A couple of months ago, I was eager to purchase some sort of journal that would contribute to my personal development.
I wanted to get into the habit of journaling so that I could intentionally work on my mindset and focus on the positives in my life.
I know I constantly blog about personal development and a positive mindset, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel negative emotions too.
I have good days and I have bad days.
I have become really good at switching my negative thoughts to positive ones, but lately I’ve noticed myself getting into more ruts than usual.
Honestly, sometimes I get pretty upset that I work a “9-5” and that I haven’t taken my business full-time yet. I often feel suffocated and limited. Sometimes I also feel like I’m not doing enough.
I am so grateful for what I have in my life, but I wanted a way for me to focus on that more. I really wanted to feel it, all while working on improving myself.
Which is exactly why I decided to buy The 6-Minute Diary.
This diary also had the best reviews on Amazon with a good price.
I also liked how minimal it was. I chose the grey one, but they also have pink and blue.
I even bought some new fancy (but very affordable) felt tip pens to write in it with!
The Content
I was excited when I received it and saw that the first quarter of the diary was actually a book! Dominik Spenst is a beautiful writer and I loved every minute of reading it.
His words are engaging, his story is interesting, and the tips he shared are great.
One of my favorite parts is at the very beginning. He shares the story of Al Hafed followed by:
“The biggest wealth is contained within ourselves. We need to dig and burrow in our own acres because the diamonds are hidden inside us. If you look for your very own diamond mind, you will find it. Pay conscious attention to the opportunities that come up in your day-to-day life and to the things your current life is already offering you. What you are looking for is already inside you!”
The book goes on to discuss the benefits of gratitude, habits, and self-reflection. He provides some tips and suggestions in order to get the most out of the diary followed by how to use it.
Here is what the diary includes:
1. Monthly Check
There is a long list of multiple areas of life (family, health, creativity, etc.) next to the numbers 1-10. You simply “rate” how you’re feeling in each area. There is one of these pages for each month.
2. Habit Tracker
There is a 31 day habit tracker for 3 different habits. You write your habit above the tracker and place an ‘x’ over each day you follow through.
3. Weekly Questions and Notes
Every week there are 5 deep questions for you to answer. This will make you think. There is a page for notes which can be used to answer the questions if you need more space, or just to journal.
4. Daily Journal
The daily journal is undated. So you circle the day of the week and write the date. In the morning you’ll find:
I’m grateful for…
And you’ll list at least 3 things
This is how I’ll make today great
With a few lines to write whatever you like
and Positive Affirmation
Where you can write a new affirmation each day or the same one over and over.
In the center of the page is either the weekly challenge or a quote.
In the evening you’ll find:
My good deed today
How I’ll improve
and Great things I experienced today, with a list of 3 again.
This repeats every day. The weekly challenge, daily quotes, and weekly questions are the only things that change.
My experience
To start I don’t use the habit tracker. I use a separate habit tracker that I keep on a piece of paper.
I also don’t really pay much attention to the monthly check or the weekly challenge. I highly encourage you do though and I want to change that going forward.
To be honest, this journal takes me a bit longer than 6 minutes to fill out.
I like to think of relevant or unique things that I’m grateful for and things I experienced that day. I usually don’t always know what to fill in for ‘How I’ll improve,’ and sometimes I even take a few minutes to think of my gratitude list.
I have realized that I struggle to fill it out some days. I think I overthink things and want to add really important things for ‘How I’ll make today great,’ but usually I write really simple things.
The other thing I realized was that I don’t do many good deeds!
I hold the door, let cars go in front of me, etc. but nothing really amazing. I guess I’m not really around many other people to even do many good deeds. I would have to go out of my way. However, I would like to make it more of an effort.
Writing in this journal forces me to reflect on my day and not just let life pass me by.
I keep my diary on or next to my bed. As soon as I wake up in the morning I turn on my lamp and fill it out.
It’s a great way to start my day and helps me transition from sleeping to getting ready for the day.
Then when I climb back in bed to go to sleep at night, the diary is right there for me to fill out. It puts me into a positive mindset before I close my eyes.
The quote that kept me going
In my life I often look for signs.
One day in September I was really upset about my lack of progress in my business. I was feeling urges to give up and thinking negatively. I went to bed that night upset and doubting myself.
The next day, I opened my diary to the next page and read the quote in the center.
This is what it said:
“Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” – Epicurus
And my mindset completely shifted. It was my sign to get over it and keep going. I’ve come so far in what I’m doing and what I have now is nowhere near what I had last year.
I thought that was pretty cool and I’m so grateful that this little diary reminded me of that.
Obviously you could easily write down your responses to these statements in a regular journal, but actually having the diary holds you accountable.
If you’re looking for a simple way to make a daily habit of journaling, then I suggest The 6-Minute Diary.
Instead of repurchasing this book after you complete it, you would buy the follow-up version called The 6-Minute Diary Pure. This version does not have the book at the beginning and changes up the weekly routine a bit, but you’ll still have the same daily pages!