling, which he says changed his life. First is free writing, including Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages — stream-of-consciousness writing to surface subconscious thoughts and feel lighter afterward, with Cameron’s rule, as he presents it, not to reread it for at least eight months. He explains his own 6-in-1 method: one journal divided into about six titled sections (starting with three for beginners), with a front cover listing the year’s big ‘1%’ lessons in punchy one-liners and a back cover listing goals divided into work, rest, and play, exploiting repetition each time the journal is opened. Second, he keeps a notes/student section for books and courses, going chapter by chapter, and advises rereading one great book repeatedly over reading many books once, plus a quarterly two-hour review transferring big ideas from old journals. Third is prompts such as what’s working, what’s not working, what your ideal day five years from now looks like, and ‘what would this look like if it were easy.’ Fourth is the framing of journaling out of inspiration, not obligation, with no quotas, which he credits for sustaining the habit. Fifth is self-coaching: writing as if in a therapy session and asking what advice you would give someone else in the same situation, which he says is not a replacement for therapy or coaching but captures much of their benefit.

Key takeaways

• Kegley recommends free writing and Morning Pages to surface subconscious thoughts, noting Morning Pages should not be reread for at least eight months.
• His 6-in-1 method uses titled sections in one journal, a front cover for the year’s biggest lessons, a back cover for work, rest, and play goals, and a quarterly review of old journals.
• He keeps chapter-by-chapter book and course notes in a student section and argues rereading one great book repeatedly beats reading many books once.
• His prompts include what’s working, what’s not working, an ideal day five years ahead, and ‘what would this look like if it were easy.’
• He credits sustaining journaling for over a decade to doing it from inspiration, not obligation or quotas, and to self-coaching by asking what advice he would give someone else.

Episode details: published May 20, 2024 · 13:37 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Clark Kegley’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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