This easy gratitude practice is for anyone who has ever started a gratitude journal and quickly forgotten about it.

While I love the idea of a gratitude journal, I found it too hard to keep up. When I was doing my 30 minutes of writing/journaling every day, I usually ended my last page with a quick list of five things I was grateful for. I loved looking back on my day and seeing the things that stood out to me, but once I was done with the 30 day project, the habit disappeared.

Easy Gratitude Practice

For the last month or so I have been doing a really easy gratitude practice. Instead of writing down my list each day, I quickly talk through my list with someone. I got myself a gratitude buddy, and each day we take a couple minutes to share the three things we are grateful for or enjoyed the most that day. Most days we talk for a few minutes in the evenings, but sometimes we send a quick text instead.

It has been a really great way to get the benefits of a gratitude journal without the upkeep. I can share what I’m grateful for while I do the dishes or get ready for the next day, and hearing what your buddy is grateful for has been amazing. I really enjoy hearing what made his day and the unexpected things he comes up with that I don’t usually think about.

How to Start Your Own Easy Gratitude Practice or Habit

1. Find someone willing to do this with you! It could be a friend, a family member, a significant other – really anyone you would like to talk to every day. It helps if it is someone you see most days, but this can easily be done digitally through text, email, or even quick Snapchat videos!

2. Set a trigger. In order to create a habit, you have to first decide what is going to trigger or remind you of your habit. My first trigger was getting ready for bed, but I found it was too general and I could easily get swept up in my nightly routine and forget. The last thing I do every night is put arnica on my ankle and body butter on my feet. Grabbing my arnica is my new trigger.

3. No duplicates. It’s totally fine to have one thing on your list that both you and your buddy are grateful for, but try not to copy them every day. Also, once you’ve said it, you can’t use it again. (You can only be thankful for your mom once, but you can be thankful for something specific each time like the text she sent you this morning or the brownies she made.)

4. Mix up who goes first. It keeps it fair and fun.

5. Be specific. “Dinner” or “my friend Bob” don’t count. Why are you thankful or grateful for that specific person or thing? What about it made you feel that way?

6. Play with numbers. It doesn’t have the be a specific number every time. My buddy and I fluctuate between three and five most days, but I try to aim for at least three so I get past the really obvious ones and reflect more on my day.