James Clear is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller, Atomic Habits.

He sold 20 million copies of his book and has a weekly newsletter with 3 million subscribers. Despite his accolades, most people probably have no clue he does journaling or he has his own journal - Clear Habit Journal. Honestly, neither did I until recently.

So, I looked up what he had to say about journaling.

I found this one article. Here’s what I learned:

Most of history's greatest thinkers spent time journaling

Journaling is the act of thinking about your life and writing it down.

But despite its simplicity, journaling continues to play a key role in the careers of many prolific people.

Both in the past and as well in the present.

Journaling is a favorite habit of many writers. From Mark Twain to Virginia Woolf, Francis Bacon to Joan Didion, and others.
Journaling is a favorite habit of brilliant thinkers and inventors. From Charles Darwin to Marie Curie, Leonardo DaVinci to Thomas Edison, or Albert Einstein.
Journaling has been present among leaders and politicians throughout history. From George Washington to Winston Churchill and Marcus Aurelius.

Needless to say, they’re some of the most brilliant minds throughout history that journal.

So... what makes journaling so important?

What are the benefits?

Journaling gives you the chance to learn new lessons from old experiences

The powerful thing about having a journal is you can revisit it whenever you want.

James says "Reading your old journal entries is a bit like reading a great book for a second time". Every time you read something you wrote in the past, you will pick up the sentences in a different way.

That's because you're reading the story of your life - of what happened in the past.

"Journaling shapes your memory"

Time will age our bodies without us noticing.

It will also change your thoughts and your beliefs, without realizing it. Our beliefs shift slowly as we gain experience. The powerful thing about a journal is it will freeze your thoughts through time.

Reading your old journal entries will remind you of how you once thought.

"Journaling motivates you to make the most of each day"

Every day, I log my entries of what I need to do the next day.

James acknowledges 'There's something about knowing your day will be recorded that makes you want to make at least one good choice before the sun sets."

When I close the journal, I will sometimes find myself thinking - "I need to make sure I complete all I set to do today".

Journaling offers evidence of your progress

We face a lot of uncertainty and doubt of our capabilities as writers.

We often feel stagnant, we make no progress. "Writing down one sentence about what went well today gives you something powerful to look at when you're feeling down".

We often face criticism, horrible feedback or just simply having a bad day.

It's easy to forget how much progress we made so far with our writing.

Journaling shows you (and reminds you) how far have you come.

Well then, if we know all the benefits of journaling, what stops us from making it a habit?

Make journaling easy

James and everyone who journals know this hard truth - there's no right way to journal.

You can do it anywhere with a piece of paper or a blank document. According to James, there's no right way to journal, there's an easy way to journal:

"Write a sentence every day"

Can you describe what happened today? What are you grateful for? What is the most important thing you need to do today? How did you sleep last night? How do you feel today?

Write one sentence answering one of these questions.

Writing a sentence every day feels good.

It's easy, it's fun, and it's achievable. When you feel good about doing something you'll keep coming back to it.

For creating the habit, it doesn't need to be impressive to be successful.

If journaling feels like an annoyance or a burden, you'll not stick with it.

As James says "Journaling doesn't need to be a big production, just write a sentence about what happened during the day".

Reference:

Clear, James (2024) The Surprising Benefits of Journaling One Sentence Every Day. The last version is available here

James Clear's Surprising Benefits of Journaling

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