Gratitude isn’t just some corny mind fluff; it can make you happier, more resilient, and even help you save money. A gratitude journal is great, but to make it even more actionable, add it to your to-do list.


PC Mag writer Jilly Duffy explains how she tried using Evernote to keep a gratitude journal. After a while, though, she forgot about it because she mostly used Evernote to store documents and stuff. In other words, she didn’t necessarily use it all the time, so it was easy to forget about her journal. (I did the exact same thing!) Duffy explains:

What made my original gratitude list so effective was that I put my eyes on it so frequently. It was on my phone in an app that was on my homescreen. I saw it a lot. And when I saw it and read what was in it, well, that’s when I felt grateful. So I moved my lists into my to-do app, which today is Todoist. I look at it a lot; sometimes it’s just for a quick glance, but the point is my eyes go to it maybe a dozen times a day.


Duffy has a project called “Gratitude Lists” directly in her Todoist, but you can implement this with any to-do manager. If you use Wunderlist, create a “Gratitude” folder. Or just set a reminder to write down a few things you’re grateful for everyday . If you use old-fashioned pen and paper to make your to-do lists, simply leave a spot to write down your gratitude list. (Gratefulness is a fun app that will text you daily reminders, too). The point is just to keep this list in front of you so it’s actually useful in fostering gratitude. For more info, head to Duffy’s full post at the link below.

Forget the Gratitude Journal: Try a To-Do App Instead | PC Mag