green four minute journal

This is a really thoughtful mindfulness journal. I got the forest green, which is a lovely color, and it feels good in my hands. It comes with an elastic pen holder on the side and an elastic to keep the book closed as well as 3 different ribbon bookmarks inside. Inside the back cover is a small folder to add mementos, and there 3 pages of stickers to add some fun celebrations throughout. One page of stickers is hearts and stars and check marks, for goals met and good days. The other two pages of stickers are fun illustrations of animals and snacks and fun sayings, so if you need a cowboy hat, and ice cream cone, a bluebird, or “Positive Energy,” you’re covered.

The journal itself is divided into two parts. In the front are a few pages for tracking daily habits. There is a spot for 8 habits, followed by 31 check boxes, so the habits can easily be tracked for an entire month. So I chose reading, sleeping for 7-8 hours, walking, and journaling, and each night I can just check off what I accomplished that day.

After that are 100+ pages of daily check-ins. There is a spot for the date and time in the morning and then a quote to help me center myself in the moment. There are three questions to answer, and then I’m off for my day: I am grateful for, Positive affirmations, and What would make today great? That helps me focus on the day ahead and think through what I want to get done.

Then in the evening, there is a spot for the time again and two more questions to reflect on: Things that made this day great and a different question. One day asks What brings out your best self? and the next day is What’s a hobby or activity you’d love to try just for fun? Another day has What’s one mistake you’re grateful for today, and another is What does success mean to you personally? I love that there are different questions to end the day, to spark creative ideas for the next day or next week. It adds a surprise to the day’s journaling and puts a smile on my face for the night.

I love that this journal focuses on mindfulness and gratitude. It means that when dark days come, I can still keep moving forward, keep journaling, keep tracking my days, and eventually I can look back at that time and find pops or joy and gratefulness and successes despite my anxiety or darker moods.

In the past, I have had trouble keeping a daily journal because I wanted to write down everything that happened in my day. It was too much, and I was putting too much pressure on myself to keep that up. But this journal takes just minutes a day, hits on the most important aspects, and helps me focus. I can lower my expectations and just use a few minutes to write about my day, set it aside, and get on with all the other things. I think I can keep this up. This would be a great gift for someone wanting to start a daily mindfulness practice, to be more grateful, to help their focus, or to start a daily journaling practice in just minutes a day. And there’s stickers.