How to use journaling to make decisions
Updated 2025-01-24. Originally published 2016-09-12 on VocationVillage.com
For many people, writing is one of the best ways to increase clarity about your true feelings about different life and career choices. This article explores how to use journaling to make decisions that are aligned with your values, interests, and goals. I also recommend keeping the journal so that if you question yourself later, you can go back and read the reasons you chose the path you did. This can reinforce your original decision or cause you to re-evaluate if something changes.
If you were using a quantitative decision-making approach, you might use a decision-making matrix, but journaling is different. I like both ways of deciding as they complement each other. For major career and life decisions, it's useful to use multiple decision-making methods and then compare the results. The act of journaling often surprises my clients when they write something that feels clear and true that they didn’t realize about themselves until they read their writing.
When you journal, try not to worry about eloquence, grammar, or anything else that impedes your free flow of thoughts. Write by hand if that’s comfortable for you. Write in a digital journal if you prefer that. There aren’t any hard and fast rules about how you do this. The test of effectiveness is whether it works for you.
As an example, you might have a decision to make between three career paths. They each have their own pros and cons, so you might feel stuck between them. To journal about your options, write the three choices and include as much detail as you know. Here are some writing prompts to guide you - use these prompts for EACH choice separately:
- What is your first emotional reaction to this choice?
- What part of this choice sparks joy for you?
- What part of this choice causes you anxiety?
- Describe how this path would or would not feel aligned with the person you want to be, including interests, strengths, personality, and values.
- Do you feel energized or drained by the thought of pursuing this choice?
- What information do you need to have to either move forward with this choice or let it go?
Once you have written about each choice individually, also answer these questions:
- Are you surprised by anything you wrote?
- Do you feel drawn to a commitment to one option, or do you prefer to pursue more than one and re-evaluate again at a later time?
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