Although the benefits of journaling and getting things out of your head are getting a lot of traction, it is still underrated. There is no better way to understand what you think and what’s going down in your head than writing it down.
Journaling is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety in your life. It is a great way to track your progress and see what you have achieved so far. It also helps you to hone your writing and communication skills giving you more self-confidence. Also, journaling your goals can help you to be more accountable and achieve them faster.
“Writing is my way of expressing – and thereby eliminating – all the various ways we can be wrong-headed.
Zadie Smith
Funny thing is, most people, having known all benefits of journaling don’t write a journal. They feel it overwhelming or don’t know where to start.
Most people overcomplicate the act of journaling.
The simplest way to start journaling is to have journal prompts. Having a set of predefined questions helps you to make it more efficient and effective
Here are some of my favorite journal prompts that have worked for me and I believe will do wonders for you too:
Journal Prompts About Personal Development
- What are the three important goals I want to achieve in life?
- Who is my biggest inspiration and why?
- Where will I be in the next 1 year?
- Where will I be in the next 5 years?
- What motivates me to keep going?
- The mindset I wish to create is:
- Was I a better person today than I was yesterday?
- Were my actions guided by love or fear?
- Am I a good example for those around me?
- Where am I not being honest with myself and why?
- What mistake did I make today?
- What bad habits do I need to cut out?
- What good habits did I keep today?
- How can I add more happiness to my life?
- What are my biggest time wasters?
- What things am I willing to do, If I want to be my best self?
- Was I my best self today?
- Am I thinking negative thoughts before I fall asleep?
- If I had to describe myself today, what would I say today?
- What is stopping me from growing, or reaching my potential?
- What would I do if I weren’t being judged?
- What would I do if knew I couldn’t fail?
- Am I using my time wisely?
- If I were to die tomorrow, what would I regret?
“Writing in a journal each day allows you to direct your focus to what you accomplished, what you’re grateful for and what you’re committed to doing better tomorrow. This, you are more deeply enjoy your journey each day.”
Hal Elrod
Journal Prompts About My Relationships With Others
- How did I make others feel?
- Did I express my gratitude to someone who helped me today?
- Whose behavior made me feel worst today?
- Whose behavior made me feel the best today?
- What did I hate today?
- Who did I get along with today?
- Did I care about others today?
- What did I do for somebody else today?
- What could I do to help other people today?
Journal Prompts About Professional Development
- What goals do I want to achieve this quarter? How will I achieve those goals?
- What did I do today that will get me closer to my career goals?
- What is it about my job that makes me happiest?
- What is one area I can learn more about in order to be better at my job?
- What are my strengths? Am I putting those strengths to good use?
- What am I most proud of professionally? Why?
- What problem did I encounter today?
- How did I treat my co-workers today?
- What did I learn from my co-workers today?
- What did I accomplish today?
- What achievement at work did I have today?
- What action could have been done differently today?
- How was my relationship with my colleagues today?
- What do I want my career to look like in one year? What are my action steps?
- What do I want my career to look like in five years? 10 years? What are my action steps?
- Does my job leave me feeling professionally fulfilled? Does it make me happy? Why or why not?
- What is my ideal work routine? How can I make that a reality in my life?
Journal Prompts About Financial Independence
- What would I do if I was financially free today?
- How does money bring me joy?
- What would you like your financial life to look like in the next 5 years?
- What is the best & worst advice I received about money?
- Do I track my finances? Why or why not?
- How much did I spend today?
- What did I do today towards my goal of financial independence?
- How much did I make today?
- What did I invest in today?
- What is my investment income today?
- Do I believe I am worthy of a prosperous life?
- When was the last time I felt prosperous?
- What, to me, is the purpose of money?
- What, in my opinion, is a good amount of money to have?
- What and how much am I willing to sacrifice for my financial Independence?
Journal Prompts About Health
- What time did I wake up and What time did I go to bed last night?
- What time did I wake up this morning?
- Did I sleep well last night?
- What did I dream of last night?
- What am I going to do with my day today?
- What can I do to be more active?
- What sport can I do today to be healthier today?
- How is my mental state today?
- How is my physical condition today?
- How did I feel today?
- Did I work out today?
- What food did I eat today?
- How much water did I drink today?
- How much stress was I today?
Journal Prompts About Family Happiness
- What did I or can I do for my family today?
- What did my family do for me today?
- What would I like to do today to make my family feel happier?
- Have I expressed my love to my family?
- What do I like most about my family?
- Who do I like the most in my family?
- What have I done for my parents recently?
- What have I done for my partner recently?
- Do I spend enough time with my family?
- Is my family happy with me?
- How satisfied am I with my family life?
- What makes my family unique?
- How can I bring more love to my family?
- What activities do I love most doing with my family?
- What are my 10 happiest family moments?
- What are my family goals?
Journal Prompts About Goal setting/ Planning
- Where do I see myself in the next 5 years?
- What do I want to achieve this year?
- What are my goals for this month?
- Three things I must do today are:
- What kind of inspiration can make my future go further today?
- What could or did I do for my weekly goal today?
- What is the one thing I could start doing today to improve the quality of my life?
- What can I do to live a better life tomorrow?
- From a broad perspective, what are the things that are not really important?
- What question should I ask myself today?
- What am I particularly proud of or grateful for?
- Could I or did I do something out of my comfort zone?
- How can I do better tomorrow?
- Who am I helping by doing what I most want to do?
Journal Prompts About Realization of Dreams
- What would I give up to make my dream a reality?
- What did I do to change my world today?
- Three things I must do tomorrow are:
- What’s the reason I procrastinated today?
- What achievement did I make in my area of focus today?
- What distractions wasted my time?
- Am I on the right path?
- What can I do to make my future better?
- Do I still remember what I am striving for?
