The three good things exercise is a simple end-of-day practice: write down three things that went well today and why each one happened. It takes about 10 minutes, and the Greater Good Science Center suggests doing it daily for at least a week. Some people find bedtime the easiest time to do it.
Here are the steps from Greater Good in Action, a project of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley:
Set aside 10 minutes a day for at least one week. Use a notebook, a notes app or any scrap of paper.
Write down three things that went well today. They can be small, everyday moments or big milestones.
Give each one a title. For example, "Coffee with Sam" or "Fixed the leaky tap."
Describe what happened in detail. Where were you? What did you do or say? What did other people do or say?
Note how it felt. Write how the event made you feel at the time and how it makes you feel now, as you remember it.
Explain why it happened. What do you think caused this good thing?
Write in any style. Grammar and spelling don't matter.
Why write it down instead of thinking it through? The Greater Good page says writing creates a physical record, which can help more than doing the exercise only in your head.
Everyday life tends to pull attention toward what went wrong, and people get used to good things so quickly that they take them for granted. Listing three good events and their causes helps push back against that, according to Greater Good. Thinking about causes may also help you notice the deeper sources of good in your life, such as people who helped you, choices you made or simple luck.
There's another reason to keep your entries. In research reported by the Association for Psychological Science, people underestimated how interesting they would later find their records of ordinary moments, like a recent conversation. What feels too ordinary to write down today may be a pleasure to reread later.
These are examples to show the format. Yours will be shorter on some nights and longer on others.
The bus driver waited. I was running for the 8:10 and the driver held the door. I felt relieved then and still feel grateful now. Why: the driver chose to be kind, and I'd left only a minute late instead of ten.
Finished the hard email. I'd been avoiding a reply to my landlord for a week. I sent it at 2 p.m. and felt lighter right away. Why: I blocked 20 minutes on my calendar and turned off my phone.
Dinner laugh. My sister did an impression of our grandmother and we couldn't stop laughing. Remembering it makes me smile. Why: we made time for a weeknight dinner, and she's very funny.
The standard practice takes about 10 minutes. On busy nights, a shorter version is better than skipping. Greater Good describes one study in which adults in Israel wrote for five minutes a day over six days and showed less pessimism and fewer negative emotions a month later.
Example 5-minute routine:
Minute 1. Put your phone on to charge, pick up a pen, and take one slow breath.
Minutes 2 to 4. Write your three good things. Give each a title, one line about what happened and one line about why.
Minute 5. Reread them and pick one to linger on. Notice how it feels now.
Then lights out. If you want a few more questions to rotate in, try these daily reflection questions.
Some days it's hard to find one good thing, never mind three. That's normal. Try these:
Go small. Greater Good says events can be small, everyday moments. A hot shower, a text from a friend or a quiet ten minutes all count.
Use your senses. Something you tasted, heard, saw, smelled or felt that was pleasant.
Look for people. Who helped, even a little? A cashier, a coworker, a neighbor.
Notice and redirect. Greater Good notes that negative emotions like disappointment are normal and useful, but dwelling on them is draining. If you catch yourself writing about what went wrong, gently bring your attention back to the good event. It takes effort but gets easier with practice.
Skip without guilt. Missing a night isn't failure. Our guide on how to make journaling a habit has tips for getting back on track.
This exercise isn't therapy. If hard days keep stacking up, or your feelings become overwhelming, please talk to a doctor or a mental health professional. In the US, if you're in crisis, you can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It's free, confidential and available 24/7.
In a 2005 study by Seligman and colleagues, website visitors who did Three Good Things showed more happiness right after, and at one week, one month, three months and six months later.
Later studies reported benefits for Indian teens, Kenyan teens in a community program, and groups in China including teachers and nurses.
The original participants were mostly white Americans with some education after high school and average or higher incomes. Greater Good says more research is needed on other groups and cultures.
Evidence suggests disabilities affecting cognitive processing or mental imagery may limit the benefits.
Greater Good suggests about 10 minutes a day for at least one week. You can keep going after that if you like it.
The studied practice uses three. On hard days, small things count, and a short entry is better than none.
Night works well because you're looking back on the whole day, and Greater Good notes that some people find bedtime convenient. Any time you can stick with is fine.
They're close cousins. Three good things focuses on events that went well and why they happened. A gratitude journal focuses on what you're thankful for. For ideas, see these gratitude journal prompts.
Dear You: Daily Letters gives you one short letter a day, chosen from six moods such as encouragement, calm or gratitude, and each ends with a small step and a question you can answer in a private write-back reply. Your past writing goes into a searchable private library, and its growth system uses monthly recaps and a plant that grows with use instead of streaks, so a missed night doesn't break anything. It describes itself as a reflection and writing app, not a medical or mental-health service, and your writing stays on your iPhone.
Get Dear You free on the App Store