Journal Technique: The List of 100

Get more bang for your journaling buck with this amazingly insightful technique!

Creative journaling can be a little gold mine of self-development and insight. It’s a little bit like a home therapy all by itself, a deeper dive into the depths of self- awareness and all that jazz.

Interactive journaling as I like to call it, allows you to play around with the stuff you have recorded, expand upon it and really get more bang for your writing buck. There are various techniques that can help you to keep getting insights in your journal practice, but this one I am sharing with you is my stand out, all time absolute favourite!

It is called: The List of 100

This is a very simple interactive journal technique based around a single starting prompt, but don’t be fooled by its simplicity, it packs a powerful little self-development punch.

The list of 100 can be used to:

Get #clarity when something is bothering you

Capture ideas and #inspiration that will seem to magically come to you out of thin air

Illuminate hidden problem areas

Scope out solutions to stuckness and get some traction

This exercise requires you to come up with 100 answers, yes, 100! It is a lot, but there is a very specific reason for that so stick with me…

The list of 100 is designed to catch your mind off guard, to move you through the process of easy logical thinking, where you will come up with the sensible and easy to access answer, right through to the golden nuggets at the end.

As you progress through your list, the mid point begins to feel a little harder, you have exhausted all of the easy answer, and now you really have to begin to dig deep and stick with it. Mid point doubts will set in and you might even want to screw it up and chuck in the bin. And that’s fine, go for it….

BUT….

If you can stick with it, the last 30 answers or so are where the magic starts to happen. Just when you feel that your bucket has hit the bottom of a dry well, if you persevere, the well expands and suddenly drops another 30 feet or so. This is the hidden depths of your creative potential where the golden nuggets are buried. Keep digging, get those ideas down and don’t stop to question how silly or bizarre some of them sound.

Who knows where these golden treasures will lead you, they will be unique to you.

This exercise frequently unearths shifts in thinking, epiphanies, themes and trends, and a sprinkle or two of increased #SelfAwareness. WINNER!

Keys to Success:

Make sure you have uninterrupted me time to do this and make sure that you can complete your list in one go. This is a really important part of the process and key to getting some good traction and epiphanies.

Make a deal with yourself that before you start, just for this exercise, that you will let your mind run free, no restrictions, no boundaries or judgement. Just you tapping into your creativity and infinite well of resourcefullness.

Ready to Go?

Step 1: Pick a title/issue

Step 2: Grab a large sheet of paper and pop your title at the top

Step 3: Get writing; don’t stop until you have reached your 100 answers.

Suggested Titles

100 Ways to embrace self-care

100 Things that I want to do

100 Ways that I allow myself to self-sabotage

100 Things that I need to forgive myself for

100 People that I want to forgive

100 Memories from my past

100 Things that make me laugh or smile

100 Things that make me feel sad or cry

Give it a try if it feels right for you, but if you are not loving the list of 100 but still want journal traction tips, check out my blog "Getting Unstuck: Journal Style"

Have a lovely day and thank you for visiting Emma Eilbeck- Counselling and Personal Developmet, where your inner-peace is priority.

Love Emma x

P.S. Need bespoke traction tools for a specific problem? Check out my Toolbox Tup-Up