What do Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Frida Kahlo and Thomas Edison have in common? They were all geniuses at the tops of their fields – and they all kept journals. Learning how to journal helped them organize their thoughts, be more creative and make great discoveries – and it can do the same for you.
Interest in how to start a journal isn’t just for scientists and creative types. Use of journals is skyrocketing among businesspeople, entertainers and more as they discover the same benefits as Darwin and Edison. And in today’s quickly changing world, just about everyone has thoughts and anxieties they need to get out. If you feel like you need to clear your mind and organize your thoughts, journaling can help.
RPM isn’t time or task management—it’s life design. Take control and design a life on your terms.
Start courseTony Robbins Personal Journaling Story
I don’t just journal—I use writing as a tool to own my power and clarify my vision. When I put pen to paper, it’s not about recording events; it’s about capturing what I’m committed to becoming and the massive action I’m ready to take. Journaling is a way to break through mental noise, get crystal clear on outcomes, and hold myself accountable.
My relationship with journaling began in the trenches of my youth, when life was anything but easy. I was a teenager, broke, homeless, and carrying more pain than most people experience in a lifetime. In those moments, journaling wasn’t a hobby or a productivity hack—it was a lifeline. I wrote to process the chaos swirling inside me, to give voice to my fears, and most importantly, to sketch out a vision for a life that felt impossible at the time. Those pages held my rawest emotions and my boldest dreams, and through that daily practice, I started to rewrite my story from victim to victor.
Fast forward to today, and journaling remains one of my most sacred rituals. Almost every morning, right after I finish my priming routine—which sets my state physically, emotionally, and mentally—I sit down to journal. This isn’t about filling pages with random thoughts; it’s a focused, intentional practice. I write about what I’m deeply grateful for, what I’m fully committed to achieving, and the exact actions I’m going to take that day to move closer to my highest vision. Whether it’s in a leather-bound notebook or on my phone when I’m traveling, the key is creating a space where I can be completely present with myself—no distractions, no excuses.
