# How to Start a Coaching Journal (And Actually Keep It Up)

Most coaches who start a journal stop within a fortnight. I think the reason is not lack of discipline. It is that they start wrong.

They buy an expensive notebook. They commit to writing detailed entries after every session. They tell themselves this time will be different. And then life happens. One missed entry becomes two, the notebook gets buried under a pile of session plans, and by week three it is gathering dust.

The problem is not the coach. The problem is the approach.

A coaching journal should be the easiest part of your development, not the hardest. It should take less time than making a cup of tea. And it should provide so much value that skipping it feels like leaving money on the table.

This guide covers how to start a coaching journal that actually works for busy coaches, and more importantly, how to keep it going when motivation fades and the season gets intense.

Key Takeaways

Most coaching journals fail because they are too ambitious, not because coaches lack discipline
The minimum viable journal is three sentences after each session
Consistency matters infinitely more than detail
Digital journals are easier to maintain and search than paper ones
The real value of journalling appears after four to six weeks, when patterns become visible
Your journal should serve you, not the other way around

Why Most Coaching Journals Fail

They Are Too Ambitious

Writing a thousand words after a ninety-minute session in the cold and rain is not realistic for most coaches. If your journal requires more than five minutes, you have set the bar too high. The best journal is the one you actually use, even if each entry is only a few lines.

They Have No Structure

A blank page is intimidating. Without prompts or a framework, most coaches stare at the page and either write too much about one thing or give up entirely. Structure removes the friction. When you know exactly what to write, getting started is effortless.

They Never Get Reviewed

A journal you never read back is just a diary. The point is not the writing itself. It is what the writing reveals when you look at it over time. If you are not reviewing your entries, you are doing all the work and getting none of the reward.

They Feel Like a Chore

If journalling feels like homework, something has gone wrong. It should feel like a quick mental download that clears your head and helps you move on. If it is a burden, the format needs to change.

The Minimum Viable Coaching Journal

Here is the simplest journal format that still delivers genuine value. Three questions, answered in one or two sentences each:

What worked well? (One specific thing)
What would I change? (One specific thing)
What am I focusing on next session? (One specific thing)

That is it. Three sentences. Less than two minutes. And it captures the essential information you need to improve.

The temptation will be to add more. Resist it, at least for the first month. Build the habit first. Add complexity later. A journal with three sentences written consistently for six months is infinitely more valuable than a detailed journal abandoned after two weeks.

What to Write (And What to Skip)

Always Capture

Specific observations: "The 3v2 overload drill worked because the playing area was small enough to force quick decisions" is useful. "The session was good" is not.
Your emotional state: A brief note about how you felt. This data becomes incredibly valuable over time. You will spot correlations between your mood and session quality.
One thing for next time: This creates a thread between sessions. Next time you plan, you check your last entry and there is a ready-made focus point waiting for you.

Skip Unless It Matters

Detailed play-by-play: You do not need a minute-by-minute account. Capture the highlights and the lowlights.
Every player's performance: Unless something specific stood out, a general note about the group is fine. Save individual notes for players who showed notable progress or who need additional support.
Excuses and justifications: "The pitch was terrible" is useful context. "The session went badly because the pitch was terrible and the players were not focused and we did not have enough equipment and..." is avoiding the real reflection.

Occasionally Include

Session plan notes: If you tried something new, note what it was and how it went
External factors: Weather, venue, attendance, anything unusual that might explain why the session felt different
Ideas for future sessions: Sometimes an idea pops up during a session. Your journal is a good place to capture it before you forget

Building the Habit

Attach It to Something You Already Do

Habits stick when they are linked to existing routines. If you always drive home after training, your journal becomes the first thing you do when you get in the car (voice notes work well here). If you always have a cup of tea when you get home, the journal goes next to the kettle. The trigger should be something you do without thinking.

Set a Time Limit, Not a Word Count

Tell yourself: "I will spend two minutes on this." Not "I will write three hundred words." Time-based limits feel achievable. Word counts feel like an assignment. When two minutes is up, stop. Even if you feel like writing more, stop for the first few weeks. You are training yourself that this is quick and painless.

Never Miss Twice

You will miss entries. That is normal. The rule is simple: never miss twice in a row. One missed session is a blip. Two is the start of a new habit. If you missed yesterday, today is non-negotiable.

Celebrate the Streak

There is genuine psychological power in maintaining a streak. After a week of consecutive entries, you have momentum. After a month, you have a habit. After three months, you have a body of work that is genuinely valuable. Tracking the streak, even informally, provides motivation on the days when you would rather skip it.

Lower the Bar on Hard Days

Some days you will be exhausted. The session was long, the weather was miserable, and the last thing you want is to reflect on it. On those days, your journal entry might be: "Tough session. Energy was low. Need to rethink the warm-up." That is fine. The point is not quality on any individual day. The point is consistency across weeks and months.

Digital vs Paper

This is a genuine debate with valid arguments on both sides.

Paper Journals

Advantages:

No distractions (no notifications, no temptation to check your phone)
The physical act of writing can aid processing and memory
No technology required
Some coaches find it more personal and reflective

Disadvantages:

Not searchable (finding that entry from October about the pressing drill is nearly impossible)
Easy to lose or damage
Cannot track patterns automatically
Harder to maintain when travelling or coaching at different venues
No backup if lost

Digital Journals

Advantages:

Searchable (find every entry where you mentioned a specific topic in seconds)
Accessible anywhere (phone, tablet, laptop)
Pattern tracking over time (mood trends, common themes, development arcs)
Backed up automatically
Can include voice notes, photos, or links to session plans
Easier to review and analyse

Disadvantages:

Screen fatigue after a long session
Potential for distraction if using a phone
Requires a device and connectivity

In my experience, digital wins for most coaches, primarily because of searchability and pattern tracking. The ability to look back across six months of entries and spot trends is where the real value lives, and that is almost impossible with paper.

That said, the best format is the one you will actually use. If paper feels more natural and you know you will stick with it, use paper.

Reviewing Your Journal: Where the Real Value Lives

Writing entries is the input. Reviewing them is the output. Without review, a journal is just a collection of thoughts. With review, it becomes a development tool.

Weekly Glance (Two Minutes)

At the end of each week, scan your entries from the past seven days. Look for one theme. Maybe you mentioned player engagement three times. Maybe your "focus for next session" kept being the same thing, which tells you that you are identifying an area but not actually addressing it.

Monthly Review (Twenty Minutes)

Once a month, read through all your entries. This is where patterns become visible. You might notice:

Your sessions consistently lose energy at the same point
You tend to be more self-critical after match days than after training
Certain types of activities always generate positive reflections
Your mood follows a predictable cycle through the month
You have been avoiding a particular aspect of your coaching

These insights are invisible in the moment. They only appear when you step back and look at the bigger picture.

Seasonal Review (One Hour)

At the end of a season or a significant block of training, set aside time to read through your entire journal. This is where you see genuine development. Challenges from September that felt impossible are now handled without thinking. Your coaching language has shifted. Your session design has evolved. The journal becomes evidence of your growth, and that is both motivating and informative for planning the next phase.

What Your Journal Reveals Over Time

Coaches who maintain a journal for three months or longer consistently report the same discoveries:

Blind spots become visible. Things you do unconsciously, for better or worse, start appearing in the data. You might realise you always praise effort but never technique, or that you default to the same drill structure regardless of the objective.

Progress becomes tangible. Coaching development often feels invisible because it happens gradually. Your journal shows you the distance you have covered.

Decision-making improves. When you can search your journal for every time you tried a particular approach, you make better decisions about when to use it again.

Confidence grows. Reading back through entries where you handled difficult situations well is a powerful reminder that you are more capable than your doubts suggest.

Preparation gets sharper. When your last entry ends with "focus on transitions next session," your planning starts with a clear objective instead of a blank page.

Common Questions

How Long Should Each Entry Be?

As short as possible while still being useful. Three to five sentences is a good target. Some entries will be longer because the session gave you more to think about. Some will be a single line. Both are fine.

Should I Journal After Every Session?

Ideally, yes. But realistically, aim for every session in the first month to build the habit, then decide what frequency works for you. Some coaches journal after every session but write less on training days and more after matches. Find your rhythm.

What If I Coach Multiple Teams?

Keep separate sections or tags for each team. The patterns within each team are as valuable as the patterns across your coaching as a whole.

What If Nothing Interesting Happened?

That is interesting in itself. Why was the session unremarkable? Was it a well-executed routine session (good) or were you on autopilot (less good)? Even "routine" sessions contain learning if you look carefully.

When Should I Write: Immediately After or Later That Evening?

Immediately after is better for accuracy. Later that evening is better for perspective. If you can do both, a quick voice note straight after and a brief written reflection later, that is ideal. But if you can only pick one, do it immediately while the details are fresh.

The Easiest Way to Start

If you have read this far and you are ready to start, here is what to do right now:

Decide on your format (phone, notebook, app)
Set your trigger (what existing habit will you attach this to?)
Commit to one week of three-sentence entries
At the end of the week, read back through all seven entries
Decide if you want to continue, adjust, or try a different format

The coaches who develop fastest are the ones who reflect consistently. Not the ones who reflect perfectly. Consistency beats quality every single time when it comes to journalling.

If you want to make this even easier, [Coach Reflection](https://coachreflection.com) is built specifically for this. It gives you guided prompts after each session, tracks your entries over time, and surfaces patterns automatically so you get the benefits of a journal without having to build the system yourself. It takes less than five minutes per session and works on any device.

Whatever method you choose, start today. Your future coaching self will be glad you did.

How to Start a Coaching Journal (And Actually Keep It Up)