Welcome back everyone for a special holiday post! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. which got me thinking about the process of gratitude and how that fits into our busy lives. This year has been extremely busy at work—hence the delay between posts, sorry!—and also at home (teenage kids have a lot more extracurricular activities) so while I’ve had to adjust the things on my schedule to make things work better, I still try to make time to focus on gratitude (spoiler alert, my planner is part of this process!). So what are some ways you can use your planners, journals, digital tools, and pens to practice gratitude every day?
If you’re a regular reader of my blog or blogs like mine, you’re either a plannernerd, pen enthusiast, or gadget geek—or all 3 like me! 🙂 Regardless of your tool(s) of choice, there are many ways to use them to help you focus on gratitude and boost your positive energy. I’m a huge believer that maintaining a positive attitude is a great way to foster and attract situations that bring you inner peace, happiness, and mental clarity so you can create a life you love!
Planners
There are several things I like to add and do in my planner to maintain an ‘attitude of gratitude’ every day. I’ll add quote cards or inspirational images to my dashboards and pockets. I’ll also add quote stickers to my planner pages. I’ll even make it a goal on my monthly dashboard so I don’t forget. In the last few years, I’ve designated an area on my weekly pages to write down something I’m grateful for. If you don’t have room on your daily/weekly pages, try this tip which I picked up from the bullet journal community: setup a blank page to serve as a Monthly Gratitude Log where you can write down 1-3 things you’re grateful for every day. If you’re the visual type, try creating a ‘vision board’ where you place images of the things you want or make you happy. I have a vision board that I review on a daily basis so I can keep my priorities, goals, and dreams ‘front and center’. Regardless of the format you choose, these are a few great ways to use your planner to help you stay focused on gratitude on a regular basis.
Journals
If you really want to ‘shift your vibe’, try dedicating an entire book or journal—especially one you enjoy using—as a gratitude journal. And while you’re at it, make it special! Decorate it, get some pretty paper, and pair it with your favorite pen so you’re motivated to write in it often. How often should you write in it? Well, the frequency is up to you whether it be at the end of every day, once a week, or whenever you feel inspired but definitely commit to writing in it REGULARLY. The hardest part will be reminding yourself that whatever goes in this journal should be positive. That’s not to say you can’t write about anything bad that happened to you, just end it on a ‘high note’ and write about the lesson you learned from the bad experience or the ‘silver lining’—just find something positive to write about!
Digital Tools
Whether you’re an iPhone or Android user, there are an abundance of apps available in both app stores that provide different ways to practice gratitude with the aid of an app. In all honesty, you don’t need a specialized app to help you with this task. All you need is either a simple note taking app or diary app (I recommend diary apps because they’ll automatically date/time stamp entries for you) to log what you’re grateful for. Some of my favorite diary apps are Momento and Day One and my favorite gratitude app is ‘Wants & Thx’ which keeps you mindful of the balance between what you wish for versus what you already have that you might’ve forgotten to be thankful for. These are the ones I use because I like to keep things simple. However, there are many wonderful apps to choose from that use different methods—e.g. quotes, images, music, meditation, breathing techniques, faith literature, etc.—to achieve the same thing so you’re bound to find an app that works well for you!
Another favorite digital tool I use for reminding me to be grateful and stay positive is subscribing to ‘The Secret Scrolls‘ emails (the also have an app). Years ago, the book and movie titled ‘The Secret’ was a huge sensation, motivating the masses to focus on love and gratitude. Every week, I receive an inspirational story or tip for staying positive in my inbox. Just another digital tool to keep the positive energy flowing!
Pens
Pairing a beautiful or favorite pen with a gratitude journal is one way to get you excited to write in your journal however feel free to use them in different ways. Try using pens in colors that make you happy, specialty pens to draw, doodle, and embellish your pages as well as art and craft supplies to create beautiful pages that will lift your mood. As many of my readers know, I’m also a fountain pen geek so using a beautifully crafted pen, inked with a favorite color is as good as it gets for me–in case you’re interested in knowing what that combo is, it’s my Pelikan M400 Souveran White/Tortoise fountain pen inked with Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-Ho!
Summary
As many of us sit down with our loved ones tomorrow to enjoy a nice meal, don’t forget that you don’t have to wait for that one day of the year to say ‘thank you’ and acknowledge what you’re grateful. You have that opportunity EVERY SINGLE DAY. Finding ways to use your planners, journals, digital tools, and pens to help you stay focused on everything that is good in your life will raise your positive energy and continue to attract more good things to be thankful for.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I just want to wish all my wonderful readers peace, love, and happiness now and always! 🙂
Until next time with much love and gratitude,
♥ LilD ♥
What make is your beautiful yellow planner here with the elastic closure. I love it! Thank you, this is an awesome post. I enjoyed it. x
Hi Jane!
The travelers notebook is called the ‘All American’, made by Chic Sparrow in the color Joy.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the post–thanks for reading! 🙂
-LilD