How to Gain Clarity Today: These 3 Journaling Techniques Changed My Life

Powerful prompts to fight inner turmoil (with examples).

Stephan Joppich
Mind Cafe

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These three journaling methods are my go-to prescription for confusion and brain fog. I’ve used them to make the most of hectic days. To survive emotional roller coasters. To find meaning. And they gave me the courage to abandon my engineering career — and start a new one as a writer.

If you need to find clarity in your life, these techniques will help. Here’s a simple breakdown with examples from my journal.

1. How to Prioritize Effectively (The Daily Highlight)

Here are two wildly overrated journaling techniques:

  • Manifesting big goals
  • Defining minuscule tasks

Sure, big goals can be important, but they often hold you back from seeing what you need to do right now. Likewise, breaking down tasks can often feel machine-like and microscopic.

The solution is something Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky explore in their book Make Time. They suggest setting a daily highlight. This is the one daily task you do to get a little bit closer to reaching your goals. The journaling prompt is simple:

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Stephan Joppich
Mind Cafe

Engineer turned philosophy student • I write about loneliness, transformative books, and other pseudo-deep stuff that keeps me up at night • stephanjoppich.com