With fall weather rolling around and school in full swing, one of the coziest and most calming ways to spend my time is sitting outside under the fall trees or in a coffee shop with my journal and writing. I’ve always loved journaling because it gives me a way to document my days and to write down everything that’s in my head so that I can look back on it in the future and relive my experiences.
However, coming into my first semester of sophomore year, I’ve been overwhelmed with trying to balance class, schoolwork, my job, time with friends, and all the other things that make up life in college. I’m sure a lot of you are experiencing the same thing, and if you’re anything like me, the last thing you want to do at the end of a long day is come home and start writing. It feels like an effort. Personally, I would much rather get straight into bed and rewatch another season of Gilmore Girls. But I know it’s good to go over my thoughts and my day, so that’s why this journal prompt that my friend shared with me has changed my life as a writer so much. It’s called the 3 x 3 method, and the idea is to make a list of:
- Three bad things that happened today
- Three good things that happened today
- Three things to look forward to
This prompt is great for people who are just getting started with journaling or people like me who don’t have a lot of free time; it gives you the opportunity to really briefly process what happened during the day, and it takes the pressure off of having to write up a whole narrative about it. You can just make a list of the things from your day, or you can write more around each prompt if you want. The third question is my personal favorite because it’s so easy to get overwhelmed with school, our social lives, and small things that happen throughout the week. It’s good to remind ourselves of the exciting things we have coming up in our schedules that we can look forward to, whether it’s as major as a concert with our favorite band or as small as getting a coffee before class the next morning.
Ever since I’ve started using this prompt I’ve found it so easy to journal and I always have something to look back on from my day. As a college student, there is always something going on in my life. I think it is so important to process my thoughts and keep in mind all the positive things that I’m surrounded by, and journaling is the perfect way to do that.
So, whether you’ve never journaled before or whether you’re trying to get back into it, I would recommend getting yourself a journal, sitting down with a coffee, and trying out this writing prompt!