4 Prompts for Bullet-Point Journaling

"Journal DAILY."

When I first joined Sandler as a trainer, one of the keys to success shared with me was the importance of journaling. It's great for clearing your mind. It helps you visualize things. It makes you accountable. There are plenty of other benefits, too.

I was even given a very long list of things to journal about. I had never been one to write out my thoughts, so any help I could get was welcomed.

I did it consistently for less than a month. Of course, my low planning score manifested, and soon enough, the priority to write in my journal faded away.

A few months later, I discovered a structure that worked great and fits my fast-paced, visual learning style. There are 4 sections and you can list about 3-4 bullet points for each (or more if you wanted).

I promise this will work for you!

Consider these questions the next time you write in your journal:

1. What am I grateful for? This is always number one, and I although I am grateful for much more than the 3 or 4 blessings that I list, these quick thoughts get me in a positive frame of mind to start the day off on the right root.

2. What stressors do I have? Addressing your stressors upfront is a good way to overcome them. There's nothing worse than internalizing your stress and letting it creep up as you're trying to wind down at the end of the day. Writing about my stressors helps me feel relieved and makes me more productive throughout the day.

3. What are some affirmations I can tell myself? I have very specific ones that I journal every day. A few affirmations that boost my morale are:

• I am a money magnet.
• I am a heat-seeking missile for finding pain.
• I am a 10x ROI for my clients.
• I am consistently doing a service to those who need my help when I call.
• I am a magnet for great referrals into ideal prospects.

Funny, when you start writing “I am a magnet for great referrals into ideal prospects”, you start getting referrals into ideal prospects!

4. What must be true for this to be a great day? This is a question we use in our office all the time – “What must be true?”

In this section of my journal, I usually jot down my 3/2 Goals - 3 professional goals, and 2 personal goals - that I need to accomplish that day. Declaring "what must be true" helps me stay focused and makes it easy for me to define success each day. Here's an example of 3/2 Goals:

3 Professional Goals:

1. Make 20 Cold Calls
2. Book 2 Appointments 
3. "3 Foot/5 People"

2 Personal Goals:

1. Run 2 miles
2. Watch my son's baseball practice

If you are struggling, or have struggled with journaling in the past, use the structure above to restart your journaling. I have been journaling for over a year with this simple structure, and it has had a tremendous effect on my business and personal life.

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