How to make gratitude journaling not boring?

I know what you mean about the journaling, it gets super boring after a few weeks. I nixed the journaling for the most part unless something really awesome happens that I care to write about. Two things I've done over the years....one is I started living in a state of gratitude. This took me some time, maybe a year or so to really grasp. So what I mean by this is just say thanks to the universe in your head when small things happen. It doesn't even need to be tangible things you have. Maybe it's seeing a really cool landscape as you're driving, or being able to help someone with a door, etc.

Another thing that was a game changer for me was to also visualize and feel what it would be like not have something I'm grateful for. So for example, I might start the day and be grateful for the house. So during my morning routine I think about what it would be like to not have the house. How would it feel to live on the street in the cold, how would it feel to pay double or triple my mortgage payment in rent, how would it feel to be in a building with very close neighbors that I'd have to mind. That brings to me to really appreciate the privilege of owning something. Maybe it's your car you're grateful for. So, what would it be like to have to walk in the cold, or take a bus...

You could try that. For me, I do not journal this. I just go over it in my head. I try to pick out something each morning and notice things throughout the day that happen to be grateful for.

 

Sometimes you just gotta handle your business and not worry about being entertained. Journaling is repetitive and boring but if it's going to allow you to improve then it's worth suffering through. I guess you can draw a picture next to each entry but that just seems like a waste of time. Seems like it would be more rewarding to handle your shit, meet your goals and then reward yourself for sticking to the plan.

 

Ideas for journals: Set a timer. Give yourself two, three, five minutes, whatever. Bell rings. You are done.
Start with a topic or question and just riff on it for a bit.
Force yourself to not repeat certain words (e.g. I say "definitely" too much. When I avoid saying it I am forced to change up my sentence style, therefore I stay a bit more engaged).
It helps if you like writing. For someone who doesn't, they may read these ideas and wonder what other problems beside masturbating I may have. Well, I tried.

 

Wow that is incredibly insightful, thank you for sharing

 

I like thectiner idea. I read Atomic habits and it said the same thing

 

My coaches rules were 5 a day, no repeats Ever!! You get to be very granular and specific

 

Are you saying that being genuinely grateful for something is boring?

If you're not really grateful about it, then don't lie by forcing yourself to journal about it.

If being thankful isn't its own reward, then why bother writing about it? Defeats the whole purpose of a gratitude journal.