The first step is easy: Download and print this free PDF.
Be More Caring: Download Our Free Kindness Journal
It’s obvious the world could use more kindness. So this year, why not make “be more caring” your number one resolution? No memberships or calorie counting apps required. In fact, we’ve created this free download to make tracking acts of kindness a cinch all year long.
Supplies Needed
- Craft knife
- Ruler
- Free downloadable caring booklet template
- Pencil
1. Cut along the dashed blue line.
2. Fold in half, long edge to long edge, with the printed side out, and press the fold flat.
3. Unfold and then fold in half, short edge to short edge, with the printed side out, and press the fold.
4. Unfold and then fold the short end (with the calendar) up to the fold in the middle of the page. Press the fold flat.
5. Fold the other short end toward the middle, and press the fold.
6. Unfold the whole thing.
7. Pinch the middle part together, and then fold in half along the long crease. It will look like a plus sign from the top.
8. Finally, fold it like a book…
…with “A Year of Caring” on the front cover.
Now that you have your tiny “caring resolutions” journal, it’s time to start filling it in. You can do it all at once, or as the year goes on. Here are a few ways to use your “A Year in Caring” journal:
This year, I will put more caring in the world by…
This is a place to think about your caring resolution. There are lots of ways to approach it, like:
- Think about what you’re good at—or want to be better at. For example, “making treats for someone once a month” or “putting my phone away at every meal.”
- Try ongoing behavior, like “being more present when I’m with people I love” or “putting a specific act of kindness on my calendar one day a week.”
- Give yourself super-specific goals, such as “spend three hours a month volunteering for a nonprofit that helps kids” or “give a birthday card to everyone in my office.”
Monthly acts of kindness
There’s a little spot for an act of kindness (or several in itty-bitty
writing) every month. You can use this space to brainstorm ideas, write
goals, make check marks or name people you were kind to. You could even
color in the little stamps and envelopes at the top whenever you send a
birthday card or thank-you note.
Big days
Look through your contacts, social media friends or calendar, and find
days you know are important to the people you care about. They can be
celebratory, like wedding anniversaries or graduations, or somber, like
the one-year mark after someone special passed away. Make a note of the
date and what you can do to be more caring to your loved one.
Birthdays
We’ve all got birthdays we don’t want to miss. Here’s your chance to jot them down and keep a running list of ideas.
- What are your friend’s favorites: colors, foods, restaurants, movies, etc.?
- Did they mention something they love, crave, think about or wish for?
- Could you coordinate with a few people to throw a big bash?
- Did you think of or pick up a gift for them at a random time and don’t want to forget it?
52 acts of kindness
This is your spot to track the caring things you do all year. You can
just make check marks or draw little hearts in every box. Or you can do a bullet journal style
“year in pixels” and make yourself a color-coded key. Pick three to
five different ways to be more caring, assign them each a color, and
fill a box in every time you do that thing. Your categories might be:
- People, like “Family, friend, co-worker, stranger” or “Partner, kiddo, sister, mom”
- Things, like “Card, gift, treats” or “Helped, Smiled, Donated”
Of course, it’s your booklet and your resolution. Use it however you’d like to help you be more caring this year.