3 Important (Non-Marketing) Questions To Ask Yourself Every Day

This originally appeared on The Marketing Student.

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If you've ever been told to try meditation, but found it too hard -- or too weird -- give journaling a shot. It's a handy tool in your mental health toolbox.

In this post, I'll give you 3 questions you can use to start a small journaling habit, along with some hacks and tips I've learned.

3 simple, important questions to ask yourself every day:

When you journal — just ask yourself:

1. What happened yesterday?
2. What am I doing today?
3. How am I feeling?

That’s it.

Recap what you did Yesterday, organize what you’re doing Today, then do a quick emotional Check-in to clear your head.

If you write what's really on your mind, something weird happens: you’ll different immediately. It's hard to explain. Just try it.

Sometimes I'll start journaling thinking it'll be a quick entry, next thing I know I've written 1,000+ words because there was something at work that bothered me more than I initially thought, or because I was really excited about a new project.

In a time of working from home (which sometimes feels more like "living at work"), seeing newsfeeds full of content designed to trigger you emotionally, along with notifications and endless to-do lists, it’s so rare that we actually pause and ask questions that force us to slow down.

How to get started: 3 Tips and Hacks

The Yesterday, Today, Check-In daily journal template gives you a structure, but the rest is up to you.

Make your entries as long or as short as you’d like.

But to feel the benefits -- lower anxiety, more clarity of mind, more patience so you can sit through another 3 zoom meetings -- you have to do it consistently!

So here’s a few tips to help you build a small daily journaling habit:

Tip #1: Pick a journal format that gets out of your way

Pick whatever format has the least friction to get those answers out of your head.

What’s the fastest and easiest way for you to answer those three questions? Pen and paper? Voice recording? Using an app like Day One or Journey? Sending an email to yourself? Using a simple text editor? Do whatever has the least psychic overhead.

Tip #2: Attach journaling onto an existing habit

Journal immediately before or immediately after something you already have an existing habit for. Some things you could “piggyback” your new journaling practice onto: brushing your teeth; eating breakfast; right before you open your laptop for work.

Tip #3: Journal rain or shine

This is the one where most people fail.

Journal when you’re sick, when your head hurts, when you’re on a staycation. It just has to happen, even when you only have time to scribble a short entry.

Build on the habit over time.

Just as a yoga beginner may start out with basic poses then move on to more difficult ones, you may want to increase the complexity of your journal prompts over time.

I am a huuuuge journaling nerd. This is just one way to get started; there is no right or wrong way to do this. There are a zillion other prompts. But this is the easiest one I've found to get going.

If you decide to try it, let me know how it goes.

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This originally appeared on The Marketing Student, where I write about marketing stuff, but also about non-marketing things that have helped me level up.