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Your First Seven Days of Reverse Journaling

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A simple week-one plan, with one small job each day.

Your first week of reverse journaling is seven short jobs. Pick a goal, write it as done, name the obstacle, plan back to today, do your first 45 minute action, log it, and look back. Each day takes about ten minutes of writing or less. By day seven you will have a plan, a log and a first done list.

Before you begin

You need three things: a notebook or a notes app, ten quiet minutes a day, and one goal. The goal can be small. "Finish the first chapter of my course" is a good first goal. "Change my whole life" is too big for week one.

You do not need to believe the goal will happen. You are writing a clear target to plan from, not a promise. Reverse Journaling has not been tested by name, and it cannot promise a result. It is a way to turn a goal into a next step.

Day 1: choose one goal

Write down three things you would like to finish in the next 90 days. Pick the one that matters most. Ask three questions. Which would I most regret leaving undone? Which would make others easier? Which can I check with a clear yes or no? Choose one, and put the others on a "later" list.

Time: 10 minutes. Win: one goal chosen.

Day 2: write it as done

Write one or two sentences in the past tense with a date. "On 14 January I finished my online course and had a certificate." Add one line of proof: how will you know it is done? Add one line on why it matters.

Time: 10 minutes. Win: a finish line you can check.

Day 3: name the obstacle

Think about the last time you tried something like this. What stopped you? Write the real answer. Then write an if-then plan. "If I feel too tired after work, then I will do the 10 minute version." Keep it to one sentence.

For more on why this step matters, see implementation intentions.

Time: 10 minutes. Win: an obstacle and a plan for it.

Day 4: plan back

Work backward from the finish. What had to be true one month before? One week before? Write one sentence for each. Then write the next milestone with a date. If this step feels hard, the free reverse planner will draft the milestones, and you can edit them.

Time: 15 minutes. Win: a short chain of milestones.

Day 5: do your first sprint

Pick one action that fits in about 45 minutes. Set the time and place. Do it. When the timer ends, write what you did in a few lines. If you could not do it, write why, and pick a smaller action.

Time: 45 minutes plus 3 minutes of writing. Win: your first real step and your first log line.

Day 6: repeat and compare

Do the morning step: read your finish line and write today's action. Do a second sprint. At night, log it. Now compare day 5 and day 6. Was one easier? What made the difference? Time of day? Place? Action size?

Time: 45 minutes plus 5 minutes of writing. Win: two logs to compare.

Day 7: look back

Read your week. Count the sprints. List the small wins on your done list. Ask four questions. What worked? What got in the way? Is the finish line still right? What is one change for next week? Write short answers.

Time: 15 minutes. Win: a first weekly review and a list of real steps.

A worked example: Marcus's week

Marcus wants to learn basic guitar well enough to play three songs for his family at the holidays.

Marcus did not play a song by day 7. He had a plan, two logged sprints and a clear next week. That is a good first week.

What to put on your first page

If you like to see the whole thing at once, here is a short outline of the page you will have by day seven.

  1. The goal as done, with a date and proof.
  2. Why it matters, in one line.
  3. The obstacle and your if-then plan.
  4. The chain of milestones, from the finish to this week.
  5. Two or more night logs.
  6. A short weekly look back with one change.

This is not a lot of writing. A full page of notes is plenty. What matters is that each line can be read and used the next day.

How to keep going into week two

The first week is often the easiest, because it is new. In week two, the novelty fades. Plan for that. Pick one time each day for the sprint and keep it. Tell one person what you are doing. Move your done list somewhere you will see it. And when you feel flat, shrink the action instead of dropping it. Ten minutes of the real thing beats an hour of planning to start later.

Common first week problems

What a good first week feels like

It may feel small. You may not have moved far toward the finish. But you now have a clear goal, a plan back, an obstacle you can name and a few real entries in a log. That is a base to build on, and it is more than most people have when they say they want to change something.

After week one

Keep the morning step, the sprint and the night log. Add a weekly review on Sundays. Revisit your milestones after two weeks. If an obstacle keeps coming up, run a quick premortem and write a stronger if-then. For prompts to fill the blanks, see the goal setting prompts in the library.

Next steps

Start today with day 1. If you would like the week set up for you, Start From Done walks you through the same steps, and its core loop is free. You can also build your plan on paper and use the reverse planner whenever you need new milestones.

Questions

How much time does the first week take?

About ten minutes of writing on most days, plus two 45 minute sprints on days five and six. Day seven is about 15 minutes.

What if I miss a day?

Carry on from where you are. Do not restart. Write "missed" in your log and, if you can, note why. Then do the next day's job.

What should my first goal be?

Pick something you can finish in about 90 days and can check with a clear yes or no. A smaller goal is a good way to learn the loop.

Do I have to believe the goal will happen?

No. The finish line is a target to plan from, not a prediction. The steps and the log are what matter.

Will this work?

No method can promise that. Reverse Journaling has not been tested by name. It combines planning ideas that have some research support, and it gives you a clear next step each day.

Keep reading

Begin day one