A few months ago I saw that Rhett Smith post about The Five Minute Journal on Instagram (view post here). Rhett wrote:
I’ve been using this for 3 weeks and have noticed significant change in my life and daily routines. Especially around gratitude and intentions. Love the neuroscience involved in how the morning and daily questions are arranged. I highly recommend it to anyone.
I like Rhett, and thought that I might take him up on his recommendation. I got mine a couple weeks ago, and for the past 2 weeks, I’ve been doing it first thing in the morning, and before I go to sleep each night. I actually look forward to doing it each day. This is what the folks behind The Five Minute Journal say about what the journal allows you to do:
- Begin the day right: When you start the day on the right note, things automatically start to fall in place. Every day.
- Cultivate Gratitude: Gratitude is the opposite of depression and anxiety. It’s the conscious experience of appreciation of the gifts in our lives and the results are tangible.
- Introspection: Ending the day on the right note can be essential to a good night’s sleep, eliminating negative thought loops and learning more about yourself.
Now, do you need to buy their $22.95 journal to be able to write down a few things you’re grateful for and a brief reflection on your day? Probably not. But it’s a cool looking journal, and it doesn’t cost a lot more than a Moleskine, which is probably the type of journal I would have bought to do something similar. Plus, it gives you some great information in the beginning of the book about some of the neuroscience and psychology that went into the concept behind the journal.
I will say that after two weeks, I really do enjoy waking up in the morning, and my first thoughts being about the things I’m grateful for. And it allows you to reflect back on your day, do a form of the Ignatian Examen, and reflect on what went really well during the day, and what might have been able to go better.
If you’re interested in the journal, and want to buy one, you can use the code Pomomusings to get a couple bucks off the cost of the journal. Buy it from their website here, and NOT from Amazon – I don’t know why Amazon charges such a high price, but definitely buy the journal from their website.