The ULTIMATE guide to keeping a Journal

About this video

In his annual journal guide, Clark Kegley — who says he has kept a journal for 10 years — argues it has been the number one thing he has done for personal growth. He gives two reasons to keep a physical journal: success leaves clues, noting figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Einstein, and Da Vinci kept journals, and rereading lets a future self communicate with a past self and gain confidence; and in an information-saturated world, journaling is how you stop looking for answers and start listening to your own. He sets up his six-in-one method in a blank sketchbook swapped out every year: write name and year on the spine, use the front cover for identity and top lessons, and the back cover for goals. On the front he includes a days-remaining-to-age-90 calculation as a mortality prompt, plus personality and strengths assessments such as Myers-Briggs. He frames goals as a balanced triangle of work, rest, and play, with personal examples. Inside, divide pages into three to six sections for areas like student/learning, business, fitness, or family, cutting page corners to find them. He stresses the journal need not be pretty, and to journal from inspiration, not obligation — even once or twice a week counts.

Key takeaways

• Kegley recommends a blank sketchbook journal, replaced every year regardless of how full it is, divided into multiple life sections in one book.
• Put identity, strengths, and your top 1% lessons on the front cover, which you will see most often through repetition and emotion.
• Use the back cover for goals balanced across work, rest, and play to avoid burnout or imbalance.
• A days-left-until-90 number on the front cover is presented as a mortality reminder to spend days wisely.
• Journal only when inspired, not from obligation, Kegley advises — a messy, imperfect journal used once or twice a week is still effective.

Episode details: published January 15, 2024 · 17:08 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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