I’ve Been Doing This Daily 5 Minute Routine for 7 Years

This article originally appeared on Medium

Back in 2015 when I started my self-development journey it seemed like everyone at the time was sharing their morning routine.

Thought leaders would proclaim that their routine was the thing that made them successful and couldn’t go a day without it.

And the morning routines were getting more complex every time someone new talked about them. It seemed like the longer and more complicated you made them, the more advantage you’d have over us “lazy” folks.

So I naturally bought into this hype and would stress over having the ideal routine.

I thought I had to cram everything in there in order to create my dream life. I was trying to emulate other people without even realizing why I was doing it.

After listening to so many experts and successful people I determined that my daily routine needed all of the following:

• yoga

• meditation

• hot lemon water

• gratitude journal

• manifesting my future self

• breath work

• affirmations

• listening to audiobooks

And the list goes on! So as any good student does, I set out to create the perfect morning routine. I would get up at 5 am and by 6 am I would be ready to conquer the world after completing all these steps.

Well as you can probably guess this lasted about 2 days. My alarm would go off and my motivation for completing the perfect routine disappeared.

I wanted to sleep an extra hour, mediation could wait. I quickly got defeated and threw in the towel.

I just assumed that the ideal morning routine was saved for the experts and successful people. I would be destined for a life of mediocrity.

But around that same time, I decided that even if I could just do one thing on that list it would be better than nothing. I know that a lot of online thought leaders like to make it seem like they have it all together, but we are all human at the end of the day. I figured I would at least try my own version.

This is when I decided to buy a Moleskine journal from my local bookstore and give journaling a go. I always loved to write and needed a way to sort through all the thoughts that were swirling in my head.

I also wanted to have a way to document everything I was learning in my journey.

I had no idea what to even write when I first started. I remember clear as day I opened the first page and wrote down “self-love, what does that even mean”?

I was longing for a way to finally accept myself as I am and grow my confidence. So I asked the journal and would see what came up.

This is where my love for journaling started and something I still do to this day, 7 years later.

It seems like such an easy and frivolous thing to do that most people brush it off as pointless. But I am here to advocate for its incredible power.

I love journaling for a multitude of reasons but here is what sticks out for me.

1. I can track my journey.

One of my absolute favorite parts of having a journaling practice is that I can track my journey. Whether it’s my journey to finding self-love, learning a new skill, or working towards a goal, I can document it as it happens.

There have been so many times I have looked back on old journals (keep all your journals!) just to see how far I have come and it always amazes me. I can see how I have changed my mindset and confidence.

I went from questioning how to create my dream life to actually living it. I have also looked back on journals as a way to create meaningful content and articles based on past experiences I have had.

2. I can daydream about my goals.

This is one of the exciting aspects of journaling because you get to daydream and ignite your imagination. I am a huge dreamer so I love a place where I can write out even my wildest and biggest desires for my life.

I also know that when you write something down, it’s bound to come true because I have had personal experience with that.

I can’t wait to look back in 5 years and see all the dreams I made happen that I once wrote about.

Even if they don’t happen (which is unlikely) it’s fun to have a space purely for dreaming and playing with unlimited possibilities.

3. It only takes me 5 minutes.

Since the 1 hour morning routine wasn’t working for me, I needed to find something that was easy for me to do daily.

My journaling routine takes me about 5 minutes every day and that’s why I have been able to stick to it for so long.

I don’t have a set time I do it but it’s always in the morning. I usually do it when I am having a cup of tea and there’s no structure.

I just commit to writing one page of whatever is flowing from me at the moment.

Whether it’s recounting the day before, celebrating small wins, working through an issue, or just being excited about the future. Just by dedicating 5 minutes, I know that my day is going to be infinitely better.

4. It unblocks my creativity.

My journaling practice has helped my writing immensely. When I put pen to paper I notice that my creativity flows and new content ideas come to me right away.

I think it’s just the fact of getting it all from my brain to paper that helps the messages appear.

I also love to brainstorm new article ideas when I write because sometimes inspiration comes to me but then quickly disappears as a new thought enters.

Journaling helps me ensure that I get those ideas onto paper before my mind is off to the next thing.

5. It helps me problem solve.

The act of writing has helped me solve so many problems and blocks in my life.

If you leave a problem in your brain for too long then anxiety gets ahold of it and you enter into the never-ending worry cycle.

But when I can actually articulate and write out what is blocking me, it gives me a whole new perspective.

I have found it really helpful in dealing with relationships with other people and myself. I can first write out everything I am feeling and then when I read it back I usually gain a new level of insight or clarity.

It also helps me figure out my feelings and emotions first before voicing concerns to others.

6. It lessens my anxiety.

For my entire life up until a couple of years ago, I have struggled with anxiety. Every day was a battle with my swirling thoughts and low self-confidence.

Everything would give me anxiety including seemingly small daily decisions. I would play out every scenario in my head and I was no closer to finding a solution.

It wasn’t until I started journaling that I was able to clear my head and finally be able to make decisions easier. My relationship with myself improved immensely which in turn allowed my anxiety to lessen.

I was able to be confident in my values and what I wanted out of life and relationships.

I was able to realize all the amazing things I had to offer and that my anxiety didn’t define me.

Journaling is what helped open my mind in countless ways.

My journaling practice has expanded my life and mind over the last 7 years and I can’t wait to see where the journey takes me.

I challenge you to commit to daily journaling just for a week and see what happens. There are no rules or structure, just get your pen to paper and let it flow.

You never know what magic you can uncover with this easy yet powerful routine.