New Yew New Habit: Journaling

New Yew New Habit: Journaling 

It’s a new year and a great time to introduce a new habit for your mental health. Something that I highly recommend and takes less than 5 mins per day, is journaling.

I recently listened to a podcast by an amazing GP Dr Rangan Chattergee who is a very holistic doctor. He is also a massive fan of journaling and calls it a “keystone” habit where if you do this one thing routinely, it has a massive flow on effect to the rest of your life. 

My current journal is a $1 kids school book from the local “two dollar shop”. I write where I left off and never go back and read it again once I've written in it. It’s that easy. If you want to get fancy, you can buy one of Rangan’s HERE, or ex All Black Ma'a Nonu has a great journal i’ve given to the BIM team over the years HERE. Personally, the old school kids school book does the trick for me. I leave it on the table with a pen, so when I have a coffee in the morning I can journal at the same time. This is the concept of habit stacking (coffee + journaling combo) from the book Atomic Habits. 

So question 1. is “What is the most important thing you have to do today?”

I know some of you just froze. One thing! Lol. I love it for this reason. Our ‘To Do’ lists and sense of urgency is greater than ever.

Simplifying one thing reduces the clutter and makes life simpler. One thing could be connecting with your partner, screen-free time with the kids, or simply going for a lunch time run. 

Keep it simple and write whatever comes to mind. One sentence or three will do. 

Question 2. is “ What is one thing you are truly thankful for in your life right now?”

Humans are wired to be negative. It has historically kept us alive from predators. Research shows for every nine negative inputs our brain processes there is one positive. So if you’re feeling a little negative from time-to-time it’s not surprising! So writing down somethings you’re grateful for is a little like meditating. It’s training your brain to look more for the positive things in life. 

The health benefits are research based, such as reducing anxiety and improving your relationships with people. 

Focusing on something you have, rather than something you don’t, is pretty powerful. Examples are - having an awesome gym class you love, catching up with a friend, your kids/ dog, whatever!

Finally the last question is “How do you want to show up in the world today?”

I love this one. Having worked with a lot of athletes, journaling is a key tool for success. Athletes will write what they need to do during the game. The key tasks they need to achieve to be successful in the game. What they did right and what they need to do more of. Richie McCaw uses the same school book and wrote in it before every test match. 

This is a variation of the athletes' tool for all of us. How do I want to show up today? Do I want to be more patient, more caring? I try this with driving, but everyone has their weaknesses. 

So give it a whirl. Go get an exercise book from the stationary shop. Add it to a habit you already have, like drinking coffee in the am, so it becomes a routine. It’s a new year so kick it off by adding this “keystone habit”