How I Finally Made Journaling Stick

The Reader’s Edge | Charlie Samways | November 8, 2026 |

After a YouTube event in London on Tuesday, I visited my sister, Jess.

What seemed like a small part of a conversation resonated with me.

At the time, we were talking about journaling. For Jess, this is something that she has started doing more, but she is still trying to make it a consistent habit.

Jess can see the benefit of journaling, but for some reason can’t make it stick as a daily habit.

I can relate to this, because until April this year, this was me. I found journaling useful, but I couldn’t commit to it every day. As I look back at old journals, I can see good periods of writing most days, then gaps between entries.

What I’m sharing today isn’t specifically about what to write when you journal.

Instead, I’m sharing the three things that made journaling a daily habit: a Kindle Scribe, the two-minute minimum, and the Seinfeld Method. 

Three Small Changes

After reading Atomic Habits by James Clear, a simple solution to my own journaling inconsistency hit me.

I hadn’t cleared the obstacles to make my journaling a habit that I could turn up for every day.

For starters, I didn’t always carry my physical journal with me. And when I did choose to write, I would usually journal for around ten minutes or more.

This created a problem. I had a very specific set of circumstances for when I could write. When I had my physical journal and at least ten minutes to spend writing.

Following Clear’s suggestions, I had to make journaling the easy option to turn up for daily.

Making my Kindle Scribe my journaling tool was an easy first step to take. This is a device that goes with me everywhere, so it’s always at hand if I want to journal.

The next step was to reset my expectations around time spent journaling. I lowered my ten-minute target to two minutes. This became the minimum amount of time, and while it might sound too low to write anything meaningful, it has a very clear objective.

There is rarely a day when I don’t have two minutes to write. Most days I’ll write for far longer, but this is for those days when the easy choice is to break the daily habit. Lowering the minimum time ensures that you show up. 

I’ve left the final point until last because it really is the one that ties this all together: the Seinfeld Method.

Regular readers will remember the Seinfeld Method from my morning routine issue in August. This is the process for using a calendar view of a set target and checking it off every day that you complete it.

It really is that simple: a visual record of your progress.

To make it easy, I also use the calendar view template on my Kindle Scribe to tick off my daily habits. 

Watch as the habit builds, and see how much harder it is to break once you’ve built a streak.

This Week’s Question

Is there one habit that you’ve made stick, and what did you do to make it possible?

Reply to me at hello@charliesamways.com. I read every one.

From The Channel This Week

For some, a habit you may be looking to build is reading, and a portable device can remove friction by always being with you. This week on my YouTube channel, I looked at whether the Xteink X4 Pro or the 2026 Kindle Basic is the better buy, and suggested a third device that may be the best choice for many.

Xteink X4 Pro vs 2026 Kindle Basic: Which Should You Buy?

The Reader’s Edge: A Complete Kindle Reading System 

The Reader’s Edge launched last Sunday, and today is the last day to get it at the launch price of $25 before it goes up to $39 on Monday, 9 November. If you want to remember what you read and actually use it in your life, this is the system I’ve spent the last six months building.

• This is a Kindle reading system for remembering and using what you read.
• Includes the 42-page guide plus the companion documents: Book Completion Template, Monthly Review Template, Reading Tracker, First 30 Days, and the Reader’s Edge Workflow.
• There’s a 14-day refund policy, so if you try it and it’s not for you, just let me know.

The Reader's Edge: Complete Kindle Reading System by @charliesamways95 | Stan

You finish a good book and remember enjoying it. A week later, you try to tell someone about it and can barely recall the key points.That book is probably still on your Kindle with dozens of highlights you haven't opened since the day you made them.That isn't a reading problem. It's a system problem.The Reader's Edge is the system I built to fix it. It uses the tools you already have, your Kindle and the free Kindle Notebook, and turns them into a simple routine: set an intention before you read, highlight with purpose while you read, and spend twenty minutes reviewing each book when you finish. Once a month, a thirty-minute review makes sure what you read turns into something you do.No new apps. No complicated database. Just a routine that fits around the reading you already do.What's included:The Reader's Edge guide (42-page PDF): the complete system across five parts, including a fully worked example on a real bookThe Reader's Edge Workflow (PDF): the whole system on one page, to keep wherever you readYour First 30 Days (PDF): a day-by-day plan that builds the system one habit at a timeBook Completion Template (Word and PDF): fill it in when you finish a bookMonthly Review Template (Word and PDF): three questions, thirty minutes, once a monthReading Tracker (Excel): a book log, monthly reviews and a dashboard that calculates itselfNotion Setup Guide (PDF): rebuild the system in Notion in about ten minutesThis is for you if:You read non-fiction on a Kindle and want more from itYou highlight plenty but rarely look at those highlights againYou read to change something in your life, at work, at home or in how you spend your timeThis isn't for you if:You want to read fifty books a year. This system is about getting more from each book, not reading more of them.You're looking for a quick hack. It takes a few minutes per session and twenty minutes per book.FAQDo I need a Kindle? It's built around Kindle and the free Kindle Notebook. The principles also work on other e-readers and with physical books, with a little more manual work.Do I need Notion, Readwise or any other app? No. Everything runs on your Kindle and the included templates. The Notion guide is optional.Does it work for fiction? Yes. The guide covers how to adapt it.How long does it take? About two minutes after each reading session, twenty minutes per finished book, and thirty minutes a month.How do I get it? It's an instant download.What is the refund policy? If the system isn't for you, email hello@charliesamways.com within 14 days for a full refund.

Stan

If you haven’t already, keep an eye on my free resources page. This is where I share tools to get more out of your Kindle, plus notes from some of my favourite non-fiction books. Available to all website members.

Wishing you all the best this week, and building a daily journaling habit.

Catch up next week,

Charlie