A small daily practice

How to start a one line a day journal

Choose one detail from today. Write a sentence about it. That is enough to start.

A one line a day journal is a diary made from short daily entries. You do not need to explain everything that happened or find a lesson in every evening. A sentence can keep a conversation, a place, a feeling or a small moment of gratitude.

Make the first week easy

1. Choose a familiar moment. After brushing your teeth, while the kettle boils, or just before bed. Attach writing to something already in your day.
2. Pick one detail. Write about the thing you would like to remember, even if it seems ordinary.
3. Keep it short. One sentence is the whole entry. You can stop when the thought is down.
4. Continue with the next day. If you miss a day, begin again with today. The journal is still yours.

What can a one-sentence entry look like?

Specific details make useful memories. These are fictional examples, not a formula to follow:

We ate dinner on the balcony and watched the light leave the buildings.

Dad called just to tell me the tomatoes had finally ripened.

I asked for help with the thing I had been putting off all week.

15 prompts for a daily journal

Use whichever question brings something to mind. A plain answer is enough.

Small memories

1. What did you see today that you want to remember?
2. Which conversation stayed with you?
3. Where did you spend a quiet moment?
4. What made today different from yesterday?
5. What ordinary detail would a future you enjoy reading?

Gratitude

6. What made your day a little easier?
7. Who did something kind?
8. What did you enjoy that you usually overlook?
9. What were you glad to have time for?
10. What small thing made you smile?

Reflection

11. What did you learn by trying?
12. What was difficult, in one honest sentence?
13. What did you make time for?
14. What surprised you about your reaction?
15. What would you like to carry into tomorrow?

Use it as a gratitude journal, or leave it open

If you want a daily gratitude journal, use the same question each evening: “What did I appreciate today?” You can also alternate between gratitude and other memories. There is no need to make a difficult day sound cheerful; write the sentence that fits.

Keep a copy you can return to

Whether you write on paper or in an app, consider how you will read your entries later. In Linewell, each day holds up to 280 characters and History groups entries by month. Plain-text export is free. Premium adds printable Year Book and Story Book PDFs, plus JSON backup and restore.