The best time to journal - Morning or Night?

“Journaling is paying attention to the inside for the purpose of living well from the inside out.” – Lee Wise

I still recall the first time I picked up a blank notebook to pour down my thoughts; I was still in high school and had a heavy heart, my mind full of things I was scared to utter out loud. It didn't seem like a viable choice to keep it pent up any longer. I tore out those pages to ensure no one read it, but the sense of relief I had after spilling my heart out on a piece of paper is indescribable.

Now, journaling my thoughts out comes naturally to me. Sometimes it is something I do first thing in the morning and other times right before I go to bed. Regardless of the time of day, it has now become my go-to tool to get in touch with my authentic self and help myself grow into the person I have the potential to become.

As someone who has developed a consistent journaling habit, I am frequently asked, "What is better?" Is it better to journal in the morning or at night? After having tried both, I'd like to offer my thoughts on the matter.

Morning Journaling

It is exactly what it sounds like - journaling in the morning before you start your day. Journaling when everything is quiet and peaceful, and when there is a sense of fresh start, can have an immense impact on how we perceive our days and eventually, our lives. It is one of the most efficient ways to take back control and define your day instead of letting the challenges overpower you.

Why journal in the morning?

What you do in the morning sets the tone for your day. By dedicating your time to journal every morning before you start your day, you may experience the following benefits:

• It will help you process your emotions

• You will find your days starting on a positive and grateful note more often

• It will improve your focus and productivity

• It will keep you aligned with your intentions

• It will get you in an alpha wave brain state and therefore will boost your law of attraction process

• It will help you clear out your mental clutter before starting your day

How to know if its for you?

Morning journaling is worth a try if any of the below-mentioned points apply to you:

• You desperately want to become a morning person but you dread getting up in the morning

• You usually start your day feeling stressed or anxious

• You lack motivation and clarity throughout your day

• You want to raise your vibrations in the morning

• You want to get better at attracting your desires and put the law of attraction into practice

6 things to write about in your Morning Journal

There are a lot of things you can write about in the morning, a few of them are:

1. Your blessings: By counting your blessings every morning you wire your brain to pay attention and acknowledge the good things in life that you might otherwise take for granted.

2. How you have been feeling lately: It is really important to stay in touch with your emotions. Asking yourself the simple question of ‘How am I feeling?’ every morning can help you take back the control that your emotions tend to have on you.

3. Affirmations: By writing down positive statements in the morning in an ‘I am’ form is a powerful way to transform your perspective towards yourself and the world.

4. Things you want to manifest: In the morning before your brain gets occupied with your to-dos, it tends to be in an alpha wave state, which is the perfect state to be in to manifest your desires.

5. Your dominant thoughts: By pouring all of your thoughts on a piece of paper before you start with your day, you give yourself permission to start your day on a fresh note by addressing anything that can hold you back.

6. Your goals: Consciously planning out what you want to achieve throughout your day is a great way to stay aligned with your intentions and focus on the tasks that truly matter.

Where to start?

If all of these options seem too much to keep track of, one of the best ways to cultivate this ritual is to use ‘Set the Day’ Morning journal. It is crafted for those who are dedicated to their personal growth and are occupied with maintaining a work-life integration. This journal gives you a holistic journaling experience along with all benefits that journaling has to offer by taking only 15 min of your time in the morning.

Night Journaling

Night Journaling is a great way to zoom out and look at your day with your reflective lenses on. It helps you give your day the finishing touches that you need to truly win the day. It is almost as if you are putting your day to bed, but only on a much positive and reflective note.

Why journal in the night?

How you end your day determines whether you truly made the best out of the day or not. By writing in a journal every night, after wrapping up for the day, you may notice the following benefits:

• It helps you de-stress and face your emotions

• It helps you look for the silver lining

• It gives you a sense of closure and work on a better tomorrow

• It raises your vibrations and helps you attract more goodness into your life

• It gives you space to let your mental chatter out

• It decreases distractions, overthinking, and worry, allowing you to fall asleep faster

How to know if it's for you?

Night journaling is worth a try if any of the below-mentioned points apply to you:

• You feel mentally exhausted by the end of the day

• You usually have trouble sleeping

• You tend to overthink a lot at night

• Your days are filled with a lot of stress and anxiety

• You want to feel more rested

6 things to write about in your Night Journal

There are a lot of things you can write about before going to bed, a few of them are:

1. Good things that happened to you: By giving yourself the space to focus on the positives around and within you, this practice will guide you to notice, remember, and enjoy the good things in life.

2. Your thoughts on how you spent the day: When you be honest about your thoughts on how the day actually passed, you practice self-acceptance.

3. Achievements for the day: Acknowledging your little wins of the day is a powerful way to track your incremental achievements and motivate yourself to work towards larger goals.

4. Appreciating people: In the day and age that we are living, feeling lonely is quite common. Every night, write about one person who made your day, and you'll realise that you're not alone, despite what your inner critic wants you to believe.

5. Something you learned: Nights are just the perfect time to zoom out and try to gain perspective of what the day taught you. Being willing to learn, you work towards becoming our wiser self.

6. Action plan for the next day: When you can't sleep, it's usually because your mind is still racing with all of the things you need to get done the next day. These might induce tension, therefore it's frequently best to write out your plan of action so your mind can feel satisfied.

Where to start?

One of the best ways to meditate every night is through journaling. We have designed the ‘Win the Day’ Night Journal to help you sit with yourself each night and voice your thoughts. If you are someone who struggles with anxiety, talking about your emotions or simply want to appreciate the little things in life, this one is for you!

Wrapping up

When you write first thing in the morning, you improve your ability to recall your dreams and this helps in the subconscious purging of thoughts that have been bothering you. Writing early in the day not only jump-starts your creativity but also activates your mind just like physical exercises, which gets the blood and lymph moving in the body.

Whereas, writing in the evening can give you the opportunity to deconstruct your day, and write about all the things that happened and how you feel about them.

Our take on this? If possible do both, take some time out in the morning and in the night, this will truly help you live happily and consciously.