diff --git a/mongodb/files/mongodb.conf b/mongodb/files/mongodb.conf
index a126120..34ef7f6 100644
--- a/mongodb/files/mongodb.conf
+++ b/mongodb/files/mongodb.conf
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@
 dbpath=/var/lib/mongodb
 journal=true
 
+# Disable journal preallocation for predictable service start time
+nopreallocj=true
+
 {%- if server.authorization.get('enabled', False) %}
 auth=true
 {%- endif %}