How to Journal with the 3:1:1 Strategy

How to JOURNAL With the 3:1:1 Strategy

How many times have you tried to start journaling only to quit days (or a day lol) later?

Yeah, same.

For years I tried to emulate all those brilliant successful people who say pretty much the same thing: journaling and meditating are habits of immeasurable value.

I'd get a cool-ass new journal, sit down and then stare blankly at an empty sheet of paper.

Now what? Where's the epiphany?

That or I'd start writing and ohmylord did all the things come pouring out of me like a pent-up dam of emotions and thoughts.

Whoof. Talk about daunting. If that was journaling, who could do that every day??? Who would want to?

I finally started asking the right questions:

What do I want to get out of a journaling practice?
How can I structure it to avoid overwhelm and make it happen daily?

FOLLOW-THROUGH was the muscle I needed to develop first.

And in order to develop follow-through, it needed to feel simple. My brain needed framework.

Eventually I started calling my outline the 3:1:1 strategy, and evolved morning and evening versions.

AM Journaling

3: Gratitudes or Joys
1: Way you will recover or care for yourself today
1: Intention for the day

PM Journaling

3: Wins
1: Way you recovered today
1: Way you can be a little better tomorrow

So I finally started seeing what the buzz was all about. Taking even 90 seconds at the beginning and end of my day started cascading into other changes.

I was able to reset my head in the morning, remember what I was happy about and figure out what needed to be prioritized, In the evening I had to revisit that and see if I made it happen. If I didn't, I got to determine what I needed to adjust so that I could make it happen the next day.

90 seconds, twice a day. 3 minutes total.

Insane what 3 minutes of intention can do.

If you've ever wished you were "the kind of person who journals" this is the strategy for you. Try it out this week and let me know how it goes!