I want to share my daily journaling exercise.

It takes just 7 minutes.

I don’t know about you, but my journaling practice ebbs and flows. Oftentimes, I turn to my journal when I am stuck, hurting, and don’t want to burden others with my challenge. It can be a creative tool, a place to brainstorm ideas as I conjure up the motivation to make a change in my life.

I was introduced to this technique through a podcast, unfortunately I can’t pay homage to it here, as it was such a long time ago.

Here’s how it goes; I set a 5-minute timer on my phone/watch/clock and just start writing. This is anything, perhaps putting language to how my body feels in the moment, ‘my feet are cold’, what I see out the window, ‘the cosmos bravely blooming’, or an giving space to an intrusive thought ‘I need to have a difficult conversation with my partner’…

After 5-minutes, I read over what I have written. For me, this fills about 3/4 of the page, perhaps more if you’re a fast writer. I reflect on what I have written. Without prompts or pressure to produce something specific, what comes up? I settle on a theme, or take away message.

Then, I set the timer again for 1-minute. I write in the remaining space on the page what meaning I derive from my 5-minute brainstorm. Sometimes the take away is far from earth shattering, but in this mindful moment I find I get to know myself a little better. Knowing the session will take 7-minutes max. also helps me cross the barrier of being motivated to write in the first place.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you decide to give it a try. What did you notice? Any take away’s you’d like to share? Please do.