5-Minute Journal Template: Morning and Evening Questions
A free 5-minute journal template: three questions in the morning, two at night. The exact questions, an example day, and how to use it in Daykept.
Two minutes in the morning, three at night. The structure is simple enough to keep on busy days and complete enough to feel like a real practice.
The template's own note: Two minutes in the morning, three at night. That's the whole practice.
The questions
- I am grateful for...
- What would make today great?
- Daily affirmation: I am...
- Three amazing things that happened today...
- How could I have made today even better?
How to answer them
- Morning (the first three): keep "what would make today great" small and doable: one call, one walk, one finished task.
- The affirmation works best as something you want to practice today: "I am patient with the new hire."
- Night (the last two): "amazing" can be ordinary. "The bus came right away" counts.
- Fill both halves in the same entry, so you can see in the evening what you hoped for in the morning.
Example
An example of a filled-in entry:
I am grateful for...
A quiet kitchen before everyone wakes up.
What would make today great?
Sending the proposal before lunch.
Daily affirmation: I am...
I am someone who finishes things.
Three amazing things that happened today...
Proposal sent at 11:40. Long call with Mom. Tacos.
How could I have made today even better?
Stop checking email after 8pm.
Set two reminders, one in the morning and one in the evening, or just one in the evening and fill in both halves then.
Use it in Daykept
- Open Daykept and tap Settings in the bottom bar, then Templates.
- On the Gallery tab, find 5-Minute Journal (it's in Daily Reflection) and tap Use now. A new entry opens with the questions in place.
- Want it one tap away? Tap Save to keep it in My Templates. Daykept also suggests the templates you used most recently at the top of a blank new entry.
It's one of the 14 free templates in the Gallery. You can also edit your own copy (reword a question, drop one, add one) and save it as your own template.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to do both morning and evening?
No. Many people only manage the evening half at first. Fill in what you can; the template doesn't break.
Is this the same as the paper Five Minute Journal?
It follows the same widely used morning-and-evening format, as a free template inside Daykept. Daykept isn't affiliated with any paper journal.
More templates like this
Morning Intentions · Evening Wind-Down · Daily Gratitude.
Want the bigger picture? Read how to start a daily journaling habit and keep it, or see everything else Daykept does.
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