The November Nonprofit Blog Carnival theme is how can nonprofits move from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. Yesterday, I wrote a post thinking about how this relates to self-care from an organizational culture perspective. But from an individual perspective, it is about creating a new “good” habit around self-care and starting with some small steps or what BJ Fogg calls “Tiny Habits.” So, I decided to sign up and give it a try with a tiny habit I have been wanting to establish.
I want to keep a one-sentence journal, a technique developed by habit change guru Gretchen Rubin. The thought of writing a personal journal was daunting to me, so the idea of writing one sentence a day was very appealing. Perhaps I can incorporate this into my morning routine.
Gretchen Rubin says that keeping a journal will add to your happiness because it makes the memories vivid, helps you think about the relationships, and it is manageable. It also offers a feeling of accomplishment and progress. When I shared this on Facebook, the idea resonated with a number of nonprofit folks, so decided to explore this idea further and try to make it a habit.
You can create your own five-year journal by getting a small notebook with 365 pages and have one page for each for five years. You can also purchase a blank journal designed by Gretchen Rubin (shown above). There are also ten year versions.
I don’t know why it took me long to try this one-sentence journal idea out, but keeping a one sentence a day journal is an easy way to build some reflection time into your life. Hitting the pause button is so important for energy replenishment and switching to abundance. I’ve been able to do this for a few days, but I want to also experience BJ Fogg’s tiny habits technique to help me sustain this practice.
A big part of the Happy, Healthy Nonprofit: Impact without Burnout book I’m writing with Aliza Sherman focuses on habit change – at the individual level and organizational level in nonprofits.
What tiny habits have you started that make you happier and healthier at your nonprofit work? How have you been able to sustain tiny habits?
Leave a Reply