The Journaling Guy Podcast

Is writing by hand genuinely better for us than typing? Or have I just developed a rather expensive attachment to notebooks and pens?

Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 6 of The Journaling Guy Podcast, where we're exploring The Analogue Advantage.

Last week, I explained why I'm choosing to stick with pen and paper so this week, I wanted to go a little deeper.

What does the research actually tell us about handwriting versus typing?

We'll explore some fascinating studies into handwriting, brain activity, learning and memory, including research by neuroscientists and psychologists.

We'll also look at the work of James W. Pennebaker, whose research into expressive writing has helped me personally understand why putting our thoughts and feelings into words can be so valuable.

While there are some compelling reasons to write by hand, the science doesn't necessarily tell us that Analogue Journaling is always better than digital.

Perhaps the benefit of handwriting isn't just what ends up on the page. Perhaps it's what happens to us while we're writing it.

This week's Analogue Experiment

Choose something fairly ordinary that's been on your mind recently. A decision you're considering, something you're looking forward to or an idea you've been thinking about.

Spend 5 minutes typing about it. Then, preferably at another time, spend 5 minutes writing by hand about the same subject.

And afterwards, ask yourself: DID I THINK DIFFERENTLY WHEN I WROTE BY HAND?

Don't worry about which method produced more words. Notice which felt more natural, whether you paused to think and whether either helped you see something differently.

There's no right or wrong answer. We're simply looking for clues!

Something else I'm creating...

I'm developing a physical monthly newsletter, delivered through your letterbox, and I'll be sharing its progress through my separate FREE digital Journaling newsletter.

If you'd like to follow the journey, discover more about analogue Journaling and be amongst the first to hear when the physical newsletter is ready, I'd love you to subscribe.

JOIN MY FREE DIGITAL NEWSLETTER: https://www.mrmattyoung.com/free-course

You can also find Matt's Notebook over on Substack, where I explore each podcast episode from a slightly different angle, with additional thoughts and practical ideas.

https://substack.com/@thejournalingguy

Do get in touch with any questions or feedback. I'd particularly love to hear whether you prefer Journaling by hand or digitally, and why.

Email me — [email protected]

Please share this episode with someone who might enjoy exploring the benefits of Journaling. And if you get a moment, please leave me a review. They really do help more people discover the podcast.

Next week, we'll be exploring The Lost Art of Paying Attention, and how Journaling can help us notice the things we might otherwise miss.

As Always...

Keep writing, keep noticing, and keep showing up for yourself.

Matt

I'm calling this season The Analogue Advantage, and over the coming weeks we're going to explore the benefits of handwriting, paper, attention, reflection and spending a little less time staring at screens.

In this opening episode, I explain why I've recently turned down approaches from at least half a dozen companies developing digital Journaling apps, some using artificial intelligence.

I'm not against technology. Far from it! But when it comes to Journaling, I believe there's something incredibly valuable about physically picking up a pen and writing down our thoughts.

Just because we CAN make something digital, doesn't necessarily mean we SHOULD.

We'll explore why the slower pace of handwriting might actually be beneficial, why I don't want technology organising my thoughts for me, and why sometimes the best thing about a Journal is that it simply leaves us alone!

We're introducing something new for Season Six: a small practical experiment to accompany each episode.

Find ten minutes, grab your Journal and a pen, and put your phone somewhere out of reach.

Then write: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I GIVE MYSELF TEN MINUTES WITHOUT A SCREEN?

Don't worry about what you write or whether it's particularly meaningful. Just notice what happens when you spend a little time with your own thoughts, without something else competing for your attention.

No targets. No pressure. Just ten minutes.

Here's something else I'm creating...

I'm developing a physical monthly newsletter, delivered through your letterbox, and I'll be sharing its progress through my separate FREE digital Journaling newsletter.

If you'd like to follow the journey, discover more about analogue Journaling and be amongst the first to hear when the physical newsletter is ready, I'd love you to subscribe.

JOIN MY FREE DIGITAL NEWSLETTER: https://www.mrmattyoung.com/free-course

You can also find Matt's Notebook over on Substack, where I explore each podcast episode from a slightly different angle, with additional thoughts and practical ideas.

https://substack.com/@thejournalingguy

Do get in touch with any questions or feedback. I'd particularly love to know whether you Journal by hand or digitally, and why.

Email me — [email protected]

Please share this episode with someone who might enjoy discovering the benefits of analogue Journaling. And if you get a moment, please leave me a review. They really do help more people discover the podcast.

Next week, we'll be asking: Does writing by hand really make a difference? We'll explore what the research actually tells us.

As Always...

Keep writing, keep noticing, and keep showing up for yourself.

Matt

This is a slightly different episode of The Journaling Guy Podcast.

Season Five has finished. Season Six is coming. But I'm not quite ready to decide what that looks like yet. After spending an entire episode talking about the importance of stopping before deciding what's next, it would be a bit ridiculous to rush straight into it!

So, this week, I wanted to tell you a little more about what I'm building around The Journaling Guy.

The podcast isn't going anywhere. And neither is my Substack. That's still where you'll find Matt's Notebook, the bonus audio and all the extras that accompany the podcast.

But I also have a separate digital newsletter.

And I have plans for it... Quite cunning plans, actually!

Because before the end of 2026, I'm planning to launch something I've wanted to create for a while:

An actual newsletter. On Paper. Delivered to you every month!

Something you can make a coffee with and sit down to read. Something you can scribble on, keep beside your Journal and come back to. No notifications. No algorithms. No battery required.

And yes... eventually I'm going to ask you to pay for it! There you go... The world's least secret sales funnel.

But first, I want you to join my FREE digital newsletter.

That's where I'll be sharing my thoughts on Journaling, ideas worth exploring and, over the coming months, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the physical newsletter as I create it.

You'll see it developing and you'll be amongst the first to know when it's ready.

So, there's only one thing I'm asking you to do after listening to this episode:

👉 https://www.mrmattyoung.com/free-course

It's completely free and, if I do my job properly, hopefully one day you'll be sitting there thinking: "Matt, stop banging on about it and just let me buy the bloody thing!"

That's the plan anyway.

• From your headphones...
• to your inbox...
• and eventually...
• to your letterbox! 💌

If you'd like to go deeper into the subjects I explore on The Journaling Guy Podcast, you'll still find Matt's Notebook, bonus audio and additional Journaling exercises over on Substack.

And if you'd like to get in touch with a question, an idea for the podcast, or just to tell me what you think about this slightly bonkers idea of sending people something through the post in 2026, email me — [email protected]

Please share this episode with someone who might enjoy what I'm creating. And, if you get a moment, please leave the podcast a review — they really do make a difference in helping more people discover it.

Season Six will be along soon.

I'm just giving myself a little space to work out what I actually want it to be.

As Always...

"Keep writing, keep noticing, and keep showing up for yourself."

Matt

Sometimes You Just Need to Stop Before Deciding What's Next.

In the final episode of Season Five of The Journaling Guy Podcast, it's all about slowing down... a little. The timing feels right (for me) and I hope it resonates with you too.

Sometimes, before we ask what's next... perhaps we need to just stop for a bit.

Journaling doesn't always have to produce an answer. It can simply give us somewhere to be, somewhere to put the noise, somewhere to notice what comes up when we aren't actively trying to solve anything.

This weeks assignment

Open your Journal and write: WHAT COULD I STOP FOR A LITTLE WHILE?

If you wanted, there's room for another question: WHAT MIGHT THAT MAKE ROOM FOR?

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Don't forget, I've written a FREE five-day series called How Journaling Can Transform Your Life. Each day, I'll send you another part of the story and show you what I discovered about Journaling along the way.” https://www.mrmattyoung.com/free-course

It's my personal journey into Journaling, and I'd love to share that and inspire you at the same time.

Do get in touch with any questions you have and of course your feedback is really important too. Email me — [email protected]

Remember, there are loads more extras over on Substack for you, so you can really get into Journaling and begin to realise what a difference it can make to your life.

Please share this episode with someone who might need a bit of space to think. Plus, if you get a moment, please leave me a review, they matter so much for getting the podcast heard and seen.

As Always...

"Keep writing, keep noticing, and keep showing up for yourself."

Matt

This is Episode 9 of Season 5 of The Journaling Guy Podcast, and today it's all about what's next.

• Now, don't panic! We're not writing a five-year plan.
• There are NO S.M.A.R.T. goals
• There are NO Vision Boards

I want to explore a very different way of thinking about the future. I want you to get CURIOUS!

Maybe the clues are already there. Maybe something in already written in your Journal, but you haven't seen it or felt it just yet. That's why I want you to get curious.

This weeks mission:

Open your Journal and write: "I'M CURIOUS ABOUT... and then just see what happens.

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Don't forget, I've written a FREE five-day series called How Journaling Can Transform Your Life. Each day, I'll send you another part of the story and show you what I discovered about Journaling along the way.” https://www.mrmattyoung.com/free-course

It's my personal journey into Journaling, and I'd love to share that and inspire you at the same time.

Do get in touch with any questions you have and of course your feedback is really important too. Email me — [email protected]

Remember, there are loads more extras over on Substack for you, so you can really get into Journaling and begin to realise what a difference it can make to your life.

Please share this episode with someone who might need a bit of space to think. Plus, if you get a moment, please leave me a review, they matter so much for getting the podcast heard and seen.

As Always...

"Keep writing, keep noticing, and keep showing up for yourself."

Matt

This is Episode 8 of Season 5 of The Journaling Guy Podcast, and today it's all about Pride!

Ask yourself the question "What are YOU proud of?"

Your brain might immediately start searching for achievements.

Things like getting a Degree or an Award. Maybe it was a Business you started. Or you got a promotion at work. Maybe it was purely financial. Or you ran a Marathon!

Maybe instead we should be thinking of something else we're proud of. Like, how far you've come or how well you handled a certain situation.

This is a great episode and one that I'm REALLY PROUD of... funnily enough! Take a listen.

This weeks mission:

So this week, I want you to start with one sentence: I'M PROUD THAT I... and then write.

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Don't forget, I've written a FREE five-day series called How Journaling Can Transform Your Life. Each day, I'll send you another part of the story and show you what I discovered about Journaling along the way.” https://www.mrmattyoung.com/free-course

It's my personal journey into Journaling, and I'd love to share that and inspire you at the same time.

Do get in touch with any questions you have and of course your feedback is really important too. Email me — [email protected]

Remember, there are loads more extras over on Substack for you, so you can really get into Journaling and begin to realise what a difference it can make to your life.

Please share this episode with someone who might need a bit of space to think. Plus, if you get a moment, please leave me a review, they matter so much for getting the podcast heard and seen.

As Always...

"Keep writing, keep noticing, and keep showing up for yourself."

Matt

This is Episode 7 of Season 5 of The Journaling Guy Podcast, and today it's all about noticing the person you're becoming, right now... and you do that by looking back at the person you once were, in your old Journals.

Noticing BIG changes in your life is easy. A new job, a new car or even a new relation ship, they're all really important (in their own ways), but have you noticed the tiny changes that happen and how that is shaping the person you're becoming?

This weeks mission:

So, this week I want you to 'go back and read your Journal' then ask yourself these three questions:

1. What's different about me now?
2. THE PERSON I'M BECOMING...
3. Do I like the direction I'm heading in?

One thought to take away from today:

"Your Journal doesn't just record what happened in your life. It records who you were whilst it was happening!"

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Don't forget, I've written a FREE five-day series called How Journaling Can Transform Your Life. Each day, I'll send you another part of the story and show you what I discovered about Journaling along the way.” https://www.mrmattyoung.com/free-course

It's my personal journey into Journaling, and I'd love to share that and inspire you at the same time.

Do get in touch with any questions you have and of course your feedback is really important too. Email me — [email protected]

Remember, there are loads more extras over on Substack for you, so you can really get into Journaling and begin to realise what a difference it can make to your life.

Please share this episode with someone who might need a bit of space to think. Plus, if you get a moment, please leave me a review, they matter so much for getting the podcast heard and seen.

As Always...

"Keep writing, keep noticing, and keep showing up for yourself."

Matt

What Do You Actually Want? How Journaling Helps You Look Beyond Goals and To-Do Lists.

This is Episode 5 of Season 6 of The Journaling Guy Podcast, and today it's all about finding out what we ACTUALLY want!

• Not what SHOULD you want.
• Not what would look impressive.
• Not what your family thinks you should want.
• Not what someone your age, in your job, with your life is SUPPOSED to want.

What do YOU actually want?

This weeks mission:

So, this week I want you to write on two pages. On the first:

I WANT MORE OF...

On the second:

I WANT LESS OF...

Write whatever comes up.

Then when you've finished, I want you to answer one final question:

IF NOBODY ELSE'S OPINION MATTERED, WHAT WOULD I CHANGE?

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Don't forget, I've written a FREE five-day series called How Journaling Can Transform Your Life. Each day, I'll send you another part of the story and show you what I discovered about Journaling along the way.” https://www.mrmattyoung.com/free-course

It's my personal journey into Journaling, and I'd love to share that and inspire you at the same time.

Do get in touch with any questions you have and of course your feedback is really important too. Email me — [email protected]

Remember, there are loads more extras over on Substack for you, so you can really get into Journaling and begin to realise what a difference it can make to your life.

Please share this episode with someone who might need a bit of space to think. Plus, if you get a moment, please leave me a review, they matter so much for getting the podcast heard and seen.

As Always...

"Keep writing, keep noticing, and keep showing up for yourself."

Matt.

The Things You Keep Coming Back To: How Journaling Helps You Notice What Really Matters.

This is Episode 5 of Season 5 of The Journaling Guy Podcast, and today it's all about noticing what really matters to you, when writing in your Journal.

It's important to remember here... it's not necessarily about what we keep writing about directly, it's more about what that means when we dig a little bit deeper into it.

Repetition isn't always a bad thing. We mustn't keep making the same mistake or repeating a same bad habit. But what about those ideas, ambitions or interests that simply refuse to disappear?

REMEMBER; repetition might be evidence to ourselves, that something matters.

This weeks mission:

Go back through some old Journal entries; don't read every word. Just flick through and look for repetition.

• Ideas
• People
• Places
• Dreams

Then write: THIS KEEPS COMING BACK BECAUSE... and carry on.

Don't ask whether it's realistic. Don't make a plan. Don't Google how much flights cost. Just explore why it matters.

-----------------------

Thanks for listening to The Journaling Guy Podcast.

Don't forget, I've written a FREE five-day series called How Journaling Can Transform Your Life. Each day, I'll send you another part of the story and show you what I discovered about Journaling along the way.” https://www.mrmattyoung.com/free-course

It's my personal journey into Journaling, and I'd love to share that and inspire you at the same time.

Do get in touch with any questions you have and of course your feedback is really important too. Email me — [email protected]

Remember, there are loads more extras over on Substack for you, so you can really get into Journaling and begin to realise what a difference it can make to your life.

Please share this episode with someone who might need a bit of space to think. Plus, if you get a moment, please leave me a review, they matter so much for getting the podcast heard and seen.

As Always...

"Keep writing, keep noticing, and keep showing up for yourself."

Matt.

How Journaling Helps You Understand Your Emotional Triggers so we can ask ourselves... "Why Did I React Like THAT?"

This is Episode 4 of Series 5 of The Journaling Guy Podcast, and today, I'm asking talking about Emotional Triggers and how we react to them.

For example, the moment when something happens and you react and then perhaps five minutes later, an hour later or even the following day, you think to yourself “Why the bloody hell did I react like THAT?”

So, this week, I want you to catch one reaction. Just one.

Then, when you’ve got a little bit of distance from it, open your Journal and write:

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED?

WHAT DID I FEEL?

WHAT DID I TELL MYSELF IT MEANT?

WHAT ELSE MIGHT BE TRUE?

And then stop. Don’t try to fix yourself. Don’t turn it into homework. Just read what you’ve written and ask: “What do I notice?”

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Thanks for listening to The Journaling Guy Podcast.

I’d like to share something quite special with you. I've written a FREE five-day series called How Journaling Can Transform Your Life.

Each day, I'll send you another part of the story and show you what I discovered about Journaling along the way.” https://www.mrmattyoung.com/free-course

I really think you'll love this, as it gives you a personal insight into a Journaling Journey, that has brought me to this point today.

Do get in touch with any questions you have and of course your feedback is really important too. Email me — [email protected]

Remember, there are loads more extras over on Substack for you, so you can really get into Journaling and begin to realise what a difference it can make to your life.

Please share this episode with someone who might need a bit of space to think. Plus, if you get a moment, please leave me a review, they matter so much for getting the podcast heard and seen.

As Always...

"Keep writing, keep noticing, and keep showing up for yourself."

Matt.