Gratitude Jar

Happy New Year for 2020 

For the past few years I have made a gratitude jar, basically the same old coffee tin covered in gaffa tape with a pen and some old cut up scrapbook papers inserted.  Hubby and I try a couple times a week to fill in one of these small scraps of paper with something nice that happened, it may be meeting up with friends, a joke we heard or a gig-either way just something we are grateful for.  

We then add it to the tin and in the new year we sit down and go through all of them and read them out loud-a year of small things to be grateful for in the past year.

It costs me nothing to do and only takes a minute a week but New Years Day brings such a warm glow remembering some of the lovely things that we did, heard or saw during the past 365 days and it gives hope for the next 365 days.

I hope you all have something, no matter how small to be grateful for and helps you raise a smile too, here is to 2020 and whatever it may bring.

kyla

WOYWW

Welcome to the first "What's on Your Workdesk" of 2019.

On my desk is my 365 Challenge Journal for January, I just need to stamp a few snowflakes across the page and it is ready to go. I find it an ideal way to capture a snippet of each day

  I wondered how long I have been doing this so I looked back through my old journals and was amazed to find out I have been doing the 365 challenge since January 2012!  

I find it hard to believe I have been doing this for 7 years!!

There is another thing I have been doing each month for the past year or so and that is the Bullet Journal.  It took me about 6 months to decide on a format that suited me, I tried weekly, pictures and very detailed ones but found a double page spread for the month works best.  I have the daily appts/birthdays/meetings on the left and on the right I have a "To Do" list, "Longer Term" list (for things I doubt I can do this month but need doing eventually, my memory is not great so I find it best to at least capture it somewhere).  On the far rights (all the little boxes) is my "Habit Tracker" for weightwatchers, steps taken, alcohol free days, meditation, sleep and my RA.

Under this is the list for the following month so on this page it is "February Notes" so that I can capture more immediate actions too.

It took me a while to create something that works for me and its not pretty, but it really does work and I have used it to provide data for my rheumatology appointments.

Not on my desk but it does tie in with the theme.  For the past 3 years hubby and I have done a gratitude jar.  I cut up scrap papers and not every day, but fairly regularly we write on a piece of paper something we are grateful for that day.  It could be something funny we heard (joke, compliment or a funny overheard conversation), something nice that happened (a gig, exhibition etc) or just something like it was sunny and we sat in the garden.

It costs nothing and takes only a minute to fill in then on New Years Day hubby and I sit down and go through the tin reading out the lovely memories and setting us in the right mind for the start of the new year.

Each of these "diaries" take only a minute to capture each day, so for 3 minutes a day I get to have  a clear picture of key events, tasks, habits and planning and cost pennies.

Hopefully it is something I will continue doing for a few years to come.

Happy crafting for 2019

Kyla