Career Journaling: A Simple Habit with Big Impact

As a senior leader, your days are packed – meetings, decisions, problem-solving, and a never-ending stream of emails. It can be hard to find a moment to pause, let alone reflect. That’s where career journaling comes in. It’s a low-effort, high-impact way to slow things down just enough to make better sense of everything you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and where you’re heading.

Why Bother Journaling?

We’re not talking about journaling to keep track of daily tasks. This is about stepping back, checking in with your values and goals, and capturing insights you might otherwise lose in the rush. It’s a private space to think through decisions, reflect on how you’re showing up as a leader, and make sure you’re still headed in a direction that feels right for you. And there are proven benefits of journalling as a practice for reducing stress¹, improving clarity and enhancing our productivity²

What to Write About

Don’t overthink it, as well as capturing thoughts from 121s and development activities, this is about making a few notes at any time you can find a quiet moment. You might include:

• Key decisions: What you decided, why you chose that path, and how it played out.
• Leadership moments: How you handled a tough conversation or motivated the team.
• Emotional perspective: Noting how you feel at different points in time gives a sense that “time slows down,” helping differentiate experiences and combat the feeling that life is blurring together
• Lessons learned: What didn’t go as planned, and what would you do differently next time?
• Looking ahead: Ideas for the future—whether it’s your team’s growth, your own career path, or the bigger picture.

Making It Stick

You don’t need a fancy system. Just pick a format that works for you: digital doc, notebook, voice notes etc. And don’t feel restricted to the written word either, use pictures, diagrams, word clouds to capture your reflections and goals.  Try setting aside a few minutes each day or perhaps 15 minutes once a week- experiment with what works for you. Every now and then, read back over your entries. You’ll probably spot patterns, notice how much you’ve learned, and maybe even find a bit of inspiration for what’s next.

One Last Thought

Career journaling isn’t about creating a polished narrative, it’s about capturing your thoughts, your growth, and your leadership journey as it happens. It’s a simple habit, but over time, it can help you stay grounded, focused, and intentional where it’s all too easy to just keep moving without stopping to think.

1. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381507447_Expressive_writing_as_a_practice_against_work_stress_An_experimental_study ↩︎
2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373887350_Expressive_writing_as_a_practice_against_work_stress_A_literature_review ↩︎