3 Journaling Techniques That Have Changed My Life for The Better

Journaling is the best way I know how to prevent burnout, process my emotions, and overcome overwhelm. It’s the cheapest form of therapy there is and has saved my life many times.

Feb 03, 2024

The number one thing that has helped me on my path to success hasn’t been some social media tip or expert technique. It’s simply been a pen and piece of paper.

Every time I have hit rock bottom, my journal has been there.

Every time I rose back up off the floor, my journal was there.

It’s amazing the profound effect that simply handwriting your thoughts out onto a piece of paper can have on your mental and physical well being.

You don’t have to just take my word for it.

Multiple scientific studies have shown that journaling will not only help you reduce anxiety and depression, but it will also help heal you mentally and physically.

15 minutes a day of journaling has been shown to reduce depression, anxiety, and hostility in young adults, particularly if they were very distressed before beginning.
Journaling helps even if you feel awkward doing it! 80% of the above young adults had never journaled before and 65% said it felt uncomfortable at first.
Journaling can heal you mentally and physically. In an effort to better support amputees, scientists studied people aged 64 to 97 who had a biopsy. The group that did expressive writing after their biopsy were 76% healed within a week, versus 46% of the control group.

Sources: 1. Harvard Medical School report; 2-3. UC Berkeley School of Psychology study; 4. Scientific American article.

Pretty great, right⁉️

The best part is, there is no “perfect” or “correct” way to journal. You can show up to the page flawed or fabulous, sad or full of joy. A journal never judges.

Journaling also doesn’t have to be boring. You don’t have to just sit there and write dribble for a certain amount of time until your hand goes numb, like so many people think journaling has to be.

In my course Journal Through It: From “Oh $#@!” to “I’ve got this!” in 15 minutes, I teach three journaling techniques that make journaling easy, powerful and fun.

1. A Need, Want, Can’t List

This is my favorite technique for when you feel overwhelmed personally or professionally. It’s a great way to prioritize what matters right now to you and let go of what doesn’t.

The beauty of a need, want, can’t list is in the simplicity and universality. Whether you’re trying to make edits in your book, make money in your business, or make better love to your partner, a Need, Want, Can’t List is an easy and effective tool for setting priorities and boundaries in life.

Here’s how:

Grab a piece of paper and make three columns.
In the NEED column, write down the absolute musts of a situation.
In the CAN’T column, write down all the things you have to let go of for now. That’s a great place to put worries, concerns, and boundaries.
In the WANT column, put the things that would be great if you got them, but aren’t total musts.

Now you have a list of priorities and boundaries to help you move forward in a situation by focusing on what matters most and letting go of the rest.

2. Visioning

Sometimes your thoughts are so jumbled it’s hard to write cohesive sentences. A word cloud is a mix of thoughts written all over a piece of paper and a great way to visualize what’s in your head.

There’s no right or wrong way to do a word cloud, just think of it as non-linear and creative focused journaling. Here are some examples:

Examples of how Visioning Journaling can work.

3. Free Flow

Made popular by Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, free flow is simply writing whatever comes to your mind for a specific length of time or pages. No editing, no reading back through it, just let your creative energy flow.

Here’s how: Set a timer for 15 minutes, embrace your inner Elsa from Frozen and let it go. Don’t worry about making sense or perfect sentences. Just write whatever comes up for you and get it out.