Education

The Ultimate Guide to Journaling: Change Your Life in 2026

by Clark Kegley

📚 Main topics

Why journalJournaling creates space to hear your own ideas and answers instead of constantly consuming other people’s thoughts. Clark also recommends it as a way to slow down, strengthen focus, and reflect more deeply. 1:02
The journal setupUse a blank, unlined sketchbook and organize it into three sections. Clark recommends starting a new journal each year, even if the current one isn’t full. 3:34
The front coverUse the front cover to collect memorable lessons, quotes, words, and intentions that capture who you’re becoming. Clark also includes his personality type, strengths, and a mortality number—the days remaining until age 90—to keep his priorities in view. 4:07
The back coverSet goals in three areas: work, rest, and play. Together, they help balance ambition, recovery, and enjoyment. 8:12
Three journal sectionsClark’s sections are for learning, creating, and free-flowing reflection. He uses them for notes from books and events, creative and business ideas, and brain dumps or journal prompts. 12:20

✨ Key takeaways

Make room for your own thinkingWriting helps you uncover what you believe and what you might already know about solving your problems. 1:32
Slow down to focusJournaling encourages sustained attention and makes it easier to revisit ideas than quickly scrolling through digital notes. 2:02
Keep goals balanced and simpleClark suggests setting a few measurable work goals, restorative rest goals, and enjoyable play goals rather than overcomplicating the process. 9:13
Progress matters more than the prizeWorking toward goals can be rewarding in itself, and the person you become along the way matters more than simply reaching an outcome. 10:47
Adapt the sections to your lifeClark reduced his journal from six sections to three so it would be simpler to use and less likely to leave pages unused. 12:20

🧠 Lessons learned

Use strengths to guide your directionIdentifying your strengths can make the question of purpose feel more manageable: consider how to use those strengths often. 7:12
A vision can help you stay engagedClark suggests that having an exciting future to work toward can help counter a feeling of drifting through life. 5:09
Look back for useful patternsReviewing older notes and brainstorms can help you recognize ideas worth revisiting as well as plans you’re glad you didn’t pursue. 13:51

🏁 Conclusion/next steps

Start with a simple journalChoose a blank sketchbook, pick three sections that fit your life, and use the covers for lessons and goals. 3:34
Try prompts if you’re stuckClark recommends using journal prompts as a starting point for free-flowing writing. 14:22
Explore more resourcesClark points viewers to his journaling playlist, program, and free set of 11 questions to explore journaling further. 14:22

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Transcript excerpt

0:00 What's up guys? Clark here. Welcome back to the channel. And listen, if there's one habit I could give you this year going into next that would completely change your life. Hands down, it would be keeping a journal. And I can say that as someone who has been keeping one pretty much daily for over 10 years. I mean, you want more confidence, you want better relationships, you want to make more money, you want just more peace of mind, you got to keep a journal because you can't do any of that until you really know yourself. So, this video is our annual tradition. we've been doing

0:30 for over 8 years now. We've had some funky outfits along the way, including a Grinch onesie, a Power Ranger, vampire astronaut. Last year, you guys were roasting me in the comments saying, "Dude, where are the outfits? Come on, bring it back." I got you. Luigi coming at you. So, a little format for this video. Why, what, how, why you should keep a journal in Luigi's humble opinion. what this method is, a quick overview, and most importantly, how do you do it so you're walking away able to do this?

🔒 The full, searchable transcript is available with Pro.

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