Journaling for Beginners: 5 Minutes a Night to Track Your Mood and Choose Next Week's Step

This journaling template for beginners turns 5 minutes before bed into writing meditation to track your mood and choose next week's step. Page 1 sets your writing time, place, and four daily questions; page 2 has you write one line a day, Monday to Sunday; page 3 has you reread the week for repeating thoughts and the difference between your best and worst days; page 4 uses the GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) to choose next week's step. The task board runs five columns from To start to Done, with four parent tasks and three subtasks each. If you're unsure how to journal, set a 5-minute timer and write without stopping - even just a mood score on a hard night shows you your swings by the weekend. On page 3's matrix, sort insights by mood impact and how changeable they are, and pick your change from the top-right quadrant.