By Harsh Vats, who makes WOYM · Updated 25 October 2026 · 5 min read
How to Keep a Gratitude Journal
Three lines a few times a week. The hard part is keeping it from turning into a ritual you do on autopilot.
A gratitude journal is a list of things that went right, kept regularly. That's all. It works by pointing your attention at things you'd otherwise walk past, which is useful because our attention naturally sticks to problems.
It's also the kind of journal most likely to go stale. Writing "family, health, coffee" every night for a month does very little. Most of this guide is about keeping it specific enough to work.
What the studies found
In the study most people cite, Emmons and McCullough (2003) asked students to write down five things they were grateful for once a week for ten weeks. Compared with students who listed hassles or neutral events, they felt better about their lives and more optimistic about the week ahead. Not every measure moved, and the effects were modest.
Martin Seligman's "three good things" exercise (writing three things that went well each day and why) was tested in a 2005 online experiment. After one week of it, people were happier and less depressed six months later, mostly those who kept doing it on their own.
So it helps a bit, it helps more if you keep going, and it isn't a treatment for depression. If you're having a hard time, see someone as well.
How to do it
Write three things, and add why. The "why" is the part that makes you think. "Lunch with Priya" is a list item. "Lunch with Priya, because she remembered the interview and asked how it went" is a memory.
Be specific. One particular moment beats a category. If you've written "my health" before, write what your body let you do today instead.
Don't do it every day if it gets stale. The Emmons study used once a week. Twice or three times a week, at a fixed time, is plenty. Doing it fresh matters more than doing it often.
Don't fake it. On a bad day, write that it was bad, then find one small thing that wasn't. Forced cheerfulness is the fastest way to start resenting the notebook.
A few formats
- Three good things: three lines and a reason for each. Takes two minutes before bed.
- A letter: once a month, write to one person about what they did for you. Sending it is optional, but people who do usually don't regret it.
- A photo a day: take one picture of something you're glad about and write one line under it. Good for people who think in pictures.
- The jar: one note a day on a slip of paper, read them all at the end of the year. In an app, a tag does the same job.
Keep it somewhere you'll see it
WOYM is a free journal for iPhone and the web. Tag entries 'gratitude', add a photo, and get a reminder at the time you write best.
30 gratitude journal prompts
For days when nothing comes to mind. There are more in our journal prompts list.
Ordinary days
- What small comfort did you enjoy today that you usually don't notice?
- Who made you smile this week, and what did they do?
- What worked today that could easily have gone wrong?
- What in your home are you glad to come back to?
- Which part of your routine would you miss most?
- What did you eat today that was better than it needed to be?
People
- Who can you always call? When did you last do it?
- What did someone do for you recently that they didn't have to?
- Which friend have you known longest, and what do you value in them now?
- Who taught you something you still use every week?
- When was a stranger kind to you?
- Who makes hard days easier, and how?
Harder days
- What's one thing that went okay today, even if the rest didn't?
- What difficult thing are you a little stronger for?
- What mistake taught you something useful?
- Who showed up for you the last time things were bad?
- What's one thing your body did for you today?
- What are you looking forward to, however small?
Outside
- What did you notice outdoors this week?
- Describe the weather today in a way you'd want to remember.
- Which animal (yours or anyone's) made your day better?
- Which place have you been to that still gives you a feeling when you think of it?
- What season are you looking forward to, and why?
- Describe a sunrise or sunset you still remember.
Bigger picture
- What do you have now that you once hoped for?
- What freedom do you have that you rarely think about?
- Which community or group are you glad to belong to?
- What news recently reminded you that people are decent?
- What about your work feels worth doing?
- Who would you thank, if you could be sure they'd hear it?
Keeping one in WOYM
I make WOYM, and a gratitude journal fits it well. Evening entries start with a reflective question you can answer or delete. Add a gratitude tag, and searching for it later brings back every entry, like emptying the jar. You can attach the photo, and add gratitude as a weekly habit so it shows up on your Today screen.
If you're new to journaling in general, start with how to start a journal.