Morning Guided Journal Prompts to Anchor Your Day
We all know how the first hour of the day can set the tone for everything that follows. A slow coffee vs. a frantic inbox scroll — both create momentum, one grounded, the other scattered. Behavioural science has a name for this: anchoring.
Anchoring is the principle that the first input your brain receives becomes the reference point for everything else. Brands use it when they set prices. Negotiators use it in meetings. But anchoring isn’t just a tactic — it can be a personal tool. You can anchor your own mind.
That’s why I created the 3-step Anchoring Process inside the Moi Daily Journal. It’s a morning ritual designed to give you a mindset you can return to all day long.
The 3 Steps
Frame Your Best-Self Attributes
Write down the feelings and behaviours that represent your best self — calm, confident, creative, patient. Whatever qualities you want to show up with.
Identify Triggers
Note the moments likely to pull you off course — the back-to-back meetings, the inbox overload, the school run. Naming them takes away their power.
Reaffirm Your Best-Self
Revisit your best-self list. Visualise how it feels. By locking those attributes in, you’ve created an anchor point your brain will naturally return to during the day.
Why It Works
This practice draws from neuroscience and psychology: when you prime your brain in the morning with positive anchors, it sets neural pathways that strengthen with repetition. In plain language: it’s easier to stay calm in stress when you’ve rehearsed calm in advance.
The Outcome
Instead of reacting to the noise of the day, you’ll find yourself circling back to the mindset you set in the morning. The anchor becomes your reference point, gently guiding you back to intention.
The beauty of journaling is that it doesn’t just live in theory. You’re writing it, seeing it, and reinforcing it daily. Over time, it becomes less of a hack and more of a habit — a grounding ritual you can always return to.
