Let me start off by saying I never thought I was the person that would write in a journal. The idea of writing in one always sounded cool to me but in real life I knew I would never actually purchase one and faithfully write in it. However, this changed one day when I was scrolling through Instagram and one of the people I follow was raving about this new journal she had gotten. I was intrigued so I looked it up and the reviews were spectacular. People like myself, skeptical about journal writing loved this thing. I’ve got to try it I thought. It is called The Five Minute Journal by Alex Ikonn and UJ Ramdas and here is why I love it.
1. It literally takes five minutes or less to write in it
Five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night to complete an entry and you are done. Just 10 minutes a day – so doable for the busy on-the-go mom.
2. The format is simple but thought-provoking
They are three prompts to respond to in the morning section and two for the evening section. The morning prompts include writing about what you are grateful for, what would make your day great, and a daily affirmation sentence (I am…..). The night time section includes writing three amazing things that happened in your day and how you could have made your day even better. The morning prompts really getting me thinking about my day and what I want to accomplish. The daily affirmation of filling in I am __________ allows me to say positive things about myself that hold me accountable for staying true to it throughout the day. The night time section focuses on finding gratitude in your day and thinking about ways you could have made it better. Gratitude is so important and writing down three things that happened in my day that were great always makes me realize how blessed I really am. Finishing off the journal entry with how I could have made my day better really makes me zone in on how I can better myself and make improvements to make my day that much better.
3. Each day begins with an insightful quote and there are weekly challenges
I love a good quote that makes me think and The Five Minute Journal delivers. This journal is filled with daily quotes that should be the mantra of my life. The weekly challenges are fun and easy to accomplish. An example of one of the weekly challenges is to call an old friend. Such a simple challenge but if accomplished one that makes you feel good about your day!
4. There’s an introduction to the journal that discusses how to fill out the prompts and why each of those prompts was chosen by the authors
The beginning of the journal starts out with a brief introduction on how the journal works and its basic principles. The authors include research that supports the effectiveness of gratitude and how the other prompts force you to look at your life in a different way. If you weren’t already convinced this journal was great the introduction will sell you on it.
5. You can sign up for emails to help you stick with The Five Minute Journal
These emails come weekly and are filled with helpful suggestions on how to fill out your journal as well as things to think about as you do. I love these emails and they have really helped me write more effectively in my journal and get more out of it.
So if you are interested and want a great journal that takes little time to write in each day pick up The Five Minute Journal and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Happy journaling!
