2 Journaling Activities to Make you Happier and More Productive

Who doesn’t want to be happier and more productive? That’s like the ultimate goal right? How can I do more to get closer to my goals and also experience more JOY? The two don’t always seem to go hand in hand because when we try to become more “productive” what we often do instead is become overwhelmed. We set crazy expectations for ourselves, take on too many projects, jam pack our schedules, cut out any down-time and say yes to things we know we won’t have the energy or passion for. And then we burnout. So how can you possibly do more and be more joyful at the same time?

PREP YOUR MIND FOR THE DAY

I’m going to share with you two of my favorite journaling exercises that help me do just that! Obviously you’ll still have to put in the necessary work on your part but doing these two daily exercises will help a lot with putting you in the right mindset to get down to business and be more productive and also to see and feel the joy that is all around you.

So, the first one is quite common and you might actually be doing it already. If you are, amazing! If not, you’ve probably heard of it and can finally try it out for yourself and see what everyone’s talking about. Gratitude journaling. This can be done in so many ways but the way I like to do it is to write down 3 things I’m grateful for in the morning before my day gets going. It’s important to do it before you start working or interacting with people around you because remembering the things you have to be thankful for in your life will prep your mind with a positive outlook and in turn will influence how you speak to others and react to any potentially negative situations that may arise throughout the day.

GRATITUDE JOURNALING 101 

Don’t over complicate it and try to think of some deep emotional or spiritual thing you’re grateful for every day, it’ll become too time consuming and you’ll give up doing it consistently, which is the key to nearly everything in life. Keep it simple and go with some of the first things that come to mind. Over time it’ll get easier and you’ll start noticing more things to be grateful for and they’ll come to mind much quicker. Although you love your family and your dog more than anything try not to write down the same things every day. Just because you don’t write “family” one day doesn’t mean you’re not grateful for them, you just want to get your brain thinking outside of the box so that the task doesn’t become mindless. If you’re mindlessly writing down “family, friends, my house” every day its not going to have much of an effect at all. So think small. Think of random things like morning coffee, the TV show that made me laugh last night, not having to shave my legs everyday in winter, this candle that smells amazing etc.

I like to think of this exercise as a shield. You want to protect yourself from any toxic people or conversations, negativity, conflict or judgment that you might run into each day and make sure that you’re able to react in the best way possible. Your gratitude shield will help you do this. There are so many studies that show the benefits of actively practicing gratitude and its associations with increased joy, happiness, and also success.

The Harvard Medical School journal says that positive psychology research shows “gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

So there’s really no reason why everyone shouldn't be gratitude journaling every morning. If you don’t have a journal, don’t like to write, or just know that you’ll leave the journal in a different place everyday and forget to write down your 3 things there are other ways you can do it:

1.     You can make your list in the Notes app on your phone! I know you check your phone as soon as you wake up so there’s no excuses there. Jot them down and move on with your day.

2.    Even faster, you can say them out loud to someone in your house – your partner, roommate, mom, dog, or even just to yourself!

3.    You can find an accountability buddy and start practicing gratitude together! Find someone who wants to do it with you and agree to send each other a text message or Snapchat every morning with your 3 things listed. Just be careful that it doesn't turn it into a joke. 

DAILY REFLECTION FOR SUCCESS

Now that you’ve got a game plan for your gratitude journal, the next exercise is a daily reflection. This one will be done at night, because you can’t really reflect on a day that hasn’t happened yet. It’s quite simple in that you’re just going to make a short list of 3-5 things you did that day to be successful. Success is a very relative term so it can relate to any area of your life that you’re actively trying to improve. It could be anything you did to be a better version of you.

So when you sit down to do your reflection ask yourself what you’ve done that day to be healthier, to advance your business, to get closer to a goal, to improve your mindset, to learn more etc. Some examples of success tasks could be reading a few pages of a self-development book (or listening to the audio) choosing healthy foods, going to the gym, walking 10,000 steps, accomplishing a task you’ve been putting off, sending a resume, building your website, connecting with new people, meditating… the possibilities are endless.  Some things that don’t count are plain old normal habits and things you’re already obligated to do, like brushing your teeth or going to work. You should be focusing on efforts you’re making OUTSIDE of the norm in order to become a better, more successful version of yourself. If you find that you’re unable to come up with 3-5 success tasks each day that should be your kick in the bum to realize you could be doing more. Everyone can hope, wish, dream, and complain about how much they want something but you’re never going to get there if you’re not consistently taking action.

The purpose of the daily reflection is to help you see where you’re making solid efforts to improve your life, and where you might be lacking. It should serve as something to uplift and motivate you, not to make you feel discouraged. If you have a day with very few tasks on your list you know that tomorrow will just have to be better. And when you have a day with a long list of healthy success habits you’ll feel accomplished, proud, and motivated to keep going and do even more. That’s the feeling you want to hold onto because that momentum will carry you far.

Again, it doesn’t have to be written in a journal. It could be done on your phone, tablet, or spoken out loud to a friend or partner at dinner or before bed. That means there’s really no excuse for why you can’t do it. Figure out what works for you and how you can make these two powerful exercises fit into your routine, and start now.  If you stick with it for several weeks you’ll start to see changes in your mindset and motivation levels and be on your way to higher productivity and a more joyful life.