5 Minutes a Day Journaling - How to Think In a Journal? (for creators and entrepreneurs)

It can surprise you, but I need to tell you that there is no one best way you can set up and organize your journal. 

However, I experimented with different methods and formats for managing my writing through the years. 

I came up with a few suggestions that will help you on your way too. 

In the following part, I will show you some best practices to organize your journal for the most growth and positive life changes. 

And now, I want to tell you about a few main principles of the ThinkGym Journaling Method regarding journal keeping. 

It is essential to know these principles because they can offer you a simple mindset for journaling required for long-term success. 

So here they are: 

Your system. 

The first principle is that you want to create your way of journaling. 

This means you will figure out the best way to write your entries: how many sentences, how many times a day, how you split up your journal, how much to write, and what tools to use in the current moment. 

You will understand what and how you want to write and organize your entries when you go through the training and implement different tools and exercises. 

Journaling is the book you are writing, and you will feel the most pleasure when doing it your way. 

So experiment and figure out what works best for you. 

My main suggestion here is to habitually put the date, time, and location of your entries. 

You can rush and skip doing that. 

But after journaling for some time, you would like to return to your older record to see how far you have gone in your life and your progress. 

Those dates and times will give you a more detailed description of the moment in life when you were writing. 

This will help you better understand mental changes within yourself and your environment over time. 

Putting time will also help to see how consistent you are with your progress in a journal and stay accountable. 

Ultimate freedom. 

The second principle is to be free and not restrict yourself in how you write.  

Don't let anything create borders for your self-expression in a journal. 

You are writing it for yourself, not for others to inspect. 

Don't think about your handwriting style or grammar. 

Your punctuation or length of sentences is not so important either. 

Only the act of writing and thinking in your journal is. 

Say all freely and as you wish. 

Draw pictures, diagrams, and whatever you want to connect deeply with yourself. 

Voluntarily include other people's quotes, print out a paragraph of a book or article, and glue it on your page if needed. 

Growth Mindset

All material of the book and the method assumes that you cultivate growth instead of a fixed mindset in your life or at least aim to do so.

The first one says: I have not yet just solved it.

And the second one proclaims: I am not smart enough to solve it.

The difference is enormous.

Without a growth mindset responsible for progress, it won't be easy to coach yourself in a journal. 

A growth mindset can be summarized like this: "Whatever happens in my life, I can handle it. I can change. This can not always can be easy, but it is possible. I am not a tree; I can move and do something to improve my situation. Others can do it; then I can do it."

While a fixed mindset will continue saying someone something entirely different: "That success is about being more gifted than others, that failure does measure you, and that effort is for those who can't make it on talent."

If you recognize signs of a fixed mindset, here is what is essential for you to know:

"Most people you think are more successful than you in anything are not more intelligent or better than you. 

They are further on the timeline."

The hallmark of the growth mindset is the passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it's not going well. 

This mindset allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times.