My Daily Journal Practice
This morning as I was doing my quiet time I kept thinking about how much I love my daily journal practice how important it has become in my everyday habits and rhythms to start my day off right. As I go about my day I feel clearer on my goals and thoughts, my anxieties don’t consume me and I really feel like there is something so powerful about putting your thoughts to paper.
All of this was confirmed me when when I was listening to a podcast while unpacking from my latest pop up and the podcast host mentioned multiple times how impactful her own journaling process was and how it set her day up better. I mean duh, how could it not help but at the same time — I don’t know that I ever gave it the credit that it deserved until now.
My morning routine starts at 5:00 am when my alarm goes off and I hit snooze until about 5:15 am. I am not a morning person so I need some time to process that it’s time to get up even though my house is silent and its still pitch black outside, Ha! Just being real ya’ll. Anyways after I get up I am not going to lie, I zone out on IG stories for 15 or so minutes and then I drag myself out of bed around 5:30 am to head for coffee, my diffuser and my quiet time.
During my quiet time I do a few things — I read a devotional, I journal, I read 10 pages or 1 chapter of a leadership development book and I do my Bible study. All of this takes me about 35-40 minutes but it truly is the very best way I have found to start my book. I curl up on my couch with my hot coffee and sometimes a heating pad and devote that time to mindset and heart work that each of these daily habits support.
While I could go deep into any one of these I want to focus today on my journal practice because I feel like outside of reading and soaking in God’s word, this is the most important thing I do.
I have just a random notebook from Target and when I need a new one, I just grab a pretty one I see when I need to so I encourage you to not overthink it and just get a cheap, pretty one and call it good! Each morning I write through these 3 things and these 3 things only:
Things I am grateful for — no matter what they are. It could be something really great that happened or it could be my heating pad, nothing is too big or small. I aim for 5 things every morning.
Prayer requests — these are for myself, my family, my friends. Anything I am praying for I put down here. I don’t write out the whole prayer but instead make notes about the prayer request and then I pray.
Goals I am working on — I am a big believer in reminding myself why I am working so hard. Or why I am creating habits and rhythms. Or even why I make a sacrifice in one area so I can feel the benefits of another. Remembering and seeing what I am working on instantly motivates me and gives me energy.
Truly, I try not to overcomplicate it. I write down things on my heart, I journal without fear of someone reading it, its really my time to get it out of my head and out into the universe. And can I tell you, this has done wonders for my mood, my attention and the simple day to day things that make my work turn.
Do you have a journal practice? If you don’t and want to I highly recommend grabbing some paper and jumping right in, the thing that I have ever regretted with it is not starting sooner!
