Write Journal Entries

🧭 Overview

One of the most powerful ways to show that you are self-directed and working every day to prepare for success is by writing consistent journal entries. These entries give stakeholders a real-time look into your mindset, growth, and determination to recalibrate your life.

This lesson will teach you how to post journal entries to your profile—and why it matters.

✍️ Why Journal Entries Matter

A journal entry is more than a diary. It is:

• A record of your transformation
  
  
• A tool for advocacy—to demonstrate daily effort and reflection
  
  
• A signal to stakeholders that you are serious about earning freedom through merit
  
  
• A method to differentiate yourself from others who may simply be “serving time”
  
  

“Writing a journal entry is how you make it self-evident that you didn’t wait for the system to change your life. You focused on yourself.” — Michael Santos

🖱️ Step-by-Step: Posting a Journal Entry

1. Log in to https://prisonprofessors.org
   
   
2. Navigate to your profile dashboard
   
   
3. Locate the Journal Entry section
   
   
4. Click the “+” (plus) icon to begin a new entry
   
   
5. Title your entry with the current date
   
   
   
   • Example: Journal Entry – August 4, 2025
     
     
6. Begin writing:
   
   
   
   • What did you do today?
     
     
   • What did you learn?
     
     
   • What challenges are you overcoming?
     
     
   • What goals are you setting?
     
     

🤖 Use AI for Help (Optional)

Not confident in your writing? The system allows you to:

• Paste a rough draft
  
  
• Use the AI assistant to improve grammar or flow
  
  
• Edit the AI-generated version to make sure it accurately reflects your voice
  
  
• Publish the final version when you're satisfied
  
  

“Using AI, it will come up with an awesome journal entry that will populate my information here.”

🧱 Build a Consistent Habit

Michael Santos’s own profile has over 500 journal entries. This consistent record of self-reflection and learning helped him:

• Build trust with supporters and decision-makers
  
  
• Attract opportunities after prison
  
  
• Shape a new narrative—one of purpose, leadership, and growth
  
  

You can do the same.

“Demonstrate all the ways that you are the CEO of your life. You set goals, build a plan, and work every day to improve.”

🔍 Tip: See the Daily Blog

Visit the Daily Blog on PrisonProfessors.org to see how journal entries evolve into public advocacy.

❓Takeaway Question

If someone reviewed your journal entries for the past month, what would they learn about your growth and mindset?

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