By Becca Rodgers/The City Journals

There may be a few die-hard journal writers out there, but journaling can become one of those annoying, have-to-do tasks that keeps you away months or maybe years at a time. So why not do it in small, bite-sized chunks. Commit to one sentence a day.

At the beginning of each new month, think of a journaling prompt such as: 

• What is one thing that happened today? 
• What am I grateful for today? 
• How do I feel today? 
• What made me smile today?
• How did I sleep last night?
• What was my biggest worry today? 

With just one line a day, you will have completed 30 or so sentences about one topic by the end of each month. Mike Knudson of Bountiful said, “Life is a string of moments. Just as thousands of minute pixels come together to create a beautiful image, I believe capturing the key moment of each day in a thoughtful sentence can result in a beautiful story of one’s life as those moments string together over time.”

Wow, a sentence a day keeps the agony away. You can manage that! It will be easy, painless and give you a feeling of success after completing it. When a task becomes enjoyable, you will return to it again and again. This short, daily writing habit will aid you to stick with it for days, months and hopefully years. That in turn will give you a written personal history that you wouldn’t otherwise have.

“Journaling is such a healthy outlet for our thoughts and emotions!,” said Maddie LaMont of Bountiful. “We often go through things that can be difficult to share with others. Expressing how we truly feel in a journal, without judgment or opinion of others can be a great coping strategy. It is also a great tool to remember the good in our lives! I enjoy looking back at old entries and remembering details of my life I may have forgotten about. I love to be reminded of the good. This helps me keep a greater perspective of life!”

What are some other great reasons to journal? Journaling is a wonderful way to motivate you. When you know you will be writing about some of your daily events, it will help you want to complete various productive tasks before the sun sets each day. You will learn new things about yourself while reading older experiences. Just like watching a movie or reading a book for the second or third time, there will be new things you notice or understand better about yourself. A fresh perspective may assist you in seeing the past in different ways.

Journaling helps you look beyond the exceptionally bad days you had. When looking back on these memories, it will be easier to recognize personal growth, how our emotions change, and even the unexpected humor some scenarios create. 

Looking back on the many happy, worthwhile moments can aid greatly during times when you’re down and life appears hopeless and hard. Journaling then becomes proof that you do have wonderful times and moments among the difficult ones. 

“Writing in a journal each day allows you to direct your focus to what you accomplished, what you’re grateful for and what you’re committed to doing better tomorrow,” said Hal Elrod. “Thus, you more deeply enjoy your journey each day.”

Anne Frank, who was certainly in one of the most difficult situations this life can offer, said, “I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”

Oprah Winfrey kept a gratitude journal for 10 years straight and encouraged everyone to do so as well. She said, “I simply made gratitude a day-by-day precedence. I went through the day searching out matters to be thankful for, and something always showed up.” 

What you focus on in life will expand. Journaling just one sentence a day can help you expand upon your dreams, whatever they may be.