The Five Minute Journal app description claims it to be the simplest and most effective way to become happier in five minutes a day. Having used the physical journal for several months, I can definitely witness some positive changes in my life, which are ultimately making me happier. Now with the release of the iPhone app, I can bring my journal with me on the go, and I don’t even have to remember to bring my pen along
But what’s the Five Minute Journal about anyway?
Positive thoughts bring positive things
The basic concept of the Five Minute Journal is that shifting your focus to the positive things in your life, whether these positive things actually happen, or you want them to happen, can improve your happiness. When you think about it, it just makes sense. If you fill your mind with positive thoughts, you’re more likely to have a positive outlook on life.
The Five Minute Journal helps you focus on these positive things at the time it matters most: when you wake up in the morning, because it will likely influence the rest of your day, and when you go to bed at night, so that you can look back on your day and focus on the positive events that will likely help you have a good night sleep.
If all this sounds a little granola to you, please bear with me for a moment.
No more than five minutes per day
Upon launching the app, you will be presented with the quote of the day, or a weekly challenge.
Quotes are short and inspirational. I must admit that some are better than others, but regardless, it’s nice to always have something uplifting to read first thing in the morning.
The weekly challenges appear at random about once a week. They’re always simple to carry on, and of course always focus on good things. For example, one challenge could be “today, call an old friend you haven’t talked to in a long time.” It’s simple, and heart warming.
Each daily entry is divided into two sections: morning and evening.
In the morning, write three things you are grateful for, what you will do to make today a great day, and your daily affirmation. Again, the goal here is to focus on what’s good in your life, or what you want to be good in your life. By practicing gratitude and focusing on the good, you may actually shift your entire day in the right direction.
In the evening, before going to bed, type in three amazing things that happened today, and something you could have done to make today better. Again, the goal is also to focus on the positive things, and set you up for a good night sleep filled with happy thoughts.
The Five Minute Journal is absolutely gorgeous. Its simple and warm color palette inspires serenity and calm. It’s also very simple to use. There is no unnecessary feature and bloat. Just the essential in one beautiful package, just like the physical version of the journal.
For people like me who never journaled before, the Five Minute Journal is a great way to start setting simple daily goals and reflect back on the good things that happen in our lives. And yes, this app lives up to its name because you really don’t have to spend more than five minute a day on it.
Our lives are getting more and more busy, and sometimes, it’s easy to just lose track of what’s important to us and what we’re grateful for. Cultivating these happy thoughts is essential to becoming happier persons, and the Five Minute Journal will do just that without you feeling you have to go out of your way to make it happen.
For the past several months, the physical version of the Five Minute Journal and now the iPhone app, have become part of my daily routine. It’s the first thing I do in the morning, and it’s one of the last things I do at night. While I can’t necessarily tell if it’s made me a happier person, it’s definitely made me more aware of some of my bad habits, and it is allowing me to shift all my negative thoughts to something more positive, ultimately making my life, and by extension myself, a little better every day.
Available for $4.99 in the App Store, I urge you to download it. If you get into it, chances are you too will start seeing positive changes in your life.