I dismissed journaling completely in 2014. Thought it was navel-gazing. Soft. Something people did when they had no real problems to solve.
Then I went to a personal development seminar and heard Jim Rohn speak about journals being treasures. The way he described them stuck with me. Something shifted. I decided to try it, just to see.
That was 12 years ago. I've journaled every single day since. During the 58 marathons, I journaled. During the hardest moments with Amy, I journaled. When things were good, when they were terrible, when I was confused about what came next. The blank page became the place where everything got sorted.
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Listen to Episode 671 of Man That Can with Lachlan Stuart:
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Your Mind is a Backpack
Here's how I think about it. Your mind is like a backpack. Every experience, every worry, every half-finished thought just gets tossed in. After a while, it's completely packed. Heavy. Restrictive. Most people walk around with a full backpack their entire lives, never once opening it up to see what's actually in there.
Journaling is the act of opening that backpack. Taking everything out. Sorting through it. Some things realise you don't need anymore. Others become clear only when you write them down. The weight carried gets cut in half just from that simple act.
The blank page isn't therapy. It's not introspection porn. It's the control panel for your mind.
It's Not About Writing Well
One of the biggest barriers men have is thinking they need to write well. Grammar matters. Sentences need to flow. It needs to sound intelligent. That's complete nonsense. The journal isn't for anyone else. The man holding the pen decides what gets written and how it gets written.
Write like talking. Write in fragments if that's what comes out. Write the same sentence three times if needed. There's no right way to do this. The only wrong way is not doing it.
Research on expressive writing shows something interesting. People who write about their challenges, their stress, their emotions consistently report improved mental health, better sleep, and clearer thinking. It's not magic. It's not mystical. It's about externalising what's bouncing around in your head.
When something gets written down, the brain stops using energy to hold it. The thought becomes real, external, manageable. It's possible to look at it. React to it. Do something about it.
The Thing That Surprised Me
What surprised over 12 years was how journaling creates a mirror. Looking back at entries from three months ago, six months ago, a year ago shows patterns invisible in the moment. Cycles. Recurring thoughts. Issues thought solved actually just cycle back around.
During the 58 marathons, there was one stretch where the IVF process with Amy was incredibly difficult. There were days when continuing forward felt impossible. The journal became the place to process both the physical pain and the emotional weight. Writing through it maintained connection to why this was happening. It kept anchored.
That's what journaling does. It anchors when everything feels adrift.
Start Simple
If journaling feels foreign, start with this. Each evening, write three things. What went well today. What was challenging. What's being thought about as eyes close tonight.
That's it. Five minutes. No pressure. No perfectionism. Just three things and whatever thoughts attach themselves to those things.
Over time, a practice builds. Some days two sentences. Other days three pages. Both are valuable. The consistency matters more than the volume.
Think of the mind like that backpack again. Every day, weight gets added. Journaling lets it be put down. Sort through it. Keep only what serves.
After 12 years, there's absolute certainty that this one practice has shaped everything else. Clearer decisions. Better relationships. More resilience. More understanding of who actually happening versus who should be.
The blank page changed everything. It can change things too.
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More on Calm Mind
Explore how journaling fits into the bigger picture of building a calm mind. Read more on journaling for men.
Related Episode
If found this valuable, check out Episode 676: Why Your Morning Routine Keeps Failing. We explore how to build routines that actually stick, including why journaling sits at the foundation of high performers.
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About Lachlan Stuart: Brisbane-based life performance coach, keynote speaker, and host of *Man That Can with Lachlan Stuart*. After running 58 marathons in 58 consecutive days across all 50 US states and raising $161,000 for mental health, Lachlan has coached 1,200+ high-performing men through his Core 4 Framework. Book Lachlan to speak | Explore coaching
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Frequently Asked Questions
What if I don't know what to write about?
Start with the three-thing framework. What went well. What was hard. What's on the mind. From there, pick whichever one has the most energy and just follow that thread. The mind will give what needs to come out.
How long should I journal for?
Five minutes is enough. Ten minutes is great. Thirty minutes is fine if that's what flows. There's no minimum or maximum. The practice is what matters, not the duration.
Does Lachlan still journal daily?
Yes. Lachlan has journaled every single day for 12 years, including during the 58 marathons across all 50 US states. He considers it the foundation of his mental clarity and decision-making as a life performance coach.
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Ready to Build Clarity?
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