The First Five Minutes & Positive Journaling

In the October newsletter for Swisspreneur I spoke about the merits and drawbacks of integrating Stoicism into your entrepreneurial practice, I suggested that the core value of Stoic philosophy is its emphasis on self-reflection rather than a particular claim to virtue ethics. Then, I went on to promise that you don’t need to be a Stoic to practice this. So, in this post we’re diving into my new-found favorite tool for integrating self-reflection and managing the stress of uncertainty into your daily life: journaling!

Wait, wait, wait! Before you say “I don’t have time to journal”, hear me out! There are many ways to approach journaling and now, having experimented with the three ways that I mention in this newsletter, I truly believe there’s something here for everyone. Let’s get into it or, fast forward to the bottom of this newsletter for the quick and dirty summary.

via johnthefrugasm

The Benefit of Journaling

Psychologists have been harnessing the power of journaling as a tool for growth and emotional regulation since at least the 1960s, when American psychologist Ira Progoff formulated the intensive journal concept. He described the workbook as an “open-ended means of gaining perspective on where you are in the movement of your life” (1975), ix). Since then, research has suggested that writing regularly about one’s thoughts and experiences can reduce anxiety, support behaviour change, and even buffer against symptoms of trauma. In short, self-reflection through journaling helps people make meaning out of the chaos that is their lives and in our case, the chaos that is our entrepreneurial journey.

Specifically, some studies suggest that people who journal describe the following value-adds:

1. Journaling allows me to unleash my innermost feelings.

2. Journaling helps me articulate and understand my feelings concretely.

3. Journaling helps me make more reasonable decisions.

Practicing this variation is kind of like being your own personal therapist and often starts with a blank slate and reflecting about the day, the week, or something that’s been bothering you recently. For example, if you catch yourself with a thought you can’t get out of your mind while at work, like “I can’t believe my co-worker said that”, you can take a few minutes to open your journal to rant and explore the feelings and why they might affect you as they do.

On a personal note, I found that this practice wasn’t really sustainable for me because I ended up journaling very sporadically and reactively, so the practice didn’t become part of my daily life. Additionally, I noticed that I sometimes ended up digging up a lot of negative experiences unnecessarily.

Keep it Positive

Interestingly, more recent research has refined the practice of journaling further, suggesting that how we journal matters as much as the act itself. MacIsaac and colleagues (2023) found that individuals high in self-reflection benefited most from positive writing prompts, reporting greater psychological well-being and growth over time. Their hypothesis was that the positive focus seems to shift thinking away from worry loops and towards constructive meaning-making. The latter is a cognitive skill directly tied to adaptability and long-term success.

Some examples of positive writing prompts could be:

• Describe a time someone did something nice for you.

• List three things your younger self would be proud of in your life now.

• Share something you are grateful for today.

  
  

Saving the Best (Outcome) for Last

Finally, psychologist Steevie Parks (2021) takes the focus of positive journaling even further with her “Best Outcome” technique, which she has used with clients for over five decades. Each morning, she recommends setting aside a few quiet minutes to write down the best possible things that could happen that day - ****not fantasies, but realistic positive possibilities. This deliberate focus primes the mind to notice opportunities and approach challenges with optimism rather than fear.

I am proud to say that after the hell-month of September, I’ve successfully started every day of October with this practice and am continuing into November. Basically, rather than get out of bed and picking up my phone as the first thing to start my day, bombarding myself with notifications, I’ve walked past my phone to my journal, sat down with my coffee in a comfortable position, maybe even in a stretch on the floor, and taken anywhere between 60 seconds to 5 minutes to imagine what I want my day to be like. My sentences often start with “Today is about…”, or “Today will be…”

Although this practice hasn’t eliminated uncertainty, it has helped me reframe it and navigate it with grace and clarity. Rather than “Today I will sell five cookies”, I have always tried to write about outcomes that are within my control, like “Today, I will share my passion for cookies with others”. In other words, I have focused on the process and things within my control rather than external outcomes, and reframed what a successful day will look like before that day gets going.

Admittedly, yes, some days I’ve had to set my alarm 5 minutes earlier than usual to do it, but the crazy thing is that I was never ever mad about it when the alarm went off, and I never hit the snooze on making time for myself. And trust me, I LOVE a good snooze, so that’s saying something.

Ultimately, the greatest value I have gained with this approach is that it has given me things I otherwise rarely have:

• A moment (5 minutes) of psychological space before the day begins.

• Control in the uncontrollable through reframing outcomes.

• Grounding in optimism of possibility rather than anxiety about the worst outcomes.

So, at the beginning of every day, it’s not about “Do I have time to journal?”

Because I already know the answer if I ask: I don’t.

Instead, how will I honour myself in the first five minutes of my day?

The quick and dirty?

Research shows that writing down our thoughts improves emotional regulation, decision-making, and resilience, especially when the journal prompts are positive. In addition to venting or sense-making, focusing on gratitude, meaningful moments, or the “best possible outcome” for the day shifts the mind away from stress and toward opportunity. Speaking from personal experience, after making positive outcome journaling a daily morning ritual, I’ve found more clarity, optimism, and control in uncertain seasons. Remember, what you do in the first five minutes is up to you 🙂 

Relevant Resources:

Fritson, K. K. (2008). Impact of Journaling on Students' Self-Efficacy and Locus of Control. Insight: A journal of scholarly teaching, 3, 75-83.

Haertl, K. (2008). Journaling as an assessment tool in mental health. Assessments in occupational therapy mental health: An integrative approach (second edition). USA: SLACK Incorporated, 61-79.

MacIsaac, A., Mushquash, A. R., & Wekerle, C. (2023). Writing yourself well: dispositional self-reflection moderates the effect of a smartphone app-based journaling intervention on psychological wellbeing across time. Behaviour Change, 40(4), 297-313.

Ogilvie, L., & Carson, J. (2025). Make Journaling Positive and Interactive. In Positive Psychology for Addiction: Theory, Research and Application (pp. 19-23). Emerald Publishing Limited.

Parks, S. J. (2021). “Best Outcome” Journaling. In Transformational Journaling for Coaches, Therapists, and Clients (pp. 41-45). Routledge.

Progoff, I. (1975). At a journal workshop. New York: Dialogue House.

Snead, B., Pakstis, D., Evans, B., & Nelson, R. (2015). The use of creative writing interventions in substance abuse treatment. Therapeutic Recreation Journal, 49(2), 179-182.