Embedded Files
Journaling doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to sound polished. It just has to be yours.
Image from and by Freepik
The art of journaling can be summed up simply: it’s how you untangle the mental knots.
When stress and burnout pile up, rediscovering your purpose can feel nearly impossible without space to pause and reflect. Getting those looping, chaotic thoughts out of your head and onto the page is often the first step toward clarity.
If you’re feeling stuck in your career—going through the motions but craving more meaning—journaling is one of the simplest ways to cut through the noise and hear yourself again.
I’ll be honest: I never thought I’d be “a journaling person.” As a kid, I collected stacks of diaries that mostly stayed blank. But years later, when career stress left me spinning—like a diver underwater unsure which way was up—I felt a pull to try again.
At first, I didn’t even know where to begin. Ironically, that became my first entry: I don’t know where to start. That simple sentence set my intention. It reminded me that I needed more than a crumpled scrap of paper from a drawer—I needed a space of my own.
And what do you know? The research was right: putting thoughts to paper reduces mental clutter, lowers stress, and acts like a reset button for your brain.
The most important lesson I learned is this: journaling only works if you make it your own. Forget about perfect sentences or polished grammar. Just drop in where you are—“Today I feel…” or “So that thing happened again…”—and keep writing.
Get SMART About Journaling
If you’re ready to make journaling part of your stress reset, try setting some SMART “guidelines” to help it stick.
Quick Checklist: SMART Journaling
Style → Same question every day, prompts, or free writing
Medium → Notebook, voice notes, or typing
Time → Morning, afternoon, commute, or bedtime
Length → 5 minutes, 1 page, or until you feel clear
Frequency → 2–4x a week (or every day ending in “y”)
Timeframe → Try it for 14 days or a month
**Pick one from each category to set up your practice.
For a deeper dive (and a peek into my own journey):
Style
How will you be prompted—same question every day, curated prompts, or free flow?
(I started with prompts for about a year, shifted to a set of questions for 6 months, and now I free-write whatever’s on my mind. I still stay open to revisiting past methods.)
Medium
What’s your mode of capturing thoughts—pen and paper, typing, or voice notes?
(I gravitate toward writing by hand—something about the mind-body connection helps release the energy for real.)
Time
When will you write—morning before work, mid-afternoon reset, commute home, or just before bed?
(I’m a “coffee + journal” morning person—it’s become part of breakfast.)
Length
How long will you write—timed, a set number of pages, or until you feel clear?
(For me, one page usually does the trick.)
Frequency
How often will you show up—twice a week, three times, or daily?
(I aim for at least four days a week.)
Timeframe
How long will you run your experiment—14 days, a month, or 90 days?
💡 Before you start, do a quick check-in:
👉 On a scale of 1–10, how clear do you feel about your career right now? (1 = murky, 10 = crystal clear).
Repeat it at the end of your timeframe and notice the difference.
Diary of a Career in Crisis: A 15-Day Writing Challenge
If you’re feeling stuck, drained, or questioning your career path, this challenge is for you.
It’s not just about “getting unstuck.” It’s about writing your way toward clarity, purpose, and your next comeback.
Over the next 15 days, your journal will become a mirror—showing you what you’ve been tolerating, what’s been holding you back, and what you deeply want more of.
This is where stress-proofing your career begins—one page at a time.
Access the full journal prompt Diary of a Career in Crisis here.
The Wake-Up Call (Recognizing Where You Are Now)
What moment made you realize, "something has to change"? (Was it burnout, a missed opportunity, a loss of motivation?)
What’s your biggest workplace stressor (people, leadership, workload, lack of purpose etc.), and how does it show up in your daily life?
Are you thriving or just surviving? What’s making the difference for you?
If nothing changed in your job for the next year, how would you feel?
Breaking the Cycle (Reframing & Undermining Stress)
What’s one challenge at work that keeps repeating? (EX: micromanaging boss, unclear expectations, overwork)
How do you want (or long) to show up at work? What’s blocking you?
Who navigates workplace pressures in a way that inspires you? What strategies do they use that you could experiment with?
What’s one thing you can start doing to better support yourself at work?
What’s already working that you need to lean into more?
How would your career feel different if stress didn’t control your decisions?
Your Comeback Blueprint (Redefining What’s Next)
What does “making a comeback” invoke in you? (Is it confidence? Clarity? Taking risks again?)
What strengths have you forgotten about that are ready to make a comeback? How have they served you in the past, and how can they support you now?
If you could rewrite your career story from today on, what would the next chapter focus on?
What activities (current or new) will help you in showing up as you desire?
What’s one small step you can take this week to move toward a more fulfilling career experience?
Journaling doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to sound polished. It just has to be yours.
This practice is where clarity begins—and where your comeback takes root.
What’s Next
Fifteen days of journaling can spark powerful insights—but real change happens when you decide what to do with them.
When you’ve finished the challenge:
Look back through your entries. Circle patterns, words, or themes that keep showing up.
Notice your “aha” moments. Where did you feel relief, energy, or excitement as you wrote?
Ask yourself: What’s one step I can take this week to honor what I discovered?
And if you’re ready for accountability, clarity, and support in taking those next steps, coaching can help you turn those journal insights into action. Together, we’ll map out your comeback story—so you can move forward with energy, confidence, and purpose.
Page updated
Report abuse