Kick Start Your Day With The Five-Minute Journal
Having a gratitude practice has been an important part of my daily routine for a while. In the past month it has evolved into the five-minute journal. I learned about the five-minute journal while reading Tools of The Titans by Timothy Ferris. After learning about this type of journaling, I put it into practice almost immediately. The process involves identifying what you are most grateful for, connecting with your vision for what would make the day great, and listing statements of affirmation. For personal touch, I like to add a bit about who I am committed to being. The official five-minute journal comes in a book form, but I like to keep it simple by using a basic moleskin journal.
What are you most grateful for?
It’s nearly impossible to be in a bad mood when you’re coming from a place of gratitude in each moment of your life.
When identifying what you are most grateful for, it helps to reflect on three areas — relationships, opportunities, and something great that happened the previous day. Having specific areas to focus on will keep you from going on autopilot when listing what you’re grateful for. It’s so easy to list the same things each day.
When reflecting on relationships, it helps to think about time spent with other people. Most recently I was grateful to catch up with an old friend who was visiting from out of town for a few days.
When expressing gratitude for your experiences, try thinking about something cool that you are thankful to have done. It could even be an opportunity that is about to happen. As I write this I am on a flight to Mexico City for vacation. I am grateful to make my first visit to Mexico.
Lastly, reflect on something great that happened the previous day. Identifying something as great can be difficult. Sometimes it is easier to acknowledge something that was simply interesting or fun. And that’s completely appropriate. No need to stress over identifying something as great. Remember, the whole point of this process is to express gratitude.
What would make today great?
Once you’ve written down the three things you’re most grateful for, the next section of the five-minute journal involves writing down 3 things that would make today great. When answering this question it helps to think about your intentions for the day, and what you would like to accomplish. It could be something work-related or it could be something more personal like working out, or in my case, meal prepping. Whatever you decide doesn’t have to be anything audacious, it just needs to be something that can help you to be more intentional about your day.
Daily affirmation
The final section of the five-minute journal involves writing down daily affirmations. Sometimes we need words of encouragement to help push us through the day. Affirmations have the ability to help us keep our lives in perspective.
One of my favorite daily affirmations to write down is “I love myself”. It reminds me to make self-care a priority in my life. If you are not sure what to write down as a daily affirmation, there are tons material online. It may be helpful to Google ‘daily affirmation resources to find a few to get you started.
Ultimately, the daily affirmation is all about changing how you speak to yourself. When I write down I love myself, I am providing myself with grace. It’s the words we say to ourselves that can often have the greatest impact on us. When we say to ourselves that we are stupid or unworthy, we start to believe it. But when we say to ourselves that the Universe has our back, we start to have faith in our ability to achieve our greatest dreams.
Bonus: Who I am committed to being?
For my own personal touch, I like to identify who I am committed to being. I’ve written about this practice before so I will not spend much time on it here. I would like to point out that including it in my journal helps me to get in the right mindset to embrace the day.
Conclusion
Committing myself to completing the five-minute journal has added value to my life. It’s a daily activity that shifts my mindset and helps me to approach my life from a place of gratitude and intention. I believe it could work for you, too. Give it a try.
