Business Journaling for Coaches is a must! In fact, journaling has made a dramatic difference in my success as a business owner. It took me from being a passive participant in running my business, to being fully aware of every aspect of it.
As a coach (or any entrepreneur, really), awareness is an important part of running a business.
Journaling can open your eyes up to the realities of business, show you the flaws in everything
from marketing to operations, and help you manage the emotional rollercoaster that running a
business puts you through.
In this article, I’ll give you a quick rundown on what business journaling is and my personal
business journaling practice. Let’s get started.
I started journaling about my business in October 2021 after taking a business course from one of
my favorite heart-centered course creators. This course was about how she built her business
from the inside out and how she creates her amazing courses. (I’ve taken several and recommend
them to everyone!) Prior to taking that course, I was primarily journaling about my personal life,
my goals and my dreams. Journaling about my business never occurred to me until I reached that
module about business journaling. The concept was revolutionary, and I have so much gratitude
for this wonderful lady because this type of journaling has been a game changer for me.
What is Business Journaling?
Now, when I say business journaling, I mean a bunch of different things.
Yes, I journal about my self-confidence, how I can bring my inner child into my business and
how I want to show up in my business, but I also journal about my productivity and time
management, ideas and strategies, my clients, marketing and content, my blog, and all sorts of
stuff.
All of those things are part of my business. And part of yours too. Journaling can help you
separate the emotions from the facts of your business, which provides clarity to get things done.
My Business Journaling Practice
As much as I love the freedom of being my own boss, I still need (and enjoy) a bit of structure to
my days. I plan out specific things I want to explore for a week at a time. Every Sunday
afternoon I sit down to plan out the following week for all areas of my life, and my journal topics
are part of that planning ritual.
Last month I spent a week on content creation, a week on my purpose in life, a week on how I
can incorporate my inner child in my business, and many other things like marketing, sales calls
and other strategies. Plus, any new ideas I’m developing to help my clients achieve their goals.
You might be wondering what I could possibly write about for a full week on all these topics.
But that’s the interesting thing about our brains. If you give them an idea to noodle on, they’ll
constantly produce new ways of looking at it or solving the problems surrounding it.
Let’s use the week I focused on content creation as an example. My business journaling practice
for that week went like this: Day one, I wrote my initial thoughts on how creating content relates
to my overall area of expertise. Day two, I listed four potential struggles my clients face that I
could potentially create content around. Day three, I gave advice on the first item from day two’s
list. Day four, I gave advice on the second item from day two’s list. Day five, I gave advice on
the third item from day two’s list. Day six, I gave advice on the fourth item from day two’s list.
And day seven, I reviewed and processed my journaling from the week. This entails typing
everything up in Scrivener to use in blog posts, newsletters or social media posts. Once that’s
done, I do my regular planning ritual and start the process all over again.
Trust the Process
This is how my creative right-brain and my analytical left-brain like to work together. I don’t
know why they follow this pattern when I’m journaling, but that’s typically how it goes. I start
with a general idea or core theme that I want to explore (right-brain), then continuously build off
it, go deeper into the details (left-brain).
I’ve found that following this process with different ideas and strategies helps me get really clear
on the tasks I’m doing my business—especially when I get caught up in the game of seeing what
other coaches are doing and wondering if I should be doing it too. Real talk: the answer is always
no.
Sometimes mindset work and affirmations aren’t enough to help me move through an obstacle or
creative block, and when that happens, I turn to my trusted friend, my journal. To make it even
more fun for myself, I love to decorate the pages with stickers and washi tape and colored pens.
It’s the single best thing I’ve done for my business. I get to see what’s really going in my head,
and instead of reacting to circumstances or situations, I get to choose the intentional responses
and/or actions I make.
Business journaling is a sacred practice and an activity I look forward to daily. You don’t need
anything fancy, just a notebook and a pen. If you’ve never journaled for your business, I highly
encourage you to start – business journaling for coaches and entrepreneurs is strongly recommended.
More About the Author
Lakeisha Cadogan, Book Coach & Editor
Follow Lakeisha @journalingbookcoach and visit here website at www.lakeishabellcadogan.com
The Grateful Writing Review, a free gift from Lakeisha!