Start (browsing) with gratitude
A Chrome homepage that helps me see the bright side.
Sometimes at the end of a long day or a busy week, I feel drained and unsatisfied. It feels like I wasn’t there for any of it. Conversely, I’m happiest when I take time to appreciate all the little things.
A few years ago, I read Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferris. The book is a collection of interviews with very successful people. Reading the book, I noticed a handful of interesting trends in the habits of these high achievers. But, one stuck out in particular. A disproportionate amount had this habit in common. They set aside time, every day, to think about what they were grateful for. Something about that clicked with me. It’s almost indisputably a good idea. Since, I’ve taken a moment before bed every night to write down a few things I’m grateful for.
It’s a simple practice, but effective. When I do this consistently, my brain tends to focus on the good in life. That makes me a little more positive and optimistic.
Recently, I found myself wishing that I would stop and do something similar at the beginning of my day. But, I couldn’t get the habit to stick. At night, I find it easy. But, once I’m up and going in the morning, I rarely take a moment to pause. I wanted to make my gratitude habit automatic, but didn’t know how.
So, I built a single web page solution.
This is a simple web app that prompts me to enter three things I’m grateful for. I changed my settings so that every time I start Chrome, this is the first thing I see. Three is just enough to remind me that there’s a lot of good things in my life, while still only taking a second of my time.
When I get on my computer in the morning, I’m reminded to think of a few things I’m grateful for. I enter them, press a button, take a breath, and start whatever I was on my way to do. A little more present and a little more grateful.
If you would find this useful, please give it a try and let me know what you think.
(Note: for whatever reason, the link above may take you to some random blog begrateful.info. If that happens, just copy and paste bgrateful.info into your search.)
Stack: HTML, CSS, Javascript, Bootstrap
Developed and hosted in repl.it
