One Sentence Journal

Today I just want to share an idea with you that I found interesting and want to try to implement myself.

The idea was sparked from a combination of things: a podcast about telling a better story, a book that talked about a one sentence journal, and me always looking for ways to make my journaling better and easier.

The podcast about telling a better story was an interview with Matthew Dicks. I’ve never heard of him, but I liked what he taught. There is definitely power in being able to tell a good story. Matthew shared a tip to help practice story telling. At the end of each day answer these questions: What is the most story-worthy moment of this day? What is the moment that made this day different than any other day? Write your answer in just a few sentences. Practice being concise.

The next spark came from Gretchen Rubin’s book “The Happiness Project”. On her year-long quest to be happier, Gretchen decided to keep a journal of the happy moments in her day. First, the habit forced her to look for happy times during her day. And it also helped her keep the moments vivid in her memory. She said that the idea of keeping a “proper journal” was too daunting so she opted for a one sentence journal. Each night she writes 1-4 sentences about what happened that day; normal, everyday stuff.

Another less mundane idea to include in your one-sentence journal is to write about the ways you’ve seen God bless you. I love the story that Henry B. Eyring shared a few years ago about this. He said, “I wrote down a few lines every day for years. I never missed a day no matter how tired I was or how early I would have to start the next day. Before I would write, I would ponder this question: ‘Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch us or our children or our family today?’ As I kept at it, something began to happen. As I would cast my mind over the day, I would see evidence of what God had done for one of us that I had not recognized in the busy moments of the day. As that happened, and it happened often, I realized that trying to remember had allowed God to show me what He had done.”

Looking for more quick ideas to write about? Try this 2-minute journal idea from the winding spiral case.

o something I am grateful for today
o the best thing that happened today
o something I did well today
o how I could have made today better
o how I’ll make tomorrow great

I’m going to give this one sentence journal idea a shot. Would you like to also? I’d love to hear about your journaling experience.