Journaling Prompts

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Have writer’s block when it comes to your journaling? I get that - I’ve had that a lot, too.

Here are a few ideas to get your journaling juices flowing again:

Write about your day. Spend just a few minutes in the evening jotting out what you did that day. It may seem super corny to write “I got up, cleaned the cat’s litter box, started the dishwasher and made bread.” But it’s a start. You’re just flexing your writing muscles. But honestly, when reading back on my old journals, this is the stuff that interests me the most, because it helps me relive those good ol’ days.

Plans for the day. You can write it out as check list, or simply list what you plan to accomplish that day.

Weekly/monthly/yearly goals or resolutions. I’ve been writing out my New Year’s Resolutions for years - at the beginning of the year, I write out my list of goals, then at the end, I go back and see how well I did. It’s a great way to see how you’ve grown. While year-long goals are popular and fun, they are so long-distance that it’s really hard to actually accomplish them. Something I’ve started is writing out weekly goals - things I want to accomplish that week like deep clean a certain room or complete a project. I’ll also check back to my new year’s resolutions and try to incorporate little goals that will add up to accomplishing my bigger ones (if my yearly goal was to “eat healthier”, my weekly goals could be to serve a salad or veggies/fruit with each meal, eat one live probiotic food each day, and daily take my supplements)

Write out your prayers and Bible verses. While you read through your Bible, write out any thoughts regarding the passage. Some people like to keep a seperate journal for this, but I like to keep everything together.

Thoughts. It can be daunting to write out your thoughts on something, but you don’t have to let it be! Start with what’s going through your head right now - “I’m really nervous about my meeting tomorrow”, “I’m so excited about our camping trip next week”, or even “I’m really craving pizza right now.” At first, it will sound a bit like a little kid, but the more you do it, the better you’ll get.

Write out what you’re thankful for. Sometimes I’ll start with an initial goal of writing out 100 things, then just take 10 a day. It’s surprisingly easy and opens your eyes to the blessings you have showered all around you! Don’t just write “God, family, health” (though, those are good starting points!), be specific. Name each family member. Your toothbrush, blankets, food in the pantry, etc. This really opens your eyes to how much you really have.

Find a list of “self discovery questions” and answer those one at a time. For added bonus, come back to that list every couple months/once a year and re-answer those. You’ll be amazed at how your answers change! (This is the only idea that I have yet to try in my own journals. Time to go find some questions on Pinterest…)

These are just a few ideas to get you started - think of them as a springboard to launch you into fields of creativity.

Have fun and keep journaling!