WEBVTT - Try a one-sentence journal 

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is to journal one sentence every day. Journaling

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<v Speaker 1>is a rewarding and generally pretty enjoyable habit. Even people

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<v Speaker 1>who don't love the process of journaling generally enjoy the

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<v Speaker 1>feeling of having kept a journal, of being able to

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<v Speaker 1>look back through the days and weeks and years and

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<v Speaker 1>recall how it felt to be younger and in a

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<v Speaker 1>different part of life. It's also valuable to have a

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<v Speaker 1>record of what it was like to live through significant

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<v Speaker 1>world events, such as the pandemic currently taking place. We

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<v Speaker 1>know that memory is fallible, but seeing what you wrote

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<v Speaker 1>years ago can conjure memories back up with more accuracy

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<v Speaker 1>and detail. What's more, getting your thoughts down on paper

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<v Speaker 1>can have creative and emotional benefits. In her book The

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<v Speaker 1>Artist's Way, Julia Cameron introduces the practice of morning Pages,

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<v Speaker 1>which involves engaging in a stream of consciousness journaling practice

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<v Speaker 1>first thing every morning. Many successful writers swear by this technique. However,

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<v Speaker 1>if you want to develop a journaling habit, you may

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<v Speaker 1>want to start smaller. People who study habits find that

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<v Speaker 1>Many people do well by starting really small and aiming

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<v Speaker 1>to make the habits so easy that you can't say

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<v Speaker 1>no to it. So if you'd like to start journaling,

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<v Speaker 1>try reducing the habit down to a bite sized task

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<v Speaker 1>that takes no more than thirty seconds. By setting out

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<v Speaker 1>to journal just one sentence per day, you'll find that

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<v Speaker 1>the barrier to journaling is extremely low, but you'll still

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<v Speaker 1>get most of the benefits, and you can always write

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<v Speaker 1>more on some days. If you're feeling inspired with something

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<v Speaker 1>so small as a one cent journaling have it. You

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<v Speaker 1>might find it helpful to tie your journal to something

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<v Speaker 1>else you do daily. For example, maybe you write your

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<v Speaker 1>one sentence per day right after you brush your teeth

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<v Speaker 1>in the evening, or you keep your notebook by the

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<v Speaker 1>microwave and right while you wait for the water to

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<v Speaker 1>heat up for your teeth. You can journal in any

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<v Speaker 1>notebook of your choice, or even record your sentence on

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<v Speaker 1>each day's page and your planner typing works too. You

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<v Speaker 1>can keep a running Google document. Many bookstores and online

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<v Speaker 1>retailers also sell designated one line a day journals, and

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<v Speaker 1>some of these journals include prompts to get you inspired.

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<v Speaker 1>Daily activities sometimes feel too mundane to record, but consider

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<v Speaker 1>how your typical day now differs from what a typical

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<v Speaker 1>day looked like ten years ago. Gretchen Ruben's Happiness Project

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<v Speaker 1>one sentence Journal covers five years, so you can see

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<v Speaker 1>what one sentence you chose to record on the same

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<v Speaker 1>day in previous years. You probably won't naturally remember the

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<v Speaker 1>exact date your now kindergarten aged child rolled over for

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<v Speaker 1>the first time as a baby, but with a one

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<v Speaker 1>sentence journal, you might. In the end, the format itself

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't matter. What matters is that by taking a moment

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<v Speaker 1>out of your day to reflect, you can take yourself

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<v Speaker 1>outside of time for a bit. In my book Off

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<v Speaker 1>the Clock, I analyzed more than nine time diaries. I

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<v Speaker 1>found that the people who had the most abundant perspective

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<v Speaker 1>on time were far more likely to engage in reflective

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<v Speaker 1>activities such as journaling. Time didn't just pass, They approached

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<v Speaker 1>it mindfully. And if you aim to keep a positive

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<v Speaker 1>journal and look back on it in the future, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>reap a second set of benefits, the thick web of

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<v Speaker 1>memory that also makes time feel more rich and vast.

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<v Speaker 1>It's more like a tapestry and less like a slick

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<v Speaker 1>linoleum floor. So today, try journaling just one sentence about

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<v Speaker 1>your life. Try it tomorrow too. It's an easy habit

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<v Speaker 1>to keep, and in the long run, you'll be glad

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<v Speaker 1>you did. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening,

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<v Speaker 1>and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to hear from you. You can send me

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<v Speaker 1>your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with

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<v Speaker 1>me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

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<v Speaker 1>that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,

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<v Speaker 1>I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from

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<v Speaker 1>my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. M m

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<v Speaker 1>HM