I have a confession – I’ve been a self-improvement junkie for most of my adult life. Friends who have seen my bookshelf can attest to this.
Of all the books I’ve read, all the courses I’ve attended and podcasts I’ve listened to and all the wonderful people I’ve shared conversation with, the number one habit I’ve ever done to improve my daily outlook on life is keeping a gratitude journal.
It’s a simple concept – you write down a few of the things you’re grateful for each day. It can be 3, 5 or 10 things – it’s up to you. They can be as simple as waking up in a comfortable bed, to the relationship with your Mum or being grateful for the nice weather you enjoyed yesterday.
There are countless studies you can read about how it works and how massively effectively it is. In short, by going through the mental process of conjuring up of things you’re grateful for, it ‘tunes’ or trains your mind to seek out the positive in everyday life. It has a cumulative effect that builds each day. Do it for 30 days and see what happens. It especially helpful when you’re going through a stressful period in your life.
Over the years I’ve done this via many methods, from keeping a note using Evernote online, to a basic blank notebook beside my bed, to pretty much every one of the popular journals you can buy online.
Tip 1 – My first tip was that the act of physically putting pen to paper was a key part of the process. You can’t just ‘think’ of it, nor does typing it out on a keyboard or a phone seem to have the same effect.
Tip 2 – My second tip was that I found was that it’s best to have your notebook beside your bed, so you can do it as soon as I wake up (and before you go to bed as well, if you wish).
Tip 3 – My third tip is to checkout The Five Minute Journal by the guys over at Intelligent Change. You can even find a free PDF version of this page below which you can print off a couple of times and use if money is tight (or if you just want to make sure you’ll do it before you buy one). You can also just use these headings as a guide and write these entries in a blank notebook.
I did this for a while and then decided to upgrade to the real thing.
Why do I like this particular one? You can see the screenshot above – it has a just the right amount of entries, just the right amount of white space, the finish and feel is outstanding and I really like reflecting on the daily quote.
I’m proud to recommend this quality item that I personally use myself and derive huge benefit from. I even bought a few extra copies to give away as gifts (given the shipping to Australia, and the bulk discount you can get) – my Mum was really happy with her birthday present.
Check it out here. They also have an excellent Productivity Planner which I also use myself, long before I started Doof Tribe.
