5 Things You Need To Do In Your Journal Each Morning

As a college student, we all know that life can get pretty busy. Journal writing is a way for us to reflect and organize our lives; one of the most important times to do this is during our morning journaling. Here are 5 things you need to do in your journal each morning.

1. Daily Tasks

The first crucial thing you need to do when morning journaling is to write out your daily tasks. College life can get hectic and sometimes it is difficult to keep track of everything there is that you need to do; waking up each morning and writing out what you need to do specifically that day will help you be more productive and motivated to get everything done. To-do lists are not only extremely helpful for you to keep track of what you need to get done that day, they are also easy to write out and don’t take a lot of time. Another thing about mornings, especially in college, is that you don’t really have all the time in the world to sit down and write in a journal all morning. This is why simply writing out a list of what you want to accomplish on that day is efficient in the sense that it is quick to write out while still boosting your productivity! Plus, writing down your daily tasks ensures that you keep on track with your goals by allowing you to physically remind yourself of your objectives as you write them down on paper and read them aloud. This leads you to start the day motivated with the intention of aligning your activities with what you want to accomplish by the end of the day! 

2. What Will Make Your Day Great

Morning journaling is all about self-reflection and motivation to start your day; that is why we recommend for you to write out a list each morning of what will make the day great for you. Although this may sound slightly cheesy and maybe even pointless to some, the goal is to write down what would make your day perfect so that you might generate inspiration to make those things happen. For instance, if you write on your list that completing your class assignments would make today amazing by relieving some of your stress, you will be more motivated to complete those assignments in order to make your day great! As we said before, an important aspect of morning journaling is also to ensure that it does not take too much of your time; that is why lists are your best friends as they are quick to write while also being very motivational. Being able to go back at the end of your day and check off boxes on your lists will make you feel accomplished and push you to continue your productivity in the days that follow. By making a list of what will make today great, you are reminding yourself not just of what you can do to be more productive and successful, but also of how each new day is an opportunity to be better than yesterday. 

3. Write Out Your Gratitudes

It is always important to ensure that your morning journaling is allowing you to start the day with a good and positive mindset. One way you can do this is by reminding yourself of the things that even get you up in the morning! You are not required to go in-depth, but writing out a short list of what you are grateful for is an easy way to boost your mindset for the day; you are reminding yourself of the amazing things in your life that make it worth living, which provides you with a positive state of mind to increase your mental health and productivity for the day. Sometimes, you may find it difficult to know exactly what to write out in terms of your gratitude. It can be as simple as saying that you are grateful for having a roof over your head and food on your plate, or you can take time to reflect on the relationships with the loved ones in your life. One may even take time to reflect on being grateful for their health or it can be as simple as being grateful you woke up that morning with the opportunity of a new day! Whatever it may be that you list off for your gratitudes, you remind yourself that there is something to be grateful for each day, big or small.

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4. Today I Am Excited To…

Another list that you can write out when you are doing your morning journaling is a list of what you are excited to do that day. There may be some days that you find yourself struggling to think of what to write down; some days may just seem boring and typical, without anything to really be excited about. Sometimes those days are the ones that are most crucial to reflect on, it is important to still try to think about what you are excited about for the day in order to boost motivation. For example, on a day that seems like there is nothing to write about, you can start off by saying that you are excited about going to get your Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. Although you may get an iced coffee every morning, by writing it down as something you are excited about you are allowing yourself to change your perspective on something as simple as getting a coffee before class! Sometimes, it is all about changing the way you look at something that seems so insignificant and turning it into something that you can look forward to each day. Another thing you can write down is: Today I am excited to finish my project for my class. This is another great way to boost productivity by getting you excited about getting things done, motivating you to work harder on the things you need to finish! 

5. Write Out Your Day

The final thing that you need to do when morning journaling is you should write out your daily schedule. It may seem silly, but writing out exactly what you are going to do and at what time will help you feel more organized and ready to go for your day! Not only that, but you also allow yourself time to lay out what your day is going to look like as well as what needs to be done before you go to bed. This will help those who are not entirely sure how they feel about journaling; it is a good in-between of actual journal prompts and writing out simple lists. What seems like just writing out a schedule is actually a way to help you declutter your mental space and also allows you to write out what your ideal day would look like. Now that it is on paper, you feel motivated to make that come true and therefore start the day off with a productive mindset.

Start your day off right with these five items when you’re morning journaling for a boost in productivity and mental wellness! Are there any journal prompts we missed? Let us know in the comments below!