March 31, 2025 • 12 mins
https://lestallion.com/collections/journal-notebook-for-life-planning
Ever noticed how many resources about intentional living keep pointing to one powerful practice? Journaling stands out as the consistent thread connecting strategic planning frameworks, habit-building systems, and personal growth methodologies. But there's more to effective journaling than simply putting pen to paper.
We dive deep into why a well-designed journal becomes the central anchor for meaningful life planning. From premium paper quality that makes writing a pleasure to thoughtful organization features like numbered pages and table of contents, physical characteristics significantly impact your consistency and follow-through. The dashed-line pages of journals like the Listallion provide just enough structure without feeling confining—the perfect balance for capturing your thoughts, goals, and action plans.
The most common obstacle to effective life planning isn't lack of ambition but feeling overwhelmed. We explore how breaking down massive goals into smaller steps using your journal creates momentum and makes the impossible feel achievable. Through real examples like Sarah, a graphic designer who transformed her work-life balance and launched a successful freelance business through consistent journaling, we demonstrate how these practices translate to tangible results. You'll learn five specific strategies to maximize your journaling practice: setting clear goals, prioritizing high-impact tasks, conducting regular reviews, incorporating gratitude, and building consistent habits.
Ready to stop reacting to whatever life throws at you and start proactively shaping your future? Your journal might be the most powerful tool you're underutilizing. Subscribe now to continue exploring practical strategies for intentional living, and consider what story your journal will tell about you a year from now.
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LeStallion offers premium PU leather journal notebooks for writing, dedicated to all those who are pursuing their dreams and goals, or nurturing their personal development and mental health.
For More Info on LeStallion, check out:
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's really interesting to see actually how
many of you out there have beensending us resources lately, all
kind of about being moreintentional with your life.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Like from strategic planning and you know frameworks
to like the power of justbuilding good daily habits Right
, and one thing we keep seeingpop up over and over again when
it comes to like putting theseideas into practice is
journaling.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
We've even seen some familiar names too, like
Lestallion.
We've looked at their notebooksbefore I think in some of our
deep dives right.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, it seems like everyone's kind of on this kick
of wanting to move beyond, justreacting to whatever comes their
way and more being like, okay,I want to actually proactively
shape the direction that my lifeis going in you know,
Absolutely yeah, both personallyand professionally.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Exactly so for this deep dive, we thought it would
be really cool to kind of likesynthesize all the main
principles from these materials.
But we're going to look at itspecifically through the lens of
like how can a well-designedjournal be a tool for actually,
you know?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
achieving your goals and really sharpening your focus
.
Yeah, because a lot of timeswhen we think about like life
planning, it's this big,overwhelming, kind of scary
thing it can be but all thestuff that you guys have been
sending in really kind ofunderscores why it's so
important yeah you know we'retalking about things like, like
not getting lost in the day today, right All the distractions.
(01:29):
The noise Like actually settingsome goals and some direction
for yourself, and then you knowhaving some way to organize all
those thoughts.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Right.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
And ideas that are bouncing around in your head.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
And navigate those inevitable challenges that are
going to come up.
You know, it's all about beingmore productive, feeling a
little more in control.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Absolutely.
It's about well-being too.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
You know, reducing stress, all that good stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, and so the journal kind of becomes this
like dedicated space to do allof that.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Right, it's not just like a blank book, it's.
You know.
You can use it for all kinds ofthings, whether it's like
bullet journaling or trackingtasks or brainstorming ideas.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
It really becomes like a central anchor.
It does For all of thisplanning.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah, and it's so interesting because when we
think about those like toolsthat are supposed to support you
know intentionality, likecertain features, really stand
out, like we've seen with thoseLestallion journals.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Their design, just like over and over again, really
reflects like a deepunderstanding of what makes a
journal actually helpful forlife planning?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So I guess the big question that we're trying to
answer today is like how dothose design elements help us
overcome the hurdles that we allface when we try to do this?
Yeah, like the actual nittygritty of it Exactly and then
translate that into like realsuccess in our lives.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Right, and how does it actually make a difference?
Exactly so let's start with whya journal like the Listallion
seems so well suited for thispurpose.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Okay, so one of the things that the sources talk
about is just like the qualityof the paper okay you know you
got like 211 premium, 120 gsmwood.
Free ivory pages wow, that'svery specific I know right, it
sounds very jargony, butbasically what it means is okay
it's really nice to write onokay.
(03:23):
Okay, it's smooth, itencourages, like your thoughts
to flow.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
That's nice.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
And the pages are thick enough so the ink doesn't
bleed through.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Which can be really annoying.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Oh my gosh, it's the worst.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Especially if you're someone who likes to use like a
fountain pen or something.
Yes, it just makes the wholeact of writing so much more
enjoyable.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Absolutely.
I remember my college roommateLiam.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Uh-huh.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
He was so particular about his notes?
Yeah, and he would buy like thecheapest notebooks and then
complain about how much the inkbled through.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I can imagine.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
And finally he just like invested in a really nice
journal, right, and he was likeit's not even about it looking
good, it's just.
I can actually focus nowbecause it's not visually
distracting.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Totally.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
So it really does make a difference.
It does.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
And then, beyond the paper, though, the Listallion
also has a built-in table ofcontents and numbered pages
Right which I'm sure we've allexperienced, those journals that
don't.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
But it's so helpful for organizing your life plans
into different sections, like,say, you have career goals and
then personal well-being andcreative projects Like being
able to actually find thosesections easily is a game
changer.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Totally.
It turns it from just like astream of consciousness into a
reference tool.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah, almost Like you can actually use it.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Yep, exactly Okay.
So what else?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
So they also have a back pocket.
Oh, like this, which is superuseful.
Like it seems like such a smallthing, but if you're carrying
around little pieces ofinspiration, or notes or
business cards or whatever.
It's nice to have a place toput them.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
And then the cover is made out of this, like soft
faux leather.
How fancy.
It looks nice, but it's alsosuper durable.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
That's important which?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
is important.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
You you know if you're taking it with you
everywhere yeah, because youshould be engaging with it
pretty regularly, right?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
right, exactly like they say in the source material
yeah, consistency is key so youneed a journal that can handle
that.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, my sister, chloe.
She travels a lot for work.
And she's always like losinglittle pieces of paper.
She started using a journalwith the pocket in the back and
now she's like I don't know howI live without this.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, it just keeps everything together.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yeah, so helpful.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So the other thing about the listallion is like the
layout of the pages.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
They have these dashed lines.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Which are nice because they give you some
structure.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Without being like too rigid.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Oh, I like that.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, me too.
It's way better than like solidlines.
Yeah, you can use it forwhatever you want.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Daily schedules, weekly goals, whatever Cool.
And the lines are 7.5millimeters wide, which is like
the perfect width.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
That's nice.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Not too big, not too small.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Yeah, goldilocks.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
So we have all these like really cool features, right
, but how do they actually helpwith the stuff that trips people
up?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Okay, so one of the biggest things is that feeling
of being overwhelmed.
Yes, right Like you have thisbig goal.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Like I want to write a screenplay.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Exactly.
Or like start a business, yeah,like, where do I even start?
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Right, it's too much.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
And the source material talks about how
important it is to break thosebig goals down.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Into smaller steps.
Makes sense, and that's wherethe layout of the listallion can
help.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Oh, ok, I see that.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
You have all this space to actually map out those
steps.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Right.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
So instead of this like giant task, you have these
smaller, more manageable thingslike bite sized pieces Exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
I had a friend, Mark, who wanted to run a marathon.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
And he was super overwhelmed by the whole thing
yeah but then he started using ajournal to like plan out his
training week by week and thenlike day by day.
Yeah, and he said like actuallyseeing it on the page made it
feel so much less scary thatmakes sense yeah, and then he
actually did it, which wasamazing that's awesome, so cool.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Another challenge is like staying consistent.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Oh, that's the hardest part I know right.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Life gets in the way.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
All the time.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
You get busy, you lose motivation and then
suddenly, like weeks have goneby Totally.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
And you haven't looked at your journal?
Yeah, it's sitting on my deskjudging me Exactly, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
But the sources talk about how, if you make
journaling part of your routine,okay, even just for like five
or ten minutes a day- yeah.
It can make a huge difference.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
I think that's where having a nice journal can help
too.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
How so.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Well, if it feels good to hold, okay, and it looks
nice.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
You're more likely to want to use it right.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Like it becomes part of your ritual.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Uh-huh.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
My grandfather was really into journaling.
He had this like specificnotebook that he used every day.
It wasn't fancy or anything,but it was like worn in and you
could tell he loved it, it hadcharacter it did I like that.
And then for people who arelike new to life planning or
maybe they don't know where tostart, right.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Guided journaling can be really helpful.
Yeah, it gives you some promptsand questions to get you going
Like what are my top threepriorities for today?
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Exactly, or what's one small thing I can do this
week to get closer to my goal?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah, things like that.
And the listallion with thenumbered pages.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
And the customizable layout.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Makes it really easy to use those prompts.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Totally.
You can like dedicate certainpages to specific prompts.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Oh yeah, and track your answers over time.
I know for me like sometimes ablank page can be really
intimidating.
I get that.
But if I have, a prompt, yeah,even if it's something simple
like what am I grateful fortoday?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
It just like helps my brain get going.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
It gives you a starting point.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
So the sources also talk about this woman named
Sarah, who's a graphic designerin her late 20s and she was
feeling super overwhelmed withwork and life.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yeah, I feel like everyone feels that way.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Right, like she was just reacting to stuff all the
time.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Instead of actually like going after what she wanted
.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
It's so easy to get stuck in that.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Totally.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
So what does she do?
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Well, she decided to buy a listalian journal.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Oh cool.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
She liked that they were high quality.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
And she liked the design.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So she started using it.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, she wrote down her long-term goals.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
And then she broke them down into smaller steps.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Like we were talking about.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Exactly about exactly , and she gave herself deadlines
for each step nice and she usedthe table of contents to
organize everything cool, likeshe had a section for career
goals, a section for personalgrowth, a section for finances
makes sense and she would spendlike 10 minutes every morning
journaling wow, so she wasreally committed she was, and it
made a huge difference.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Like what happened.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Well, her goals started to feel way less
overwhelming.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Because they were broken down into these
manageable chunks.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
And she felt more motivated and focused.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
That's so cool.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Yeah, and she actually achieved a lot of her
goals.
Like what kind of goals?
Well, she started her ownfreelance business.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
And she got a better work-life balance.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
It's a great example of how this stuff can actually
work.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
It really is.
Yeah, it's inspiring.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
It is.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So the sources also have some tips for how to make
journaling more effective.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Right, like how to actually get the most out of it,
yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
So what's the first tip?
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Set clear goals, okay , and make them specific and
measurable.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
So instead of saying I want to be healthier, you
would say I want to exercisethree times a week for 30
minutes.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Exactly, or I want to save $500 this month.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Yeah, that makes so much more sense.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
It gives you something concrete to aim for.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Okay, what's the next tip?
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Prioritize your tasks .
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Makes sense.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Make a to-do list and focus on the things that are
going to have the biggest impact.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Right, don't get bogged down in the little stuff.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Exactly Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
What else?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Review your journal regularly.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Like how often.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
The source recommends once a week.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Just to see how you're doing and if you need to
adjust anything.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Right, because life happens.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Exactly, things change.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Yeah, plans need to be flexible.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
They do.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
What's the next tip?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Incorporate gratitude .
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Oh, I like that one.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yeah, it's a good one .
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Spend some time thinking about what you're
thankful for.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
It can really help you stay positive.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Especially when things are tough.
Exactly Okay.
Last tip Be consistent.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
The dreaded consistency I know right, but
it's so important the sourcesuggests journaling at the same
time every day.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Even if it's just for a few minutes.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
That's good advice.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
It helps you build a habit.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
So we've talked about how journaling can help you
stay organized and focused.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Right.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
But what about the long-term benefits?
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Okay, so the sources talk about a few things.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
First of all, it can help you improve your focus.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Because you're getting all those thoughts out
of your head.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Exactly and onto the page.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
And that can help with productivity too, right.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Absolutely.
You're breaking down big tasksinto smaller ones.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
And you're less likely to get distracted.
And it can also be good foryour emotional well-being Right,
because when you take the timeto reflect on your achievements,
it can make you feel morepositive and confident.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
I love the image that the sources use of like looking
back through your journal andseeing all the goals you've
accomplished and the lessonsyou've learned.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
It's like a record of your growth.
Yeah, it's so cool it shows youhow far you've come.
So basically, what we've seentoday is that a journal can be a
really powerful tool for lifeplanning.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Especially one that's well designeddesigned.
Right, like the listallion Withall those features we talked
about.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Exactly Good paper, the table of contents, the
durable cover.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
And the layout.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Yeah, all of that comes together to make it really
easy to use.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And to actually stick with it.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
So if you're feeling like you want to take control of
your life and actually achieveyour goals, a journal might be a
good place to start.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
It's a great first step.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
So here's a final thought for you all what kind of
story will your journal tell ayear from now?
Speaker 2 (12:49):
That's a good question.
Think about that I will.
It's really interesting to see actually how
many of you out there have beensending us resources lately, all
kind of about being moreintentional with your life.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Like from strategic planning and you know frameworks
to like the power of justbuilding good daily habits Right
, and one thing we keep seeingpop up over and over again when
it comes to like putting theseideas into practice is
journaling.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
We've even seen some familiar names too, like
Lestallion.
We've looked at their notebooksbefore I think in some of our
deep dives right.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yeah, it seems like everyone's kind of on this kick
of wanting to move beyond, justreacting to whatever comes their
way and more being like, okay,I want to actually proactively
shape the direction that my lifeis going in you know,
Absolutely yeah, both personallyand professionally.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Exactly so for this deep dive, we thought it would
be really cool to kind of likesynthesize all the main
principles from these materials.
But we're going to look at itspecifically through the lens of
like how can a well-designedjournal be a tool for actually,
you know?
Speaker 2 (01:09):
achieving your goals and really sharpening your focus
.
Yeah, because a lot of timeswhen we think about like life
planning, it's this big,overwhelming, kind of scary
thing it can be but all thestuff that you guys have been
sending in really kind ofunderscores why it's so
important yeah you know we'retalking about things like, like
not getting lost in the day today, right All the distractions.
(01:29):
The noise Like actually settingsome goals and some direction
for yourself, and then you knowhaving some way to organize all
those thoughts.
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Right.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
And ideas that are bouncing around in your head.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
And navigate those inevitable challenges that are
going to come up.
You know, it's all about beingmore productive, feeling a
little more in control.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Absolutely.
It's about well-being too.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
You know, reducing stress, all that good stuff.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
Yeah, and so the journal kind of becomes this
like dedicated space to do allof that.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Right, it's not just like a blank book, it's.
You know.
You can use it for all kinds ofthings, whether it's like
bullet journaling or trackingtasks or brainstorming ideas.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
It really becomes like a central anchor.
It does For all of thisplanning.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Yeah, and it's so interesting because when we
think about those like toolsthat are supposed to support you
know intentionality, likecertain features, really stand
out, like we've seen with thoseLestallion journals.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
Their design, just like over and over again, really
reflects like a deepunderstanding of what makes a
journal actually helpful forlife planning?
Speaker 2 (02:36):
So I guess the big question that we're trying to
answer today is like how dothose design elements help us
overcome the hurdles that we allface when we try to do this?
Yeah, like the actual nittygritty of it Exactly and then
translate that into like realsuccess in our lives.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Right, and how does it actually make a difference?
Exactly so let's start with whya journal like the Listallion
seems so well suited for thispurpose.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
Okay, so one of the things that the sources talk
about is just like the qualityof the paper okay you know you
got like 211 premium, 120 gsmwood.
Free ivory pages wow, that'svery specific I know right, it
sounds very jargony, butbasically what it means is okay
it's really nice to write onokay.
(03:23):
Okay, it's smooth, itencourages, like your thoughts
to flow.
Speaker 1 (03:27):
That's nice.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
And the pages are thick enough so the ink doesn't
bleed through.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Which can be really annoying.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Oh my gosh, it's the worst.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Especially if you're someone who likes to use like a
fountain pen or something.
Yes, it just makes the wholeact of writing so much more
enjoyable.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Absolutely.
I remember my college roommateLiam.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Uh-huh.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
He was so particular about his notes?
Yeah, and he would buy like thecheapest notebooks and then
complain about how much the inkbled through.
Speaker 2 (03:52):
I can imagine.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
And finally he just like invested in a really nice
journal, right, and he was likeit's not even about it looking
good, it's just.
I can actually focus nowbecause it's not visually
distracting.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Totally.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
So it really does make a difference.
It does.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
And then, beyond the paper, though, the Listallion
also has a built-in table ofcontents and numbered pages
Right which I'm sure we've allexperienced, those journals that
don't.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
But it's so helpful for organizing your life plans
into different sections, like,say, you have career goals and
then personal well-being andcreative projects Like being
able to actually find thosesections easily is a game
changer.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Totally.
It turns it from just like astream of consciousness into a
reference tool.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah, almost Like you can actually use it.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
Yep, exactly Okay.
So what else?
Speaker 2 (04:40):
So they also have a back pocket.
Oh, like this, which is superuseful.
Like it seems like such a smallthing, but if you're carrying
around little pieces ofinspiration, or notes or
business cards or whatever.
It's nice to have a place toput them.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
Right.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
And then the cover is made out of this, like soft
faux leather.
How fancy.
It looks nice, but it's alsosuper durable.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
That's important which?
Speaker 2 (05:02):
is important.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
You you know if you're taking it with you
everywhere yeah, because youshould be engaging with it
pretty regularly, right?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
right, exactly like they say in the source material
yeah, consistency is key so youneed a journal that can handle
that.
Speaker 1 (05:14):
Yeah, my sister, chloe.
She travels a lot for work.
And she's always like losinglittle pieces of paper.
She started using a journalwith the pocket in the back and
now she's like I don't know howI live without this.
Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, it just keeps everything together.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Yeah, so helpful.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So the other thing about the listallion is like the
layout of the pages.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Right.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
They have these dashed lines.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Which are nice because they give you some
structure.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Without being like too rigid.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
Oh, I like that.
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah, me too.
It's way better than like solidlines.
Yeah, you can use it forwhatever you want.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Daily schedules, weekly goals, whatever Cool.
And the lines are 7.5millimeters wide, which is like
the perfect width.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
That's nice.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Not too big, not too small.
Speaker 1 (05:53):
Yeah, goldilocks.
Speaker 2 (05:55):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
So we have all these like really cool features, right
, but how do they actually helpwith the stuff that trips people
up?
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Okay, so one of the biggest things is that feeling
of being overwhelmed.
Yes, right Like you have thisbig goal.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Like I want to write a screenplay.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Exactly.
Or like start a business, yeah,like, where do I even start?
Speaker 1 (06:14):
Right, it's too much.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
And the source material talks about how
important it is to break thosebig goals down.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Into smaller steps.
Makes sense, and that's wherethe layout of the listallion can
help.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Oh, ok, I see that.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
You have all this space to actually map out those
steps.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
Right.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
So instead of this like giant task, you have these
smaller, more manageable thingslike bite sized pieces Exactly.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
I had a friend, Mark, who wanted to run a marathon.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Oh, wow.
Speaker 1 (06:40):
And he was super overwhelmed by the whole thing
yeah but then he started using ajournal to like plan out his
training week by week and thenlike day by day.
Yeah, and he said like actuallyseeing it on the page made it
feel so much less scary thatmakes sense yeah, and then he
actually did it, which wasamazing that's awesome, so cool.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Another challenge is like staying consistent.
Speaker 1 (07:02):
Oh, that's the hardest part I know right.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
Life gets in the way.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
All the time.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
You get busy, you lose motivation and then
suddenly, like weeks have goneby Totally.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
And you haven't looked at your journal?
Yeah, it's sitting on my deskjudging me Exactly, yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
But the sources talk about how, if you make
journaling part of your routine,okay, even just for like five
or ten minutes a day- yeah.
It can make a huge difference.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
I think that's where having a nice journal can help
too.
Speaker 2 (07:27):
How so.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Well, if it feels good to hold, okay, and it looks
nice.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
You're more likely to want to use it right.
Speaker 2 (07:35):
That's true.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Like it becomes part of your ritual.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
Uh-huh.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
My grandfather was really into journaling.
He had this like specificnotebook that he used every day.
It wasn't fancy or anything,but it was like worn in and you
could tell he loved it, it hadcharacter it did I like that.
And then for people who arelike new to life planning or
maybe they don't know where tostart, right.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Guided journaling can be really helpful.
Yeah, it gives you some promptsand questions to get you going
Like what are my top threepriorities for today?
Speaker 1 (08:06):
Exactly, or what's one small thing I can do this
week to get closer to my goal?
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yeah, things like that.
And the listallion with thenumbered pages.
Speaker 1 (08:14):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
And the customizable layout.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Makes it really easy to use those prompts.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Totally.
You can like dedicate certainpages to specific prompts.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Oh yeah, and track your answers over time.
I know for me like sometimes ablank page can be really
intimidating.
I get that.
But if I have, a prompt, yeah,even if it's something simple
like what am I grateful fortoday?
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Right.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
It just like helps my brain get going.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
It gives you a starting point.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
So the sources also talk about this woman named
Sarah, who's a graphic designerin her late 20s and she was
feeling super overwhelmed withwork and life.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Yeah, I feel like everyone feels that way.
Speaker 1 (08:51):
Right, like she was just reacting to stuff all the
time.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Instead of actually like going after what she wanted
.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
It's so easy to get stuck in that.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Totally.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
So what does she do?
Speaker 2 (09:00):
Well, she decided to buy a listalian journal.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Oh cool.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
She liked that they were high quality.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:06):
And she liked the design.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
So she started using it.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Yeah, she wrote down her long-term goals.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (09:11):
And then she broke them down into smaller steps.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Like we were talking about.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
Exactly about exactly , and she gave herself deadlines
for each step nice and she usedthe table of contents to
organize everything cool, likeshe had a section for career
goals, a section for personalgrowth, a section for finances
makes sense and she would spendlike 10 minutes every morning
journaling wow, so she wasreally committed she was, and it
made a huge difference.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
Like what happened.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Well, her goals started to feel way less
overwhelming.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
That's great.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Because they were broken down into these
manageable chunks.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
And she felt more motivated and focused.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
That's so cool.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Yeah, and she actually achieved a lot of her
goals.
Like what kind of goals?
Well, she started her ownfreelance business.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
And she got a better work-life balance.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
It's a great example of how this stuff can actually
work.
Speaker 1 (10:02):
It really is.
Yeah, it's inspiring.
Speaker 2 (10:04):
It is.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
So the sources also have some tips for how to make
journaling more effective.
Speaker 2 (10:09):
Right, like how to actually get the most out of it,
yeah, okay.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
So what's the first tip?
Speaker 2 (10:13):
Set clear goals, okay , and make them specific and
measurable.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
So instead of saying I want to be healthier, you
would say I want to exercisethree times a week for 30
minutes.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Exactly, or I want to save $500 this month.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
Yeah, that makes so much more sense.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
It gives you something concrete to aim for.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
Okay, what's the next tip?
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Prioritize your tasks .
Speaker 1 (10:34):
Makes sense.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
Make a to-do list and focus on the things that are
going to have the biggest impact.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
Right, don't get bogged down in the little stuff.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Exactly Okay.
Speaker 1 (10:42):
What else?
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Review your journal regularly.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
Like how often.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
The source recommends once a week.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Just to see how you're doing and if you need to
adjust anything.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
Right, because life happens.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Exactly, things change.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Yeah, plans need to be flexible.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
They do.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
What's the next tip?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Incorporate gratitude .
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Oh, I like that one.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Yeah, it's a good one .
Speaker 1 (11:03):
Spend some time thinking about what you're
thankful for.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
It can really help you stay positive.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Especially when things are tough.
Exactly Okay.
Last tip Be consistent.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
The dreaded consistency I know right, but
it's so important the sourcesuggests journaling at the same
time every day.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (11:23):
Even if it's just for a few minutes.
Speaker 1 (11:25):
That's good advice.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
It helps you build a habit.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
So we've talked about how journaling can help you
stay organized and focused.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Right.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
But what about the long-term benefits?
Speaker 2 (11:34):
Okay, so the sources talk about a few things.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
First of all, it can help you improve your focus.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
Because you're getting all those thoughts out
of your head.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Exactly and onto the page.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
And that can help with productivity too, right.
Speaker 2 (11:45):
Absolutely.
You're breaking down big tasksinto smaller ones.
Speaker 1 (11:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
And you're less likely to get distracted.
And it can also be good foryour emotional well-being Right,
because when you take the timeto reflect on your achievements,
it can make you feel morepositive and confident.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
I love the image that the sources use of like looking
back through your journal andseeing all the goals you've
accomplished and the lessonsyou've learned.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
It's like a record of your growth.
Yeah, it's so cool it shows youhow far you've come.
So basically, what we've seentoday is that a journal can be a
really powerful tool for lifeplanning.
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Especially one that's well designeddesigned.
Right, like the listallion Withall those features we talked
about.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Exactly Good paper, the table of contents, the
durable cover.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
And the layout.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Yeah, all of that comes together to make it really
easy to use.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And to actually stick with it.
Speaker 2 (12:33):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
So if you're feeling like you want to take control of
your life and actually achieveyour goals, a journal might be a
good place to start.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
It's a great first step.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
So here's a final thought for you all what kind of
story will your journal tell ayear from now?
Speaker 2 (12:49):
That's a good question.
Think about that I will.
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