Self Journal
- Description
- Benefits
- Specs
- FAQs
Do you have big goals — but your daily tasks haven’t gotten you any closer? Sick of being busy all day but never making progress on the “big stuff”? Feeling frustrated, guilty, and secretly wondering if maybe you’re just not good enough?
Enter the Self Journal. Created by BestSelf’s founder to help manage her ADHD, this minimalist, undated 13-week planner helps you set, plan, and achieve your goals while reflecting on your progress. See inside the journal
Improve your productivity at work, be more present at home, and feel joy surfacing as you become the version of yourself you’ve always wanted to be. The Self Journal gives you the structure that makes it easy to win your day, every day.
What is the Self Journal?
The Self Journal is a goal-setting planner designed to help you achieve your goals through daily, weekly, and monthly planning. It combines productivity, mindfulness, and personal development strategies to enhance your performance and well-being.
How do I start using the Self Journal?
To start using the Self Journal, follow these steps:
- Set Your Goals: Begin by defining your goals clearly. Use the goal-setting pages to outline your objectives.
- Break Down Goals: Divide your goals into manageable tasks and milestones.
- Daily Planning: Fill out the daily pages each day, which include sections for scheduling, task management, gratitude, and reflection.
- Weekly and Monthly Reviews: Use the weekly and monthly review pages to assess your progress and adjust your plans accordingly.
For a detailed breakdown, check out our Getting Started page.
What's the difference between the Self Journal and Self Planner?
Both tools help you get more done, but in different ways. The Journal is for focused, short-term goals. The Planner is for broader, longer-term organization.
The Self Journal:
- 3-month timeframe
- Built for tackling specific goals
- Breaks big objectives into daily steps
- Features daily and weekly planning
- Includes goal-setting, gratitude, and progress checks
- Helps you form good habits
Self Planner:
- Lasts 6 months
- Designed for flexible planning
- Gives you more freedom in managing time and tasks
- Focuses on monthly and weekly planning
- Includes project planning and priority-setting
- Aims to boost overall productivity
Choose based on how you like to work. Want structure for a big goal? Go with the Self Journal. Prefer a more open-ended approach? The Planner's your best bet.
Either way, you're taking a step towards being more productive. And that's what counts.
Is there scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of analogue tools?
Yes, it's scientifically proven that the act of writing down your goals makes you more likely to achieve them.
A study by Dr. Gail Matthews at the Dominican University of California found that people who wrote down their goals, shared them with a friend, and sent weekly updates were significantly more successful in achieving their goals. Moreover, several studies highlight the cognitive benefits of using analogue tools:
- Improved Creativity and Idea Quality: Research by Michinov (2012) shows that brainwriting on paper can lead to better creative performance compared to electronic brainstorming.
- Better Focus and Retention: Studies by Baron (2017) and Clinton (2019) indicate that reading and writing on paper enhances concentration and information retention compared to digital screens.
These findings suggest that using a physical planner like the Self Journal can significantly enhance your productivity and goal achievement by leveraging the cognitive advantages of analogue tools.
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Featured On
“This is my THIRD Best Self Journal and I couldn’t live without it! They have seen me through job loss, weight loss, the isolation of the pandemic, and starting my own business. One of the best tools is listing things to be grateful for each day…however large or small.
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“I absolutely love this planner. I buy them for me and my project managers. I have used several similar planners on the market, but none are as complete or comprehensive as the Best Self Journal. If you’re looking for a good journal for tracking goals, self improvement, company quarters, or anything else in life, I highly recommend this Planner/Journal.
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“I’m a *huge* planner junkie. I’ve tried so many different types, but I always keep coming back to the Self Journal. I’m two months into a new one right now and once again wondering why I keep wasting money on other brands when this one almost nails it perfectly.
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“I am so very happy with my journal. When I used to plan via device-based systems I would invariably get sucked into emails, texts, etc. Doing this on paper has helped me reconnect with my own voice and figure out what I need to do to achieve my goals. Thank you!
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Daily Planning
Day & Date:
Circle the day and write the date.
Daily Timeline:
Plan out your day leaving no time unaccounted for. Remember, unplanned time usually gets wasted so plan both your personal and profession time. Want to start your day earlier? We printed the time stamps lightly to give you the freedom to easily overwrite them.
your goal:
Daily goal affirmation space. Weekly, monthly, or lifetime. Define the goals you want to achieve.
Today’s Targets
What would be your three biggest wins for the day? Use the circles to indicate how much time you think it will take to accomplish each task. One circle equals 30-minutes.
Freedom Space
Yours to use any way you like - from notes, to gratitude, quotes and doodles, anything goes!
Freedom Space
Weekly Planning & Reflection
Weekly Objectives:
What are the three big objectives that if completed would make this week a win? Use your milestones to help you focus on what will move the needle. Sometimes your objectives will be from one outcome goal or multiple goals. As the weeks pass, be sure you’re not neglecting some goals. The key is balance and to continue that “20-mile march”.
Weekly Planning:
Like to plan an overview of your week ahead of time?
Use this section to brainstorm or note down important appointments.
Summary:
Transfer your “Win The Day” and “Plan to Reality” scores from your daily pages to get a sense of how your week went. Reflect on why your week went the way it did.
Reflections
Reflection helps you celebrate wins, capture lessons, and remember what you accomplished with your time. This essential practice helps to minimize recurring mistakes because key lessons are crystallized - not forgotten.
3 Big wins:
Reflect the 3 biggest wins you had this week.
Lessons Learned:
Look back on your goals and see what you can do next week to help move the needle.
This page is for Goal Setting
Outcome Goal:
Your high-level S.M.A.R.T goal. Remember to indicate which life area this goal will improve.
Motivation:
How will your life be different if you achieve your goal?
Progress Milestones:
Clear, trackable objectives, which can be measured so you can monitor your advancement. Track your progress by checking off milestones as you achieve them.
Critical Drivers:
Outline the recurring actions you need to take to close the gap on your progress milestones and outcome goal.
Accountability:
Accountability is key for success. Outline how you will hold yourself accountable.
Top tip:
If you want to learn more about making habits stick and the role they play in your success, check out: bestself.co/habit-ideas
13-Week Reflection Page
Top tip:
Remember to set a reminder on your calendar to review this page every few weeks -- to ensure you stay on track with your intentions.
For bucket list ideas and inspiration, visit: bestself.co/bucketlist
Completing your benchmark quiz:
#1- Circle a number between 1-10 to indicate how satisfied you are in each area of your life.
#2 - Use the free space under each category to explain your current score or explore what a 10 might look like for you.
For customized personal resources, tips and recommendations, visit:
bestself.co/benchmark
Top tip:
With your baseline complete, explore how you could increase your total score while you achieve your 13-week goal. For a list of bite-sized habits that can improve work-life harmony visit bestself.co/the-bestself-hub.
As seen in
“The SELF Journal is a no brainer! Writing down my goals has been one of my daily rituals for years and is something that I truly believe in. Write it down, visualize it, make it happen!
