Five-Minute Morning Journal Practice Fosters Intentional Living

Key Quotes

"So many patients tell me that life just feels like a blur because of the pressures that so many of us face the busyness the overwhelm the endless to do list I've heard it time and time again why haven't things changed why can't I bring these healthy habits into my life and make them stick I've been a medical doctor for over two decades and I have to say one of the most transformative practices I have ever seen is the practice of journaling because it breaks the loop we have these unconscious patterns these subconscious patterns running our lives we don't realize how many anxieties and worries and concerns we have whirring around and journaling is a very simple way to get the stuff out of your brain you get it down onto paper and you see it and that does something really really powerful."

Dr. Rangan Chatterjee explains that journaling is a transformative practice because it helps individuals break free from unconscious patterns that may be running their lives. By getting anxieties and worries down on paper, one can gain clarity and begin to address them. This process of externalizing thoughts is presented as a powerful tool for self-awareness and change.

"The first question is what is the most important thing you have to do today this question is deceptively powerful what comes up for you do you have an answer do you have the clarity on that question or do you freeze a little bit you go well well well there's lots of important things I have to do today one of the problems these days is that our to do lists are endless right we feel and so everything is equally important and therefore we feel frustrated and out of control because our to do lists are never done but not everything in life matters equally and by thinking it does we fall into a trap it's a trap the modern world sets for us and it's that trap that if you fall into it it's going to keep you stuck you're going to feel unmotivated you're going to procrastinate you're not going to move forward in your life because you've got too much to do this question can immediately start to change that."

Dr. Chatterjee introduces the first journaling question, "What is the most important thing you have to do today?" He highlights that this question is deceptively powerful, as it can reveal a lack of clarity or a tendency to view all tasks as equally important. Dr. Chatterjee argues that this perception leads to feeling overwhelmed and stuck, and that identifying a single most important task can immediately begin to shift this dynamic.

"What's so great about this question is that it forces you to write down what is the most important thing and what that means is that you've shifted the focus in your brain essentially you can say if and when you do that thing that day that day is a win that's a successful day because the most important thing got done now again I want to get you away from any perfectionist tendencies that you may have you cannot have a perfect answer to this question right if we reflect on the two answers I gave today and yesterday about being attentive with my children when they come home from school or going for a walk yesterday it's easy to say that they're both important and yes of course look after my health and nurturing my relationship with my children are both very very important things but by writing down what the most important thing is that day and that answer will depend on what's going on in your life whether you walked the previous few days whether you've seen your kids over the last few days or whether you've been too busy working whatever it might be it helps direct your focus it doesn't mean the other things aren't important but what you'll find is when you ask yourself this question regularly hopefully every day you will start to put more intention and focus on what truly is important and the act of asking yourself this question each day will get you better at making that decision but the most important thing is that you actually make a decision and by picking one each day you will get better at it I promise you that will start to transform things because it means no matter what's going on and many of us face these busy chaotic lives you're going to focus on what is truly important that's why I love this question and that's why I'd recommend you consider asking yourself that question every single day."

Dr. Chatterjee explains that by writing down the single most important task for the day, individuals shift their mental focus and define that day as successful if that task is completed. He cautions against perfectionism, noting that while other important things may exist, identifying one priority directs focus. Dr. Chatterjee asserts that regularly asking this question improves decision-making and ensures focus on what truly matters, even amidst a chaotic life.

"A lot of your thoughts a lot of your emotions are downstream of the content you consume if the first thing you do each morning is let's say watch the news which if we're completely honest is usually full of negativity or let's even say social media if your social media feed is full of negativity what impact do you think that's going to have on your mood on your thoughts and your actions you're basically starting the day with a big dose of negativity and that then influences how you're going to be for the rest of the day it influences the way you feel it may influence the way you interact with your partner with your children with your work colleagues and may impact how likely it is for you to go for that walk go for that workout to do that meditation because you've got to understand that your brain is wired for negativity humans have this negativity bias that negativity bias is what has kept you alive for so many years right for most of our days on this planet humans needed it to be fine tuned to the negative you had to know whether that noise that you heard was just a rustling of leaves in the bush or a predator about to attack right so you're primed for the negative in fact psychologists find that humans take in nine bits of negative information for every positive bit and that's why this second question revolves around gratitude what is one thing you deeply appreciate about your life."

Dr. Chatterjee explains that the content consumed first thing in the morning significantly influences thoughts and emotions for the rest of the day, often leading to a "big dose of negativity" if news or social media is negative. He notes that humans have a natural negativity bias, a survival mechanism that primes them to focus on potential threats. Dr. Chatterjee proposes that the second journaling question, "What is one thing you deeply appreciate about your life?", serves as an antidote to this bias.

"Gratitude intentionally looking for the things in your life that you already have rather than focusing on what you lack is one of the most powerful things you can do it is the antidote to that negativity bias and the more you practice it the better you get there's actually a lot of hard science behind gratitude as well gratitude has also been shown to lower anxiety reduce symptoms of depression improve our self esteem improve our relationships and improve the way we feel about ourselves and look what's there not to like about gratitude it's free you don't have to buy anything you don't have to go anywhere it just takes a few seconds no matter how tough our life is most of us if we really think