My Journaling Template

I’ve had a daily streak in my journal since May 21, 2020 and it’s become my most foundational habit. When people ask me how I became this consistent, I show them the template I use here.

Current Daily Review Template

This is the template I fill out every day in Day One.

Pro tip: the code below is formatted in Markdown so you can easily copy/paste directly into your own Day One template - adapt as needed!)

# Title

###### What happened today?
-

###### Photo of the day


###### What filled me with enthusiasm today?
-

###### What drained me of energy today?
-

###### What did I learn about myself?
-

###### What’s one priceless thing the kids did today?
- Levi
- Lilly


###### Where did I see God’s Presence in my life today?
-

Go-to Questions

This is my personal bank of questions I use whenever I want to changes things up and/or try out a different type of journal/log.

Preview Questions

  • If I could live today over again I’d
  • Things I get to enjoy today
  • If God would do one thing today, what would it be?
  • What would make today the perfect day?
  • What’s going to be the highlight of my day?
  • What would make today an adventure?
  • Might-do list: Everything I might (or might not) do today.

Review Questions

  • What filled me with enthusiasm today?
  • What drained me of energy today?
  • What did I learn about myself?
  • Where did I see God’s presence in my life today?
  • What was going on in the world?
  • What was going on in my life?
  • How did I celebrate the Advent/Christmas season?
  • What’s one priceless thing [kid/kids name] did today?

Monthly Log Questions

  • How do I want to grow this month?
  • What am I looking forward to this month?
  • How I’d rate last month and why
  • Key lesson I learned last month

Weekly Log Questions

I often go back and forth between using a weekly log and not. When I do, I often use these questions to help me focus:

  • Things I want to do this week
  • What were my 3-5 biggest wins from last week?
  • What worked, what didn’t?
  • What will you keep, improve, start or stop doing?

Seasonal Questions

Sometimes I like to add extra questions for special seasons like the holidays. Here are some examples:

  • During November and leading up to Thanksgiving I often make space for a gratitude question. Recently I followed alone with Day One’s 30 days of gratitude.
  • For Christmas, I’ll often put in a Holiday Moment, designed to help me capture the magic in the small moments of the season.

2 Things Newsletter

Every Friday I send simple newsletter featuring 2 Things: What's Going On - an update on what I’m doing/working on and Worth Checking Out - something I’ve been inspired by/interested in as of late. Sign up here and I’ll see you on Friday!

© 2024 Alex Sawyer Productions LLC