To begin, do you ever feel like there is a direct correlation between the inside of your purse (or the surface of your desk) and the clarity of your mind that day? When I have time to go through my purse to clean out all the random receipts, wipes, race cars, snack wrappers, water bottles, etc.. yes, I carry a very large purse😂, I often times feel a sense of calmness come over me… perhaps it’s just the time dedicated to organizing myself for a moment?
This year, I’ve started to journal to help clear my head to get that same feeling of clarity. I can’t say I’m super consistent but when I do sit down and dedicate a tiny bit of time to it, I feel a sense of direction and motivation. As I was beginning, I read some recommendations regarding how to journal from a few different sources and after some trial and error, landed on the following simple template:
1. What are three things I am grateful for (don’t put too much pressure on this)
2. What is making me anxious currently
3. What can I focus on to help eliminate any uneasiness
Somedays, it results in a lot of feelings on a page, other days, it turns into a bulleted to do list with the amount racing in my head. Either way, it is a silent time to reevaluate my focus.
It honestly transpired into this simple notepad that I made and use every single week. Everyone has their own calendar system (and we do still use our shared google calendar as a family) but this notepad has helped me “clean the inside of my purse” every single Sunday.
The other evolution of sitting down and journaling this year is thinking how I can share a similar routine with our kids.
Just this week as I sat down with our boys for breakfast. I typically read a book to them while they eat in the morning but before starting, I decided to try and bring some of my questions (changed every so slightly) to create a meaningful morning conversation. We won’t be able to do this every day, but it sure did create some sweet conversation. Sharing in case you find this worthwhile as well!
1. What are you grateful for today?
2. What do you hope to learn about today?
3. Who are going to make happy today?