Feeling stuck? Start documenting

I have a degree in Journalism. And while I didn’t love the course (it leaned heavily into newspaper journalism and barely touched on anything else) I did learn some core principles that have stuck with me far more than I ever expected.

One of the first things you’re taught as a journalism student is the importance of the Five Ws: Who, What, When, Where, and Why.
They should all be included in the opening paragraph, and would be enough to give the reader an overview of the story.

If you’ve ever kept a journal, you’ve probably been using the Five W’s without even realising it. After all, “journal” and “journalism” come from the same root. When you jot down thoughts about your day, reflect on a tough moment, or try to make sense of your emotions, you're usually exploring who was involved, what happened, when and where it took place, and, most importantly, why it mattered to you.

Which means... Congratulations! You’re a journalist. A personal one.

But to become a good journalist you have to do more than just collect the facts — you need to recognise the story behind them. And the same goes for your life.

If you write a short, simple journal entry every day for the next week, keeping it factual and objective, focusing on the Five W’s; By the end of the week, you’ll have a surprisingly clear snapshot of your life — providing a brilliant starting point for you to do some good journalism and identify the story you are currently telling.

We often get caught up in the future, constantly imagining a better version of ourselves or a more exciting chapter ahead. It’s fun, even motivating. But there's a downside: we lose touch with the present moment — the part of our life that’s actually happening. And whether you like it or not, this present moment is what is writing your story right now.

It’s okay if you're not where you want to be yet. Every meaningful journey starts with awareness: of who you are, how you move through the world, your strengths, your blind spots, and the space you have to grow.

When we set goals, we tend to focus on the destination. But to be able to take any meaningful action at all, we need to understand exactly where we’re starting from.

So, if you're feeling stuck or unsure of how to move forward, start small. Start with journaling. Use the Five Ws. Start noticing. Start documenting. You’ll discover the story your life is already telling — and from there, you can begin shaping the one you want it to tell next.