Journaling and the Vomit System

Speaker's Background

• Shared personal evolution: photos at 18, 25, and present.
• Common point: All versions of the speaker journaled.
• Journaling massively changed his life.
• Issue: Lots of hype around journaling but sparse instruction.

Introduction to the Vomit System

• Journal like vomiting: initially gross but makes you feel better after.
• 15 years of journaling experience distilled into favorite techniques.
• Structured around the acronym VOMIT:
  • V: Venting
  • O: Obligations
  • M: Mindset
  • I: Ideate
  • T: Trajectory

Venting (V)

• Journaling to vent: starts many sessions this way.
• Aids with writer's block by starting with what makes you angry.
• Mind dump effect:
  • Chaotic mind vs. organized thoughts on paper.
  • Quote: "I don't know what I think until I write it.”
  • Visualization: turning the lights on to find your keys.

Obligations (O)

• Journaling for obligations clears mental space.
• Steps involved:
  1. Obligation Dump: List everything, minor to major tasks.
  2. Organize: Categorize into buckets (e.g., family, finance, health, work).
  3. Prioritize: Use guiding questions (e.g., Tim Ferriss' question about making tasks easier).
  4. To-Do List: Split into "Bare Minimum" and "Killing It."
• Concept of guiding question: Does it make the boat go faster?

Mindset (M)

• Journaling to improve mindset through six techniques:

  1. Reframing: Ask how a situation could be the best thing ever.
  2. Possibility (Because Statements): Validate identity by listing evidence.
  3. Inversion: Ask how to achieve and its opposite to clarify solutions.
  4. Perspective: Advise yourself as you would a friend.
  5. Discipline: Journaling as evidence of discipline, swap apps to reinforce.
  6. Gratitude: List three things you're grateful for (mundane, by chance, something you made happen).

Ideate (I)

• Build the skill of having ideas:

  1. 30 Answers in 5 Minutes: Quantity over quality, don’t edit until finished.
  2. How Would X Solve This Problem?: Gain different perspectives by emulating others.
  3. Open the Loop: Pose questions before bed to let your brain work overnight.

Trajectory (T)

• Using journaling to assess and correct your path:

  1. Direction: Review goals and assess whether actions align with them.
  2. Day-to-Day (Hidden Metrics): Track unmeasurable but important aspects of life.

• Prompts for Hidden Metrics:

  1. What excited me today?
  2. What drained me of energy?
  3. What did I learn?

Conclusion

• Invitation to share journaling prompts.
• Encouragement to start journaling using the Vomit System.