Overachiever’s Toolkit
Using a
Journal
Journaling is one of my most tried and true achievement tools. It’s not always fun. But it is usually effective. It may not sound like your cup of tea but it can help you decide and become who you want to be. Leaders across many fields swear by it. So don’t say no before you’ve tried it.
Tier
What Is Journaling?
Journaling is the practice of putting your thoughts to pen and paper. Journals are commonly used for planning, productivity, reflection, and catharsis. It’s a versatile tool that can be used to benefits multiple areas of your life.
Why Journaling?
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I don’t claim to be an expert on anything I write about.
Hell, I hardly claim to be an expert on myself. 😂😂😂
These breakdowns are largely for me. I use them to record and reference. Unlike most others on this site though, this journaling page might actually be useful to the outside observer.
No promises. You can tell me.
Disclaimer:
I don’t claim to be an expert on anything I write about.
Hell, I hardly claim to be an expert on myself. 😂😂😂
These breakdowns are largely for me. First, it’s how I study. Second, I use them to record and reference my learnings.
Power of the Pen
Writing things down
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Ideation
brainstorming and never forgetting an idea… develop your ideas
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Directing Focus
Intention…
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Plan and Track
Not only that, it gives you a progress report
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There’s a lot that can go into your journaling habit. Here’s a quick look at what the journaling journey has been like for me.
Learn with Me
Hi, I’m Zach.
I’ve been journaling for nearly a decade now.
I was never one for a diary growing up. But as I began working for myself, I started to need a place for To-Do Lists. That’s really all my original journals were.
Sometimes I’d brainstorm a little or write a few Affirmations. But at first, 99 pages out of 100 were just to-dos.
Over time, my process has evolved a lot.
Now, I track a number of things in my journal. I have layouts for Life Goals, Yearly Goals, Business Plans, my Credit Score, and more. Journaling is a crucial part of my Morning Routine and my overall Goal Setting process.
You could say my journals are my life, followed closely by This Site.
My Experience
I’m just below the level of master.
I still have a few things to add to my repertoire.
However, I already have a very sophisticated system. It can be a pain to maintain. But I’m not quite sure I could have built what I have without it.
After all, pages like this get scheduled in my journal.
It continues to evolve as I go. But the impact journaling has had on my life is undeniable.
I use journaling to develop my character and design my future. Beyond a doubt, it is one of my most important Habits. I use it to create a more intentional life.
It has served me well and I’m sure it will continue to.
- Importance – 88%
- Passion – 80%
- Mastery – 90%
Journey Started: ≈2008
Good Life Foundation
Journaling works. It is the type of practice that has benefits across multiple areas of your life, often with compounding effects over time.
Where Journaling Fits in a Good Life
Journaling is one of the most useful pieces in the Achievement puzzle.
For me, it’s a “Tier 3” concept, on the same level as
It is also closely tied to practices like Goal Setting and Affirmations.
…
Goals are one of the most important pieces of the Achievement puzzle.
For me, they’re a “Tier 2” concept, on the same level as Mindset, Habits, Growth, and High Performance.
It is also closely tied to practices like Journaling.
…
Journaling is one of the top tools in the Overachiever’s Toolkit, and therefore a useful piece of the Achievement puzzle.
1. Achievement
‣ 2. Goal Setting
3. Frameworks
3. Scheduling
4. Yearly
4. Monthly
4. Daily Planning
3. Business Plans
Success Habit Rank
Videos Watched
Mentions on My Site
Books Read
Playing for Four Quarters
I believe that everything is training for the next thing. At 30 years old, I am finally stepping into my own. I had a lot of bad habits to shed. I also had a lot to learn about life. I’m grateful that I “woke up” as early as I did. Now, I can conceptualize 10, 20,...
Journaling to Move Your Life Forward
For journaling newbies:
The first thing to understand is that perfection doesn’t exist.
You don’t need to know the “how to” on journaling as much as you need to develop the “want to.” It ain’t about fun. It’s about effectiveness. So the first thing to do is to hammer that home.
Journaling is most effective when it’s done everyday.
Otherwise, it just becomes a burden.
In fact, it will probably feel like a burden sometimes anyway.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile though.
Like many things, you have to get your hands dirty to find what works best for you. Try different methods. Eventually, something will work.
Keep doing that thing.
Continue experimenting.
Over time, you’ll mix and match your way to a successful journaling habit.
No one else’s journaling plan will be exactly what you need.
But that doesn’t mean you have to figure it out yourself. I’ve taken bits and pieces from many of my Heroes and others. I encourage you to do what I did.
Look at what other people are doing.
Choose something and try it.
Don’t succumb to analysis paralysis.
JUST WRITE SOMETHING DOWN.
That puts you on your way.
Worry about advanced strategies later.
You can start with Goal Setting, Daily Planning, Affirmations, or anywhere else. Even a weekly or monthly To-Do List works as a starting point.
Set yourself an objective:
- Increasing Productivity
- Developing Self Awareness
- Brainwashing Yourself
- Gratitude
- Critical Thinking
- Decision Making
- Mental Health/Happiness
From self brainwashing page:
streams of consciousness
And of course, it can help you brainwash yourself too, whether that is through Affirmations or something else.
Developing a Journaling habit is one of the best ways to
Jordan Peterson describes writing as one of the best ways to learn how to think better/improve your thinking… power in hand writing things… write goals, affirmations, morning pages
There are many ways journaling can help improve your life. Ultimately though, you’re the only one who can find what works for you.
cut from header:
I never thought I’d use one. Yet I’m so grateful that a younger me bit the bullet and got started on the habit. If you want to live your best life, you should try it too.
HOW TO DEVELOP A JOURNALING HABIT STEP-BY-STEP
00
Get a Bullet Journal!
You don’t have to use a Bullet Journal. But they are the best. They give you just the right amount of guidance and freedom, helping you design each page exactly as you need. This encourages you to customize your layouts and improve your practice over time.
01
Goal Setting
Most people can’t create the life they want because they don’t know what that is. One of the reasons is because they never learn how to Set Goals. It usually takes some trial and error, but once you learn, a world of possibility opens up to you. Write it down, then chase it.
opportunity to… rinse and repeat to see how your goals/desires shift over time
02
Self Brainwashing
If you don’t Brainwash Yourself, the world will. That’s rarely a good thing. Letting your family, friends, or society at-large dictate to you is the usually the loser’s path. The proactive you beats the reactive you nine times out of ten.
Affirmations, Gratitude, Forgiveness
from affirmations toggle in how i do it section: If you want to mold yourself into a world beater, there isn’t any better place to start. Shape an identity you love. Install better belief systems. Believe in yourself more. And convince yourself to do alllll the hard stuff.
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03
Daily Planning
If you want to get your life right, you have to get your days right. Smart daily planning is a crucial part of building the life you want. That’s what makes daily planners such popular Productivity (and Achievement) tools. The greats swear by it. So why aren’
A planner is probably a top 5 productivity/achievement tool… overachiever’s toolkit
If the people you want to be like/look up to swear by it, who are you to reject it out of hand/without trying it first?
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04
Loose Thoughts
streams of consciousness, affirmations, diary
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05
Habit Tracking
This is probably the most hard-core of any journaling practice, reserved for the extremely dedicated (or slightly deranged). It requires heaping helpings of Patience and Discipline but has the potential to provide perhaps more insight into any other single things in the Overachiever’s Toolkit.
This is like the tier 1 skill… requires patience/discipline but smacks
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Remember: just start. The first time you put your goals on paper, you’re closer to achieving your dreams than 90% of the population.
My Favorite Journaling Videos
Everything you need to learn about journaling can be found online.
I’m no high performance titan. I stand on the shoulders of giants. I simply listen to what my Heroes say and apply it. Not everything sticks. But enough does to make a lasting impact.
Data
Dump
One of the main purposes of This Site is to catalog my learnings. I’m not that learned. But I’m working on becoming moreso. If you see a “data dump” on this site, you’re looking at unsorted information. It may be related or completely unrelated, depending on the topic.
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Bullet
Journaling
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DAily
Planning
high performance planner
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Meditative
Journaling
Morning pages?
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Goal
Setting
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How I Use Journaling to Create the Life I want
If you haven’t noticed, I take this stuff seriously.
You don’t have to do it like me. But maybe you wanna know. So I guess I’ll tell you. You might have picked some of it up by reading through this page or clicking on some of the links.
I’ll spell it all out here.
Daily Planning
This is my #1 journaling practice. I’m at the point now that I need it. If I disregard it, my days simply aren’t good (productive) enough.
Without a journal, I can’t/couldn’t/won’t plan my day for shit
If not
I used to hate schedules. Then I found that planning out my days gives me the calm confidence I need to chase after my long-term goals like a madman.
Use Google Calendar if you want. I prefer pen and paper.
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Goal Setting
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Framing Time
goals over time + planner
little notes about “today was the day that” x content challenge “this was the week that”
memory… helps me date things in my mind, maintain my life timeline in my mind
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Note Taking
I am an autodidact. Learning may be my greatest skill. It’s also one of my most important. I don’t always take notes. When I do, they are very specific. They may be notes about my life. Or perhaps a conversations or presentation. Most often though, I take notes to develop ideas.
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Writing Affirmations
Affirmations are my favorite self-brainwashing tool, bar none. If you want to mold yourself into a world beater, there isn’t any better place to start. Shape an identity you love. Install better belief systems. Believe in yourself more. And convince yourself to do alllll the hard stuff… reused in how to section
or change toggle to GAP Protocol?
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Streams of Consciousness
Many a brilliant mind has tried to decode the human psyche. The more we learn, the farther we realize we have to go. Stream of consciousness journaling seems to help in a variety of ways. Not quite sure how. But who cares? Dunno’ what makes seeds grow but I plant them anyway.
Sometimes I use my journal, sometimes I use this site
I am a master brainstormer… record ideas in sessions or as they come then organize them later… whether in my journal on This Site or in Monday.com
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Favorite Coaches
Favorite Teachers
Favorite Entrepreneurs
My Journaling Posts
2025 Content Round Up Week 7
2025 Content Challenge Week 7: ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅ Seven up. Seven down. That's half way through the first quarter. Once I publish this, I have a 50-day streak—of which I've only had seven or eight at most. A few more weeks and I'll have one of my top five longest ever. Soon....
2025 Content Round Up Week 6
2025 Content Challenge Week 6: ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅ The number 42 always makes me think of pee wee football. We used to put 42 points on so many teams every season. 😂😂😂 But 42 days of content production in a row? I'll take that too. 👍👍👍 What Got Done? Another really productive...
2025 Content Round Up Week 5
2025 Content Challenge Week 5: ✅✅✅✅✅✅✅ Five touchdowns and a full month down. As far as I could possibly be in 2025 so far. No time for complaints. No time for celebration either. Just time for WORK. What Got Done? On the outside, the main thing was Candlestick Charts...
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My Top 3 High Performance Coaches
"YouTube University" has brought many a life-optimizer across my path. These three are my favorite high performance coaches.
How I Use Journaling
For me, Journaling is one of my most cherished tools.
It has many sub categories, already 4 or 5 tiers deep–and growing as more knowledge does. Like it’s parent category, I break Money Mastery into two big chunks… Playing Markets and Financial Literacy.