You buy a beautiful notebook. You tell yourself that now is the time to really start. A few minutes a day, a little pause, a moment to reflect on what you actually have in your life. It sounds simple. And then you open a blank page and nothing. What do you write there? “I am grateful for my family”? That sounds like a mandatory school poem. “I am grateful for my health”? True, but you say it automatically without feeling anything about it. And after three days you close the diary and tell yourself that this is probably not for you. Do you know that feeling?
You may already know why gratitude is a great thing. You probably already know that, otherwise you wouldn't be here. Today we're going to look at how to really write a gratitude journal in a way that makes sense to you. So that it's not a chore, but a moment you look forward to. Moreover, these principles don't just apply to gratitude, but will show you in general how to write a journal of any kind.
What do you actually need to get started?
The simplest answer is: a pencil and something to write on. But the longer answer is a little more interesting.
Gratitude journaling works better when you have some structure. A blank notebook can be beautiful, but it can also be scary. Most people who stop journaling don't stop because they don't believe in gratitude. They stop because they don't know what to write in their journal when they sit down at their desk.
That’s why we designed our Gratitude Journal to carry you. It can be your little gratitude journal that you always have on hand. Each day, it will offer you one specific question that gently guides you to reflect without limiting you. It’s not about answering “right.” It’s about stopping and really looking at your day.
But even if you don't have a structured journal and are starting with a blank notebook, like our clean My Notebook , this guide will help you. The principles are the same.
How to write a gratitude journal: step by step
1. Choose your time (and stick to it)
The most important decision you make is not what to write, but when to write. Change happens in small steps. Gratitude works like a muscle, strengthened by repetition, not intensity. Three minutes every day will do more than an hour once a month. A great strategy, recommended by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits, is to pair this new ritual with something you already do automatically. For example, with your morning coffee or brushing your teeth at night.
Many people write at night, before bed. It's a natural time to reflect on the day. Others find the morning to be a good time: starting the day by remembering what you're grateful for sets a different tone for the entire day. There's no wrong time. There's just the time that works for you. Try it in the morning for a week, in the evening for a week. You'll see where it fits better.
2. Start specifically (that's the whole secret)
This is where most people stumble. They write "family," "health," "roof over their heads," and after a week they feel like they're repeating themselves. Because they're repeating themselves. The general gratitude quickly wears off.
Try something different. Instead of “I’m grateful for my family,” try: “Today my daughter hugged me out of the blue while I was cooking dinner. That moment.” Instead of “I’m grateful for nature,” try: “On my way home from work, I noticed the sunlight shining through the leaves of a maple tree at the bus stop. I stood there for a moment.”
Can you feel the difference? A concrete moment has a smell, a color, a feeling. The brain reacts to it completely differently than an abstract word. And that's where the power lies: going back to the feeling, not just the word .
"Gratitude is one of the tools that helped me get out of burnout years ago. Today, for me, taking a moment to stop and be grateful for what I already have is an important part of every day. It wasn't always like that. But the good news is that gratitude can be trained!"
MUDr. Klára Lazarchick, physician (klaralazarchick.cz)
3. Don't just look for big things
One of the most common mistakes is waiting for something worthy of writing. As if gratitude for a warm cup of tea wasn't worth mentioning. It is. In fact, it's these little things that turn journaling into something meaningful.
A few examples that may seem small, but are not:
- My colleague brought me coffee without me asking.
- The child laughed so hard that I had to laugh too.
- I went to sleep in clean sheets.
- That moment of silence before everyone wakes up in the morning.
If you're wondering what to write in your journal on a day when nothing "big" happened, that's where the practice is most valuable. You learn to see what's always there, but normally misses it.
4. Write by hand (and why it matters)
I know, apps are convenient. But there's something about handwriting that a screen doesn't offer. A slower pace. The physical contact with paper. The moment when you have to put your phone down.
A 2024 study by Norwegian scientists from NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology , which monitored the brain activity of 36 students, showed that when writing by hand, large networks of brain regions associated with memory and learning are activated. When typing on a keyboard, these areas were almost not activated. Simply put: when you write by hand, your brain works on deeper processing of what you are thinking about.
5. Don't expect miracles after three days
This is important. Writing a gratitude journal is not a magic bullet. It’s a practice. And like any practice, it takes time. Research by psychologists Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough of the University of California ( a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology ) showed that people who regularly wrote down what they were grateful for over 10 weeks felt more optimistic, exercised more, and had fewer physical ailments than those who wrote down worries or ordinary events.
Another study by the University of Manchester , which included over 400 adults (40% of whom had clinically disturbed sleep), showed that gratitude was directly linked to better sleep quality and shorter time to fall asleep. The reason? Grateful people have more positive thoughts and fewer worries before bed, which helps them fall asleep faster. If after five days you feel like “it’s not doing anything,” that’s normal. Keep going. Not because you have to, but because you deserve to give it a chance.
What a day in practice looks like (sample page)
Let's show you a concrete example of what filling out one page might look like. This is how it works in our Gratitude Journal, but you can create a similar principle in a blank notebook.
Structure of one page (takes about 3 minutes):
- Question of the day: Every day is different. For example: “What surprised you today?” or “Who made you happy today and how?” The question guides you, but does not limit you. You are responsible for yourself, in your own way.
- Gratitude space: Three lines, three things. It doesn't have to be long. A sentence is enough, sometimes just a few words. The important thing is that you stopped for a moment and really thought about it.
- Mood Indicator: A simple record of how you're feeling today. No analysis, just recording. Over time, you'll start to see patterns. Days when you're doing better, and days when you're struggling. Both are valuable.
- Motivational thought: A short sentence at the bottom of the page. Something like a little gift at the end. Words that can stay in your head for the rest of the day.
The whole thing takes about three minutes. That's less than the amount of time you spend scrolling through your phone before falling asleep. And the impact on your mood and perspective can be surprising.
What happens every seventh day
After each week of writing, the Journal will offer you a simple exercise or a topic for deeper reflection. We created them together with experts: from meditation teachers to psychotherapists. They are practical tools, not theories.
For example, the Space to Breath exercise from mindfulness teacher Šimon Grimmich, which is a three-minute technique focused on your current thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. By focusing on your breath and simply being, you can calm yourself down and achieve greater emotional balance. Or Gratitude for Food, a short ritual that helps you consciously appreciate what you eat. The exercises are gradually added to your routine, so the practice stays lively and varied.
What to write in your journal on a day when you don't know how to start
It happens. You sit down, open your journal, and feel like there's just nothing to be grateful for today. It was a tough day. Or a boring day. Or both. This is normal. And it's exactly when journaling is most important.
Try asking a different question. Not “what am I grateful for?” but:
- What didn't happen to me today? Illness, accident, conflict... sometimes gratitude is for the absence of problems.
- What did I do on autopilot today that deserves a moment of attention? Breakfast, the commute, a conversation with someone close to me.
- Which sense made me happy today? Smell, sound, taste, touch. Try to be specific.
And it's also okay to write, "Today was tough. I'm grateful that the day is over and I can go to bed." That's gratitude too. Honest and real.
The places where we get stuck the most (and how to get out of it)
1. Writing from inertia
“Family, health, work.” The same thing every day. If nothing happens inside when you write it down, it has lost its meaning. Try asking yourself each time: “Can I really remember that moment?” If yes, it works. If not, go deeper.
2. Striving for perfection
A gratitude journal is not a literary work. It doesn't have to be beautifully worded. You can cross out, you can write in bullet points, you can draw. The only requirement is sincerity.
3. Waiting for the right moment
“I’ll start on Monday.” “I’ll start at the new month.” Our journal is not dated. You can start today, tomorrow, or in a week. You can stop and start again. No pressure, no missed days.
4. Comparing yourself to others
On social media, it seems like others have an appreciation for art. Their entries are photogenic, poetic, perfect. Your journal is just for you. No one has to see it. No one judges it.
5. Giving up too soon
As I wrote above, the effects take two to three weeks to kick in. If you stop after a few days, you don't give your brain a chance to learn a new pattern. And that pattern is what ultimately changes your perspective.
If you're looking for a journal to guide you through these steps, check out our Gratitude Journal - we designed it specifically for people who want to start but don't know how.
Why Writing a Gratitude Journal Works (Simply)
You don't have to understand neuroscience to make it work for you. But it's good to know why it's not just "positive thinking."
Our brains have a natural tendency to focus on problems and threats. It makes evolutionary sense: ancestors who noticed danger survived. But in today's world, that means one negative comment can overshadow ten positive ones. One bad moment can overshadow an entire good day.
Conscious gratitude writing is mindfulness training. You're not telling your brain that problems don't exist. You're telling it, "Look at this too." And the brain, when it gets the repeated instruction, starts to internalize it. You start to notice the good things, even when you're not writing.
As MUDr. Klára Lazarchick says: gratitude can be trained. It is not a trait you are born with. It is a skill that you can gradually build. And a diary is a tool that will help you with this.
Is journaling for you?
You may be wondering if it’s “yours.” If you’re not too rational, too busy, too skeptical.
Honestly? Skeptics are often the ones who are most surprised by gratitude. Because they don't expect any effect, and then after a few weeks they notice that they fall asleep more peacefully. That they get less irritated in traffic jams. That they notice the good moments more, even when the day is hard.
A gratitude journal isn't just for spiritual people. It's for anyone who would like to live a little more consciously. And three minutes a day isn't a huge investment, it's three minutes you give yourself.
Want to know more?
If you're interested in why gratitude works from a scientific perspective, learn more in our article What is a Gratitude Journal and Why It's Considered Key to Overcoming Stress and Finding Happiness .
If you enjoy the idea of living a more conscious life and are looking for other tools, check out our Self-Reflection Cards: 40 Questions for Deeper Conversations with Yourself and Others . Together with our notebook, you can find them right in the great Self-Knowledge Package . They complement the practice of gratitude perfectly.
Another beautiful step on your journey can be our Affirmation Cards for Adults . If you are interested in how they work exactly, check out our article Affirmation Cards as Seeds of Positive Change in Your Life . They make an absolutely perfect pair with a diary, which is why we combined them into our popular Joy Set . And if you want to gently develop these habits in children, when you are looking for the right words for their feelings, our children's affirmation cards will serve you perfectly.
How to get started
You don't need to have everything figured out. You don't need to wait for the right moment. Just sit down tonight, grab a pen, and write down one specific thing you're grateful for. Just one.
If you are looking for a structured companion for this practice, our Gratitude Journal offers exactly that. 90 pages for daily entries, a different question every day, a mood indicator, a motivational thought and every seventh day an exercise from experts. Three minutes a day, three months of the journey. Our Gratitude Journal is created locally here in the Czech Republic, with an emphasis on the quality of the content. It is a tool that gently supports you and does not pressure you into anything.
And remember, gratitude is a journey, not a destination. It's not about writing perfectly. It's about writing honestly. The rest will come naturally.
Frequently asked questions
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How much time do I need to write a gratitude journal each day?
It only takes three minutes. Our journal is designed so that you don't have to do anything to keep yourself busy. Open the page, answer a question, write down three things, and record your mood. You can do it all in the time it takes for your tea to cool.
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When is it better to write: in the morning or in the evening?
Both work. Writing in the morning sets the tone for the day. Writing in the evening helps you end the day with a clear head. Try both and see what works for you. More important than time is consistency.
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What if I miss a day? Do I have to start over?
No. Our journal is not dated, so you can pick up where you left off at any time. No pressure, no missed pages. The journal will just wait for you.
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How do I write a diary when I'm not feeling well?
That's when practice is most valuable. You don't have to make up reasons to be happy. You can be grateful for a warm bed, for the day being over, for having someone to call. Honesty is more important than positivity.
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Does it really work, or is it just a trend?
There are dozens of scientific studies backing the practice of gratitude: from reducing stress levels to improving sleep quality and relationships. It's not a trend, but one of the best-researched techniques in positive psychology. What matters is regularity and sincerity, not form.
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Can I write a gratitude journal with my children?
Absolutely. For older children, journaling can be a great shared ritual, like before bed. For younger children, you can ask a question out loud and write down the answer for them. You're teaching them to notice the good things, and that's one of the most valuable skills you can teach them.
