Change Your Life by Journalling in 2024

Journalling has been one of the most important habits I’ve ever developed and has had a dramatic impact on my life. In this video, I go through why I think journaling is so powerful and share the best prompts you can use to get started as well. Enjoy x

📖 Buy my New York Times bestselling book Feel-Good Productivity:

🍿 WATCH NEXT:

MY CREATOR COURSES

MY FAVOURITE TOOLS & GEAR

MY OTHER SOCIALS:

WHO AM I?
If we haven’t yet before - Hey 👋 I’m Ali, a doctor-turned-entrepreneur and I’ve somehow become the world’s most followed productivity expert. Through my videos here on this channel, my podcast Deep Dive and writing, I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you be more productive and build a life you love.

⌚️Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
0:41 - Why Journalling can change your life
4:44 - Level 1 of Journalling
7:46 - Level 2 of Journalling
10:54 - Level 3 of Journalling
11:25 - Odyssey Plan (Prompt 1)
12:03 - The Wheel of Life (Prompt 2)
13:03 - 12 Month Celebration (Prompt 3)
13:28 - Fear Setting Exercise (Prompt 4)
14:26 - Solomon's Paradox (Prompt 5)

PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a kickback from 😜li

[kateangelo]

I did a daily gratitude for my husband for a year. Each day I wrote something I appreciated about him on a colored scrap of paper. It could have been something specific, or something general about his temperament or personality. I folded the paper in half and put it in a jar that I kept hidden in my closet for a year! Then on Christmas I gave him the jar stuffed full of notes. It changed my life and his! Anytime he needs a little pick me up, he goes to the jar and reads a few notes.

[camillagiussani]

I am now 21 years old and I have been journalling (on and off) for at least 6 years now. I genuinely believe that journalling is what made me the person I am today! One fun thing I like to do is to write "level 1" entries in a foreign language I am learning. I am not a native English speaker, so that was the first language I experimented with. Throughout the years I have then journaled in French, Spanish, German and Turkish. Writing about your day in a foreign language is such an incredible exercise that requires minimal time and effort but will ultimately boost your language skills!!

[toplectures]

My favorite journaling prompt is “what is the best mistake I made today?” Because it helps me to gain perspective on my perfectionism and to appreciate that the most valuable moments, interactions and insights are often the result of a mistake I made earlier. Like: leaving home late caused me to miss the train but as a result I ran into a friend I hadn’t spoken with in a while. It helps me to be a little less judgmental of myself and better appreciate things I had previously taken for granted :)

[joshvird]

Each time someone likes this I’ll make sure I’ll journal that night

[a.rosegulick]

My journal is my best friend, I take it everywhere in my bag at all times, and say I'm alone at the mall or the park, I take it out and track my feelings, I write about the surrounding things, I write my feelings, I use it to check in with myself. I've been keeping a diary since I was about 13, and then went off and on for a while until 2021. (I'm on journal #13 for this year), and I think my most important prompt is, "how are you, really?" I tend to mask my emotions because I am known to be a people pleaser, but having an outlet to just actually let out what I'm feeling, it's great.

[tomcolgan]

Thank you Ali - my takeaway actions for this are:

1. Re-introduce Morning Pages into my daily routine. I used to do it, dropped the habit somewhere in the middle of uni, and now that I've graduated and am very aware that this is my life and it's happening now, I think I'll find a lot of value by bringing it back.

2. Try the 'I Appreciate...' exercise with my partner. We moved in together a month ago, and it can be so easy to take for granted how amazing that person is when they're around all the time. This seems like it will give me a bit of time to focus on some of the things I appreciate about my person :)

3. Try to build some form of journalling about future decisions/actions into my life: I have never really done this but it seems like a healthier alternative to the long debates I have in my head whenever I face a big decision! Will definitely take a look at your journalling prompts to see if any resonate, thanks as always for your openness with this stuff Ali.

And if you've read this comment, have a great rest of your day!

[The_Skull_Viking]

Your journal will stand as a chronicle of your growth, your hopes, your fears, your dreams, your ambitions, your sorrows, your serendipities...

[creativestudio]

I journal everyday and I create art journals to give and to sell to others on Etsy. I find that people find it easier to start a journal when it is not a blank page but it has images and interactive places (like tags and tuck spots). It is easier to start to write or color or glue in bits of your life into a creative journal. I am 73 years old and am just starting a youtube channel to show my journals. Today, I discovered how to make a video with my phone. I have so much more to learn but I felt inspired by your videos. Keep up the exciting work.

[AngelaKaySams]

My favorite journaling prompt is to ask my higher self for advice on anything that is bothering me. It helps me so much to get advice from a broader perspective than through my own human experience. Thank you for this episode Ali. xo

[KathyBrooksArt]

Great video, and excellent ideas. My 84 yo mother used to say "Every day I wake up and say 'Today is going to be a beautiful day, and it always is'" She never got on the internet; she was a happy person.

[Prerikagupta]

My therapist asked me to maintain a grief journal 2 years back and side by side, one more journal, My healing journey. It has been 2 years since then and my mental health has improved drastically. Btw, amazing video, Ali!

[iStory-Talks]

I have been writing my journal when I was 18 years old. Now, I am 50 years old. Thank you for your valuable videos. I like the way when you’re explaining. It’s very powerful 🎉

[AbbyEdits]

Can we take a moment to appreciate Ali that how much he helps us ❤

[katmoons]

I have this mantra I use when journaling “Write it down and make it happen.” It’s allowed me to cross off so many things on my lists!

[abdullahkalim]

'What does my life look like 5 years from now if I take a completely different path?'
This is the prompt that I'm going to journal about and the best part is I have started this "completely different path" this morning and I'm not gonna just journal but document the whole experience to my best capabilities. 5 years from now remind me to share my experience and I'll be happy to do so.
: )

[letsrenaway]

I started journaling 2 years ago, and it changed my life. I started off with the talking about my feelings, and I used to do it everyday. However, I quit when I started to fear doing it because I was in a bad position and would much rather document positive things rather than negative. Although now, I am getting back into it after overcoming that fear.

[EmilReignited]

I've been trying to improve for quite some time now, but journaling was one of these things that I always knew about, but never got into. (I guess many can relate) So yeah, grateful for this video

[sarahwilkin]

A quick journal method I do is write a list of 3-10 items in the following categories: Thankfuls, “Prouds, ” Pains/Prayers, Questions.

Thankfuls- self-explanatory!
Prouds- things I’m proud I did. It’s a celebration/acknowledgment of small or big things and reminds me of the control I have over my life & actions. It’s been especially helpful when I’ve been depressed. Eg. made my bed, brushed my teeth, washed the dishes when I didn’t feel like it.
Pains/Prayers - things I worry about of people I’m thinking of
Questions- what am I wondering about

I think people would benefit from listing their “Prouds.” I don’t hear that talked about much.

[Kasia_Luna]

Journalling is a magical endeavor, a transformative portal to self-discovery. It's akin to whispering to one’s soul, painting emotions and thoughts in ink, allowing understanding and growth to flourish. It's a special, intimate dialogue with oneself, and has helped me be more self aware than I have ever been before.
Love this video, and I hope more people pick up journalling because I think it'll really change your life. 😊✨

[Sun-hwji]

I am now a 17-year-old senior school student and I haven't really gotten started on journalling once in my lifetime, but after this video, I think I might start from the level 1 journaling, especially the 5-minute daily storytelling prompt. I think this prompt can start my journaling more easily and continuously. A big thanks for your help Ali ❤