Track Gratitude On The Calendar

On the 12^th day of Thanks Living, I choose to use a tiny planner to daily pinpoint one gratitude.

Write it down, they say. Most gratitude articles say that writing down what we’re grateful for is a helpful practice. They suggest daily activities like capturing three things from each day in a journal or write one thing on a slip of paper and put it into a gratitude jar and reread them at the end of the year. Even writing a weekly list gratitude list is beneficial.

Too hard or too much work? But sometimes those ideas seem like huge endeavors; at least to me. I need a more manageable idea. I have a friend, Denise, who takes this idea and downsizes it. She turns this writing idea into a baby step that even I can manage.

Tiny Planner to the rescue. Denise buys a dollar store purse-sized planner; you know those ones that are like 6″ x 4″. She writes in the day’s space something for which she is grateful. You know how small those spaces are? You are not able to write much; just a few words to indicate a snap shot of the gratitude.

Convenient spot. Denise keeps this planner with her Bible study materials because she sees it every day. You could …

• Keep it in the visor in your car.
• Stash it in your purse.
• Place it in your gym bag.
• Use a magnet to attach it to the inside of your gym locker door.
• Where else could you put it?

Three Rules. Make sure that wherever you keep it you follow three rules. (1) Clip a pen to the tiny calendar. (2) Put it somewhere you will see it every day.  (3) And of course, dedicate 30 seconds to writing.

You have 30 seconds. Writing in this planner would literally take 30 seconds or less. Go ahead and try it. Time yourself. And then let us know how long it took to complete this baby step. What do you think?

Your Turn …

Do you write about thankfulness every day? If yes, in what format?

If no, consider using a tiny planner. …… Where will you keep it?

Related Posts …

 Choosing Gratitude And Why It Matters

3 Ways to Get More Gratitude Into Your Life

3 Benefits of Month-Long Gratitude-Fest