I’ve always been the kind of person that loves having a lot on my plate. I might have a 6am flight interstate, a work lunch, meetings, fly home to kiss my kids goodnight and then try to sneak in a 30 minute HIIT workout before bed – it’s a perfect day for me. Some people would look at that kind of day in disgust and be absolutely exhausted at the thought of it! But many of you are exactly the same – managing to fit in the corporate life, family and health each and every day.

That aside; my flaw for such a long time was around the actual organisation of my day and to ensure the necessary work outcomes and key deliverable tasks were achieved as per my promises to clients and colleagues. I could effectively sum up my day as being more chaotic than a child’s bedroom floor. Until I stumbled upon the power of daily journaling…

Daily journaling I hear you ask – isn’t that something that a teenager does? A way to express your emotions on a page? I don’t need that – I mean – what would I possibly put in it? What I had for dinner last night? And the latest show I’m obsessed with on Netflix? (these are all legitimate questions people have asked me when I tell them about journaling).

The 9 Benefits of starting your day off with journal writing;

1. Gratitude gets you started on the right foot – it gives abundance to your life. When you are in a state of gratitude, your mind is in a place of happiness and love.
2. Research suggests that you are 86% more likely to achieve sought daily goals if you physically write your goals down. It sends a signal to your brain that “this is important” which helps you mentally stay on top of a task.
3. It evokes mindfulness. Daily journaling forces you to pause for 10 minutes, gather your thoughts and plan for the day ahead. Ultimately you are investing in your mental health and training your brain. Ultimately this deepens your self-awareness
4. Journaling implements strong self-discipline which eventually forces habit. No different to a muscle, the more you do it, the stronger you will become at it.
5. Reduces fuzzy thinking into cogent, tangible goals
6. Allows you to process and explore unfelt emotions
7. An opportunity to take note of your dreams and aspirations
8. Deepens your self-awareness
9. Strengthens your life commitments

So how do you do it??

1. First buy an A5 lined book to be your dedicated journal. Why A5? Because there is no excuse for you not carrying it everywhere with you and referencing what you promised yourself you would do today! 🙂
2. Every single morning, choose a time when you will commit 10 minutes of your life. I know some people that have it next to their bed and do it the moment they wake. Others will get their family life in order and dedicate the first 10 minutes once in the office to closing the door and journal writing. Or maybe it’s at the local café that you can commit to writing whilst enjoying your caffeine hit before work? The location isn’t important; it’s creating a habit of doing it every morning before your day truly gets underway. I like to do mine the moment I get into the office.
3. I always start my daily journal with a quote or a comment that I heard the day prior. Something from a podcast, something in a book I read, something I saw on a social platform – ultimately it’s something that really resonated with me that lights a spark in my day. For example; today’s quote in my journal is: “If you can’t change something, change your attitude.” And that becomes my daily mantra.
4. Next – I show gratitude. Pick someone or something I’m truly grateful for right now. It might be a friend that gave up some time to help me something. It might be the cuddles you got from your son or daughter last night. It might be the weekend we just had and the beautiful weather that came with it. It can be the most simple (the clothes on my back) through to the most detailed (listing certain people and events in your life). It doesn’t matter. What matters is that we express daily gratefulness for what we have right now – in this moment – rather than always wanting more.
5. Finally, identify the key tasks that you must execute on today for this to be recognised as a “successful day.” Key point here is to list tasks/goals that are achievable based on your daily planner. For example; don’t list 15 tasks you need to get done if you only have 1.5 free hours in your day! YOU MUST HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE TO WHATEVER TASK YOU WRITE DOWN. If you don’t achieve that task, the task then becomes clutter for the next day and invades your subconscious overnight. Just get it done.

Any questions, please reach out to via email or on my socials. Happy journaling 🙂