I. Introduction
I would say some of my biggest personal challenges have come from growing an online business.
It’s hard.
You start out with some vague dream of autonomy & a better lifestyle.
Then each day you wake up, more often than not, wondering what you’re supposed to do today to drive any kind of progress.
Every day there are decisions to make, mostly with too little information.
Each day is filled with uncertainty.
That’s the life of any entrepreneur.
So how do you deal with it?
Journaling is a simple yet powerful tool that can help you as an entrepreneur gain the clarity and insights you need to realize your goals.
And to avoid just staring at a blank page, having pre-written prompts will help trigger your thinking.
The more relevant the prompts the better. So keep reading to discover some of my most effective journaling prompts for entrepreneurs.
II. The Core Advantages of Journaling for Entrepreneurs
What I’ve found is by taking the time to reflect on your thoughts, experiences, and emotions, you can gain valuable insights that will help you find the right approach for you.
Specifically, some of the key benefits of journaling include:
- Clarity: Journaling allows you to gain clarity on your vision, goals, and priorities. By writing down your thoughts and ideas, you can clarify your thinking and gain a deeper understanding of what you want to achieve.
- Self-awareness: Journaling can help you become more self-aware by reflecting on your strengths, weaknesses, and values. This self-awareness can help you make better decisions which accelerate your progress..
- Problem-solving: Journaling can be an effective tool for problem-solving. By reflecting on the challenges and brainstorming (or researching) possible solutions, you can come up with new and creative answers.
- Stress relief: this can be a stressful, confidence-killing,l journey, but journaling can help you manage your stress levels. By expressing your emotions and processing your thoughts, you can reduce your anxiety and eradicate triggers which don’t serve you..
III. How to Start Journaling as an Entrepreneur
First thing you’re going to need is a notebook and pen. If you find yourself spending the next 3 hours on amazon, searching for the perfect notebook and pen, that’s a clear sign you need to journal regularly. 🙂
- Find a comfortable space: For me, there’s a local cafe which has glass walls, so there’s plenty of natural light. Plus, they play pop music in the background, which works better for me than silence. The key is to find a place you feel good in & where you can focus on your journaling practice without distractions. I know some people prefer a dedicated space in their office or a cozy corner of their home.
- Choose a time of day: Consider which time of day works best for you. My brain works best first thing in the morning. You might prefer to journal at the end of the day to reflect on how the day went.
- Set clear intentions: Just like you might set a sales target, set an outcome for what you want from this journaling session. You’re effectively prompting your brain. Telling it, this is what I want to focus on. This is what I want to explore.
- Use color. Big one for me. I underline insights, breakthroughs and ideas in color. It makes it stand out on the page & the act of underlining seems to reinforce the idea to me.
- Make it a regular habit: Journaling is most effective when it becomes a regular habit. Try to journal at the same time every day or every week to make it a part of your routine.
IV. Journaling Prompts for Entrepreneurs
I started journaling originally because I heard a Jim Rohn quote…
“If a lifes worth living, it’s worth recording”
But as I got into it, I found it was a useful thinking tool.
I was pretty sporadic about writing in my journal, but when the global financial crisis hit in 2008, I lost my business & with it my income.
With a young family, rent & bills to pay, it was easy to be distracted by what I had lost. But of course, all that did was stress me out. It wasn’t solving the real problem.
So I sat down with my journal & just started writing.
The first few pages were filled with essentially a rant.
Lots of four letter words. Lots of blaming everything & everyone else.
Until finally I wrote..
“Ok, so what are you going to do about it?”
A simple question which put me back in the driving seat. Put the responsibility & accountability back on me.
It triggered a series of questions & ideas, which ultimately developed into a solid map of action.
Since then I’ve developed a framework of ideas to get more out of journaling. Most of which are prompts. Triggers to move me past writer’s block. To get the pen moving.
Staring at a blank piece of paper isn’t helpful but having a framework to start from is.
Here’s an insight into some of my prompts.
This will help you organize your thoughts on paper, & as part of a daily routine is a great way to train your mind.
The more you train your mind, the better you’ll think which means the more successful you’ll be.
Ok so what are some useful areas to focus on & what are some specific prompts you can use straight away?
What’s my framework?
My framework is based on two ideas.
Questions and stream of consciousness, sometimes known as free-writing.
I’ve organized these into the core areas you need to pay attention to on a daily basis.
- Dealing with emotions
- Creative process
- Problem solving
- Daily Review
If You’re Human Then There’s Gold In Your Emotions
You can’t avoid emotions. The key is to recognise when an emotion is triggered it’s there to share a lesson.
Journaling helps to find the lesson.
Prompts I use:
- What am I really feeling?
- What’s triggered this?
- What is this emotion trying to teach me?
- (Free Write)… I am feeling X because. Write whatever comes to mind…
Unlimited Creativity Process. A Billionaires Advice Unleashed These Prompts
A friend of mine who’s entrepreneurial success was extraordinary, placed a huge amount of emphasis on creativity.
He felt it was a core advantage in business. Creativity is essential to solving problems, developing marketing ideas; writing content; writing webinars, sales copy, developing products & offers.
So here’s a sample of prompts I’m currently using
- What content would appeal to my audience?
- What problems do my audience face?
- How can I solve those problems for them?
- I’d find it easier to write daily content if…
- What stories would increase my visibility?
- What stories would increase my credibility?
- I could create more video content if…
Try these on. Take one question or stem sentence & spend 10 minutes just writing the ideas which come to mind. Don’t question the ideas. Just capture them. You can evaluate them at a later stage.
And you can use your journal to do the evaluation. Both to decide which ideas are worth running with & post implementation to evaluate how effective they were.
Problem Solving is Difficult? WRONG!
If you haven’t been told this before, here’s a reality check.
You WILL face problems.
Unavoidable. There is no growth, no success, without problems.
Often problems entrepreneurs face are related to lack of sales.
A few prompts to trigger your thinking.
- What can I sell?
- How do I reach people?
- What is this problem costing me?
- Why has this problem occurred?
- What do I need to change to avoid this problem ever arising again?
- Is this a resource issue? I.e. Lack of money? Lack of time?
- What ways could I achieve the outcome without the money?
- How could I leverage my time?
Solving problems is closely tied to commitment. If commitment is lacking then of course you can journal on that too as a missing emotion.
Daily Review – Closing the Gap to Clarity
Final piece. Journaling allows you to slow down & importantly REFLECT.
Business & life are projects, meaning you probably have multiple goals to progress.
Confusion occurs when you lose track.
At the end of the day. For me, after family dinner.. I’ll take the time to review the day
- What did you learn?
- What progress did you make?
- How could you accelerate progress?
- Are you overcomplicating getting clients?
- What could be a simpler approach?
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how productive was I today?
- I’d be more productive if….
V. Conclusion Nothing Begins Until You Start Journaling
Over to you. All knowledge must end in action.
Get started. Buy yourself a simple notebook and pen.
If you want insight , I’ve identified 8 ways I use a journal for business success. Click here