I can’t remember where I read about one-sentence journals, but I am pretty sure it’s from Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. I’m reading the book at the moment, and love it – check out my recent post about some of the key take outs for me.
The thought of it automatically filled me with hope, and also relief. I have never in my life been able to regularly maintain a journal, because it always took me too much time and I just never got around to it. I’ve always been busy. I’ve always wanted to journal though, as I do believe in the importance of getting things out. There’s some sort of clarity to be found with writing things down. In addition, by looking back over journals you have the opportunity to see how far you’ve come, and also to reminisce about the good and bad times in your life!
Unfortunately, I’m only able to look back on very sporadic posts over the years. Generally, I’ve tended to start journalling when something monumentally bad happens in my life – not ideal for reminiscence!
Until I came across this concept a few weeks ago. I now keep three daily one-sentence journals (which I keep in Evernote – accessible online at any time, from any of my devices). The whole process takes me about five minutes, which I can realistically fit into my day – and it’s also not as daunting as sitting down to write a half-hour or one-hour journal.
I personally find the following one-sentence journals useful – including my own examples!:
- Affirmations – “I have enough time, money and energy to do everything I want to do in life.”
- Gratitude – “Today I am grateful for my kitten Moxie, and my wonderful friends and family.”
- Journal – Pick one sentence about your life and go for it! (Trick: write 2, 3 or even 4 sentences if you need that space to capture it – but stick to the key points!).
These one-sentence journals may not be comprehensive, but looking back on them will jog my memory about that time in my life and the real recollections will come flooding back.
Do you keep a journal? How long, how often, and how does it serve you?
