Listing at least three things that we’re grateful for every day is a practice we’ve all heard about but probably don’t have a habit of doing. Kinda like how we all know that we should drink more water but it doesn’t mean we’re actually doing it. It’s one of those things where we know it’s a good thing to do and will probably be beneficial somehow but for some reason, those few extra minutes it takes to think about what good came out of the day is overwhelming. Or maybe we just don’t really care to make it a habit at all. Either way, I’ve created a simple journaling format to help get you started:
What you need:
- A small notebook (I use this Paperblanks one in an A6 size, or mini)
- Your favorite pen (I use a Pilot G-2 0.38)
Format:
Morning
- On the left side of your opened journal, include the date and what time you woke up that morning at the top of the page (you can customize this to fit your needs best)
- On the next line (or you can skip a line) write “what’s on my mind:”. This is a place where you can brain-dump whatever you’re thinking about that day or stressed about.
- Usually, on the same page, I’ll also include “something to make today great:”. Here I’ll include anything that will give me something to look forward to in the day or that will make me feel better depending on how I woke up feeling that day.
Evening
- On the right side of your opened journal, at the top, or wherever you left off from your last prompt, write “what I’m grateful for”. Fill as much of the page as you want. Include anything that brought you joy or that you thought was nice. Even if it seems insignificant, every little good thing adds up.
The reason I like a small journal for this practice is so that it doesn’t put too much pressure on having to fill up larger pages. It also doesn’t take up too much time to write a few lines in the morning and finish off with a few lines of gratitude in the evening. It leaves you feeling satisfied and not discouraged.
If you need more of a visual on how I format my journal, here’s a short video.
So far I’ve found that this routine helps ground me. It helps me stay off my phone in the morning and motivates me to get my day started. The brain-dump section helps me to declutter my mind and set realistic goals. It also helps me focus on what’s important and trains my mind to look for the good in everything so that I can remember what to write in my gratitude section at the end of the day.
Let me know if you try this format out and what you think of it.
xx
bonitappétit 