Goldilocks-ing Your Way to a Cornerstone Habit: It’s Journaling For Me, What is it For You?

We all have several habits, some that are new, others old, some we’re aware of, others we never think of. They seem separate but they’re usually linked: You go the bathroom before bed, you brush your teeth before bed. You drink a third beer, you probably won’t write the next morning. Etc.

Some habits just fit together (going the bathroom and brushing your teeth), some are adverse to others (drinking and writing). But there’s a third group: habits that encourage other habits.

Of this third group, the cornerstone habit is the one that makes everything else more likely to happen. It needn’t be the most important in and of itself (and often isn’t), but the cornerstone habit is the first tile in a line of Dominoes. (Technically, it could occur at any time of day, but I do it first and it’s best described as such.)

For a long time, my cornerstone habit was a review of my previous day and planned the current day. This got me into “work mode” and cleared my head. However, I realized that the early morning is when I have the most energy, so I switched to writing upon waking.

This was a great cornerstone habit in the sense that, after I get some words down, I always feel better. However, the words themselves weren’t great. Although my energy was high, my brain wasn’t in the right place to make coherent, presentable-to-the-world sentences. I lacked the requisite focus.

So I tried meditating first. Its purpose, of course, is to increase focus.

And it did. The problem was that, when I first wake up, my mind is racing, millions of thoughts criss-crossing my mind — I have too much energy.

So I tried journaling.

That seat was just right.

My energy level is perfect for journaling. As I write down my thoughts and prioritize my day, I gain focus and the writing wheels get greased. After 15–25 minutes of journaling, I’m ready to write, and ready to begin my day.

When I check off journaling at the beginning of the day, I finish my to-do list about 70% of the time compared to 45% or so if I don’t journal first.*

*These numbers are estimated, crudely, because I am a qualitative self-er.