The Good Things Jar: A Simple Way to Save the Good Days for the Hard One

Have you ever noticed how one really bad day can make you forget all the good ones?

When I’m tired, hurting, discouraged or just plain over it, my brain isn’t always very good at remembering that there have also been really good days. Funny days. Days when I accomplished something. Days when I felt more like myself. Even completely ordinary days when something small made me really happy.

I know those moments happened.

I just don’t always remember them when I need them most.

Some people journal. Some people keep gratitude lists, and I think both are wonderful. But when I’m already having a hard day, I don’t necessarily want to pull out a journal and start flipping through pages looking for something to make me feel better.

I want something easier.

And maybe even a little more fun.

I want to be able to reach into a jar, pull out a little folded piece of paper and have no idea what I'm about to find.

Maybe it says, “We laughed so hard at dinner tonight.”

Maybe it reminds me of something I did that I was really proud of.

Maybe it says, “Sat outside with my coffee this morning and the sun felt so good.”

A tiny surprise from a better day.

And that’s what gave me the idea for a Good Things Jar.

You save the good things while they’re happening, so they're there waiting for you on the days when they're harder to see.

What Is a Good Things Jar?

The idea is super simple.

Find a jar.

It doesn’t even have to be a jar. Use a bowl, a box, an old coffee can, a basket, a vase you have laying around or whatever else you already have on hand.

Keep some little pieces of paper nearby.

Whenever something good happens, write it down, fold it up and put it in.

That’s it.

Maybe you try to add one thing every day. Maybe you don’t.

If you forget for three days and then remember four good things on Thursday, put all four in.

There are no Good Things Jar police coming to check.

What Counts as a “Good Thing”?

Pretty much anything that made life feel a little better.

It doesn’t have to be a huge accomplishment or some profound moment of gratitude.

It could be:

• I laughed until my stomach hurt.
• Someone checked on me today.
• I made my favorite dinner.
• I finally finished something I’d been putting off.
• The weather was beautiful.
• My pet curled up beside me when I needed it.
• I made an extra $20.
• I had a lower-pain afternoon.
• I got out of the house.
• I talked to one of my kids.
• I saw something that made me smile.
• I had really good coffee.
• I handled something I didn’t think I had the energy to handle.
• I have something coming up that I’m excited about.

Tiny things count.

Actually, I think the tiny things might be some of the most important ones to save.

Because those are the things we tend to forget.

So much of a good life is made up of really small things. Not huge, life-changing moments. Just little pockets of good mixed in with everything else.

If you’re trying to notice more of those moments too, you might also like How to Find Joy in the Little Things When Life Feels Hard. I wrote more there about finding those little bits of good even when life itself isn't particularly easy.

The Jar Isn’t Really for the Good Days

This is the part I love most about the idea.

You’re writing the notes when the good things happen, but you’re really writing them for another version of yourself.

The tired version.

The discouraged version.

The version lying in bed thinking nothing is changing.

The version having a flare.

The version wondering when life is going to feel fun again.

That’s when you reach into the jar.

Pull out one note. Or five. There are no rules here either.

Maybe you pull out a memory you’d completely forgotten about.

Maybe you find something from six months ago that instantly makes you smile.

Maybe it’s just a little piece of paper reminding you about an ordinary Tuesday that turned out to be a pretty good day.

For a minute, you get to remember what that felt like.

And sometimes that little reminder is enough.

Not to magically fix the bad day.

Just to remind you that the way today feels isn’t the whole story.

You Don’t Have to Wait for a Bad Day

The more I think about this, the more I realize I don’t only want to use my Good Things Jar when everything feels awful.

Sometimes I just need a little motivation.

Sometimes I feel stuck.

Sometimes I need a smile.

And sometimes I need to remember that I actually have made progress, even when it doesn't feel like it.

Those are good days to reach into the jar too.

Maybe the note you pull reminds you of something you accomplished six months ago.

Maybe it reminds you of a place you went, something you tried or something you were brave enough to do.

Maybe it reminds you that you've gotten through hard things before.

Or maybe it just makes you laugh.

Sometimes that little shift is enough to help you figure out what comes next.

And when I need more than encouragement and my brain has about 47 things going at once, I like having somewhere to narrow everything down. That's part of why I created my Daily Focus Sheet. It's a simple way to figure out what actually matters today without turning your entire life into a giant to-do list.

You definitely don't need a planner to make a Good Things Jar. But if you're someone who gets overwhelmed trying to figure out where to start, it's another little tool that might help.

You’re Keeping Little Pieces of Your Life

I think that’s why I like this better than simply calling it a gratitude jar.

It can absolutely hold things you’re grateful for.

But it can hold so much more than that.

The funny things.

The wins.

The people who showed up.

The things you did even though they were hard.

The moments when you felt more like yourself.

The things you’re proud of.

The places you went.

The silly thing your pet did.

The meal that was really, really good.

The unexpected $20 that came in.

The afternoon when your body cooperated.

The day you realized something you’d been worrying about was going to be okay.

All those little moments that make up a life but are so easy to forget.

You’re collecting proof that even during hard seasons, good things are happening too.

Please Don’t Turn This Into Homework

Because you know how we are.

We find something that’s supposed to make life better and somehow turn it into another thing we’re failing at.

Not this.

You don’t have to write something every single day.

You don’t need special paper.

You don’t need a beautiful jar.

You don’t need to buy anything.

And you definitely don’t need to sit down every night trying to come up with something profound enough to put in it.

See something good?

Write it down.

Remember something good?

Write it down.

Have a really good day and want to put six things in there?

Do it.

Haven’t touched the jar in two weeks?

Start again today.

This is supposed to make life feel a little lighter.

It’s not another job.

Start With One Good Thing

If you decide to make your own Good Things Jar, don’t worry about filling it.

Start with one little piece of paper.

Write down one thing that was good today.

It can be tiny.

Fold it up and put it in.

Tomorrow, maybe you’ll add another.

And another.

Eventually, without really noticing it, you’ll have a jar filled with little reminders that your life has held laughter, comfort, progress, love, all kinds of moments, good food, small victories and days that turned out better than you expected.

And someday, when you’re having a hard day, they’ll still be sitting there waiting for you.

You can reach in without looking, pull one out and see what little piece of your life decided to find you that day.

Maybe that’s what I like most about this whole idea.

We’re not pretending the hard days aren’t hard. We’re just saving some of the good stuff so we can find it again when we need it.

So if you started your jar today, what would you put on your very first little piece of paper?

In this together,

Laura