The Marine Corps develops a plan before an invasion. The Navy SEALs strategize how to conduct a special operation before taking action. Is it any less important for you to detail your plan of daily engagement? We have one life and how we allocate our time is critical.

What is the structure of your journal?

I have used three different formats over the years. The five-minute journal is a quick bulletized list of questions regarding planning, accomplishments, and gratitude, completed in the morning and evening. Julia Cameron popularized the morning pages in her enduring work, The Artist Way. These pages are three stream-of-conscious pages...