Three good things (what went well)
Each night, write down three things that went well and why they went well.
Key takeaways
- What it is: Each night, write down three things that went well and why they went well.
- Why it works: Attention is biased toward threat and what’s wrong; deliberately recalling what went well retrains it toward the positive that’s already present. Writing the "why" matters because it pushes you to identify your own role and the controllable causes, building a sense of agency alongside the gratitude. Done nightly, it gradually shifts the default scan of the day.
- Evidence: Backed by randomized trials / meta-analyses.
- Avoid: Listing the events but skipping the "why," which turns it into a bland diary entry and drops the agency-building part that drives much of the effect.
Why it works
Attention is biased toward threat and what’s wrong; deliberately recalling what went well retrains it toward the positive that’s already present. Writing the "why" matters because it pushes you to identify your own role and the controllable causes, building a sense of agency alongside the gratitude. Done nightly, it gradually shifts the default scan of the day.
How to do it
- 1Each night, write three things that went well that day — small ones count.
- 2For each, write why it happened, including any part you played.
- 3Keep it up for at least a week; the benefit comes from the repeated reframe.
What the evidence says
RCT / meta-analysisThree good things is among the most replicated positive-psychology exercises, with randomized trials finding it can increase happiness and reduce depressive symptoms for months after a one-week practice.
Honest caveat: Effect sizes are modest and tend to be larger for people who keep doing it; benefits fade if the practice stops.
Common mistake
Listing the events but skipping the "why," which turns it into a bland diary entry and drops the agency-building part that drives much of the effect.
IX Coach runs three good things as an adaptive evening check-in, prompting the "why" and noticing patterns in what reliably goes well for you.
Practice this with IX Coach →