The 5-Minute Journal is simplicity itself and hits a lot of birds with one stone: 5 minutes in the morning of answering a few prompts, and then 5 minutes in the evening doing the same.
Each prompt has three lines for three answers.
To be answered in the morning:
I am grateful for . . .
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
What would make today great?
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
Daily affirmations.
I am . . .
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
To be filled in at night:
3 amazing things that happened today . . .
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
How could I have made today better?
1. __________
2. __________
3. __________
It’s easy to obsess over pushing the ball forward as a type-A personality, which leads to being constantly future-focused. If anxiety is a focus on the future, practicing appreciation, even for 2 to 3 minutes, is counter-balancing medicine.
The 5-Minute Journal forces me to think about what I have, as opposed to what I’m pursuing.
When you answer “I am grateful for . . . ,” I recommend considering four different categories. Otherwise, you will go on autopilot and repeat the same items day after day (e.g., “my healthy family,” “my loving dog,” etc.). I certainly did this, and it defeats the purpose.
What are you grateful for in the below four categories?
I ask myself this every morning as I fill out the 5MJ, and I pick my favorite three for that day:
An old relationship that really helped you, or that you valued highly.
An opportunity you have today. Perhaps that’s just an opportunity to call one of your parents, or an opportunity to go to work. It doesn’t have to be something large.
Something great that happened yesterday, whether you experienced or witnessed it.
Something simple near you or within sight.
The gratitude points shouldn’t all be “my career” and other abstract items. Temper those with something simple and concrete—a beautiful cloud outside the window, the coffee that you’re drinking, the pen that you’re using, or whatever it might be.
I use Intelligent Change’s bound 5-Minute Journal and suggest it for convenience, but you can practice in your own notebook.
It’s fun and good therapy to review your p.m. “amazing things” answers at least once a month.
@tferriss I’m curious, would you be willing to share examples of affirmations that are particularly meaningful to you? As I reflect, I expect these can sometimes be repetitive, and also shift during different seasons or times in my life, as I more deeply integrate their truth into my life.
I find this so insightful—how we approach something determines what we see, and our body and “nervous” system (🤔 why is it named this—maybe this word also needs a reset) needs “priming.”
This is so simple!
Tony Robbins believes that, in a lowered emotional state, we only see the problems, not solutions.
Let’s say you wake up feeling tired and overwhelmed. You sit down to brainstorm strategies to solve your issues, but it comes to naught, and you feel even worse afterward. This is because you started in a negative state, then attempted strategy but didn’t succeed (due to tunnel vision on the problems), and then likely told yourself self-defeating stories (e.g., “I always do this. Why am I so wound up I can’t even think straight?”).
To fix this, he encourages you to “prime” your state first. The biochemistry will help you proactively tell yourself an enabling story. Only then do you think on strategy, as you’ll see the options instead of dead ends.
“Priming” my state is often as simple as doing 5 to 10 push-ups or getting 20 minutes of sun exposure. I often ask myself, “Is this really a problem I need to think my way out of? Or is it possible I just need to fix my biochemistry?”
I’ve wasted a lot of time journaling on “problems” when I just needed to eat breakfast sooner, do 10 push-ups, or get an extra hour of sleep.
Sometimes, you think you have to figure out your life’s purpose, but you really just need some macadamia nuts and a cold fucking shower.
It’s officially Fan Appreciation Week, pres. by @Amazon, and our first order of business is getting YOU ready for next season! ✅
Follow the #SeaKraken and hit that repost button for your chance to win a pair of tickets to 2025-26 opening night and two home jerseys!
@PiperShawTV Thank you! In 2020, as a comms director for a K-12 school district, I remember asking, if schools shut down after spring break, and we’ve already had kiddos & families with no meals for a week … how fast can we have “get-it-and-go” meals ready to distribute? We did it in 3-days.
@PiperShawTV@AlisonL@SeattleKraken It was so good, and this is so special from the fab #8. 🤗 Thank you for all your good coms—I hear & see you every game. Yes, you can and you are!
Stressed & seeking a simple reset, or an opportunity to deepen into peaceful presence? This 15 minute meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman is excellent! I’m so happy to have discovered him + his voice is spacious and inviting. 😌
4. Consider biphasic sleep
If you wake up in the middle of the night, don't panic.
Use this time for quiet reflection or creative work.
It might be your body's natural rhythm expressing itself.
Stressed & seeking a simple reset, or an opportunity to deepen into peaceful presence? This 15 minute meditation with Zen Master Henry Shukman is excellent! I’m so happy to have discovered him + his voice is spacious and inviting. 😌
My friend who took care of Leroy managed to get a few essentials from our house for me. Look what was in the bag with my pajamas (I had none). A note I wrote myself in the depths of despair after Molly died. So random. Yet so perfectly timed and on point. I needed this reminder. Maybe you do too 🙏.
Do not fly your drone near or around areas affected by the LA wildfires. Anyone who interferes with emergency response operations may face severe fines and criminal prosecution. If you fly, emergency responders can't.
Thank you for the outpouring of well-wishes. As of today, Getty staff, the art collections, and buildings remain safe from the Palisades Fire.
The threat is still happening, and our hearts go out to everybody in Los Angeles affected by this awful tragedy.
The U.S. Navy has ordered the deployment of 10 Helicopters equipped with Water Buckets from Naval Base San Diego, to assist with Firefighting Efforts in Los Angeles County; while Modular Airborne FireFighting System (MAFFS) Units with the California and Nevada Air National Guards have been activated, and are expected to begin dropping Fire Retardant on both the Palisades and Eaton Fire.
#HurstFire
Location: Yarnell Street and I-210
Fire is approximately 100 acres. Firefighters are focusing on structure protection and public safety.
Evacuation Warning:
I-5 and I-210 East
More info at: https://t.co/OPB7QPSrei
@LAFD@LACoFDPIO
PALISADES FIRE | 2921 acres 0% containment. Extreme fire behavior, short & long-range spotting, continues to challenge firefighting efforts for the Palisades Fire. Winds gusts up to 60 MPH are expected to continue through Thursday.