The Circadian Journal Workshop

Build a transformative journaling practice in just 8 weeks.

Join a small group of like-minded peers in an online reflective writing workshop to gain clarity in your life and make progress on your goals.

Sessions starting in September 2024

eight 2-hour sessions without leaving home

Acquire a powerful daily writing habit

achieve tangible progress towards your goals

Discover the satisfaction — and the power — of getting your dreams, observations, and ideas into words

We all have good ideas from time to time — but they usually need a little work. We overhear or engage in conversations that we’d love to remember — but soon realize that we’ve mostly forgotten them. We are moved by events and relationships that form the story of our lives — but we may never get around to recording them. We even sometimes imagine plots and invent characters for fictional stories that never seem to see the light of day. Time is passing. Will you ever give voice to this rich inner life? An idea that isn’t worked out in writing usually remains just a fuzzy notion. A dream that stays in your head will never change your life. An unexpressed ideal does the world no good. A story that doesn’t delight a reader or listener isn’t really a story.

“Life Sentences” is a workshop designed to unleash your creativity — and change your life — through experiencing the magical power of words. Using the unique freedom of the circadian journal and working under expert direction and with a small group of like-minded creatives, you will increase your powers of expression, and develop the habits of a writer. And you’ll finally start seeing your creativity — and the story of your life — down on paper!

I'll be forever grateful to Greg for what I've learned during his course on journaling. He is a passionate reader and a natural teacher. He has a "lead by example" teaching style that motivated me and the entire group. With Greg's help, I was able to re-learn how to love writing, and how to let writing be an integral part of improving my overall well being.

Aaron Curtis

Front-End Developer

Greg creates a calm, creative and supportive atmosphere in the Life Sentences workshop. His approach to journal-writing is inspiring. I really enjoyed the casual, relaxed vibe at each session and hearing my fellow classmates' writings. I came out of the experience having formed a daily habit of writing that I feel like I now can't live without!

Liz Demarest

Communications Professional

This was more than a writing class. It was an inspiring community where listening other people's stories inspired me to write more. Thanks to Greg, I started my journal and now I see writing as part of my life. I also really liked the reflective aspect of this workshop. Greg is a dedicated and experienced writer. Seeing his own journal amazed me.

Yi Ma

Investment Banking Analyst

I couldn't have imagined the improvement this class, and the in-depth journaling habit it has fostered, would make in my thought life. I have much more clarity, and routinely delve deeper than I would otherwise, both on and off the page. It's particularly useful for an artistic life, because you record, explore, and remember ideas that otherwise might have flown away moments after they arrived. It also banishes a relationship with the self where you are that person in your house with whom you avoid eye contact, replacing it with the heady expansion of getting to know someone.

Amy Denninghoff

Professional Artist

Greg creates a wonderful mix of structure and curated serendipity. While learning and practicing a wide variety of journaling techniques and approaches, we also formed a warm and collegial bond with our fellow journalers. Whether you are dedicated to keeping a journal or just want to give it a try for the duration of the course, you will finish with a Swiss Army knife of writing approaches and techniques, which you will undoubtedly use in your personal, academic and/or professional life.

Richard Boly

Former Career Diplomat

Though I do a lot of writing, I haven't journalled regularly for many years. This course re-ignited a neglected practice and brought with it Greg's immense wisdom about the process and what we produced. I am still journaling regularly and find it a linchpin for my day and an opportunity to give growing space to thoughts which would otherwise have disappeared with the sunset.

Jack Peterson

Management Consultant

YOUR HOST AND INSTRUCTOR

Gregory Robison

Life is chaotic and unpredictable, no matter how well-prepared you think you are. Fortunately I discovered early on — and learned from others over time — a crucial lesson to make some sense of it all: Write it down. Keep notes. Not just jottings about things that happened, but a record of your thoughts; observations about life; acknowledgment of your disappointments; and an expression of your dreams and ambitions. In other words, keep a journal.

I’ve been keeping one for more than 50 years. And for the last decade or so I have helped others start theirs in versions of this “Life Sentences” workshop at Georgetown University, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Writer’s Center in Maryland, and private corporations.

Now in volume 119, my journal has chronicled, documented, and reflected on a life probably much like yours. It’s been a jumble of experiences and relationships, many of them unplanned and unexpected, played out against the tumultuous history of our times. During all this upheaval, my circadian journal — my diary — kept me accountable to my dreams and goals and helped me explore the meaning of the past and present of my life. I would be delighted to help you do the same.

YOUR REGISTRATION INCLUDES

Explore your creativity, hold yourself accountable, find your voice, and produce some awesome work.

How will this help me get unstuck?

A writer is someone who writes. Whether it’s a novel; a memoir; an op-ed column; a venture idea; a marketing pitch; a sermon; a family history; a collection of poems; a private diary or journal; a play for stage or screen… It’s all writing. Whatever its purpose or final form, it’s all worthwhile.

But like all creative work, it takes discipline, skill, and the right attitude. Producing anything worthwhile in this world is a struggle.

This workshop will dispel the illusions and misconceptions about that struggle — illusions and misconceptions that may have kept you from cultivating your creativity and achieving your goals.