Recently I’ve expanded my journalling to morning journaling. It has helped to sharpen my focus and avoid the procrastination pitfalls that can sometimes happen when you are not conscious of your actions.
I want to share this with you so you can start every morning with a bang and reap the momentum benefits throughout your day.
The best part? It’s a simple strategy that couldn’t be easier to implement.
Here’s what you need to know…
Why You Should Journal?
There is plenty of science-backed research that details the benefits of journaling on a person’s physical and mental health but also your emotional intelligence.
Simply put journalling is essential to overall health. The best thing about it’s accessible to anyone.
I have championed men, especially why taking up journaling is important for developing a healthy but productive mindset. But journaling is for everyone and morning journaling is an underused tool to kick-start your day.
How To Implement Morning Journaling
Here are some of my favourite strategies for making morning journalling a consistent habit.
Make it super easy to start. When you wake up in the morning the last thing you want to do is something challenging. By making morning journalling appealing and easy to start. I download a writing app (Writing by hand is good too) and put the head title “Today’s going to be a great day” followed by when starting my main content “Today’s intention is…”. I do this the previous night so when I start my morning journal I’m ready to go straight away.
Finding a quiet place is essential. Being able to connect your mind to paper in an effective way. Can only be done through alone time without distraction. For me, I have to wake up before my family. Whatever strategy you pick to find alone time. Make it a priority. Your thoughts will be able to flow and get into a zone of peace and focus so much easier.
Make it unique to you. At this moment in time, all I want my morning journal to be is about productivity and focus. But this might change in the future. So when you create your morning journaling habit. Ask yourself what do you want out of it? By asking this question it will lead you to find what will help and make it a practice you enjoy. Omar Itani has some great ideas you can check out here.
Create a time limit. When writing I can easily get carried away and write for a long time. By creating a time limit for yourself is important. You could be doing a school run, having to go to work or other self-care habits in the morning. The sweet spot for me is 15 minutes. This allows me to write for 10 minutes and then have 5 minutes to feel the plan for the day. Pick a time that works for you. Whatever time it is. You will gain something in return.
What Do You Write About?
When I evening journal I tend to focus on;
- The feelings of the day
- What I failed at
- What I achieved
- Who and what to forgive
- What I’m grateful for
- Thoughtful questions I ask myself
I do this until I’ve shed all the unwanting feelings, built my confidence up and have a clear plan for the next day.
When it comes to morning journalling for me it’s like starting an engine. The fuel is already in the tank, it’s being serviced and cleaned. Now it’s time to put it in first gear and get on the road for a productive and enjoyable day.
So I focus on two things;
- My intention for the day
- Feeling and believing it’s already done
This allows me to have a clear focus of what I need to do but also makes it a done deal. By the end it’s like I’ve just created a movie and when I finish my morning journaling. It’s time to live the movie I’ve watched before.
Morning journaling should definitely have its place in anyone’s morning routine. The benefits far out way the inconvenience of doing it. See if you can give it a go tomorrow. Then come back and leave a comment about your experience. I would love to know.
Want more on journaling? Read this article about the benefits journalling has on the mind.
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