The 5 Second Journal: A Review

I’ve been seeing this journal mentioned all across social media. I caught it on sale and thought I would try it out.

As of right now, I’ve been using it for a little over a week. And I like it.

Developed by Mel Robbins and her team, it plays off of the 5 Second Rule. Count backwards from 5.

5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Get [Stuff] Done!

The journal came wrapped in plastic. It’s an off-set hard cover journal that lies flat. There’s a short introduction that explains some of the science behind it and an example of it’s layout. Then it starts right in.

The top of the page is the setting, followed immediately by how you feel. There’s a space for you to write three reasons for why you feel that way. It’s followed by a space for what you can do to be more energized.

After that, you jump into what I consider the meat of the journal. Your project for the day. This includes why it’s important to you and one thing you can do to move forward. You also decide what time you’re going to quit working for the day. There’s a space for other thoughts in case there’s something that pops up while you’re deciding on your project for the day.

The second page of the daily layout can be used as a calendar/schedule. Or you can ignore the times on the right side and use it just for notes and brainstorming.

It is easy to set up and quit to use. All told, I think I spend less than 5 minutes a day on this. It is not meant to replace your daily planner, but is intended to be a supplement to it.

I like that it’s ease of use lets me focus on what I need to get done. Because you don’t have a lot of room for extra writing, you’re forced to cut through the excess and figure out what is the most important thing to do that day.

In addition to some pictures of the blank journal, I have included a couple images of pages that I have filled out. I think that gives you a better idea of how to use it than just the diagrammed example provided the front of the journal.