How to start journaling: 15 techniques and 150 journal prompts

You can start your journaling journey by dedicating a few minutes every day at a time that suits you best. You can choose to write your thoughts in a notebook, a mobile app, or a desktop program. To give you a head start, explore 15 flexible journaling techniques and 150 ready-made journaling prompts for ideas.

Why you should start journaling

What if five minutes a day could change the way you think, feel, and plan your life?

Journaling is one of the simplest and best habits you can build. In simple terms, it is the practice of expressing your thoughts, feelings, and ideas into words on paper or digitally. There are many topics you can write about, such as improving your mental health, achieving clarity on certain aspects of life, or tracking daily goals.

When you express your thoughts each day, it helps clear your mind from worries and gives you clarity on what you need to improve. The habit of journaling helps you reflect, plan, and grow, and this will make a huge difference in your life in the long run.

Boost your mental health

Many people want to support their mental health for a good reason, and this could be just the beginning of their journaling idea. Writing helps release emotions, reduce stress, and identify patterns behind your worries or triggers. If your thoughts are about how to journal for mental health, the answer is simple: consistency. A few lines a day can improve emotional clarity.

Increase self-awareness and personal growth

Nothing can be better than understanding yourself. The more you write, the clearer you understand which parts of your life need attention. You can begin by using journal prompts for self-discovery or self-growth and explore your beliefs, morals, aims, and concerns.

Track goals and habits

Journaling is powerful if you want to track your daily, monthly or weekly goals, and refine them. Learning how to journal daily provides a decent record of what you have done, what you are avoiding, and where you are likely to improve. This builds on self-motivation, and your goals are understandable.

How to start journaling

Take a moment every day to write. Your future self will thank you.

Choose your medium (paper, mobile app, desktop app)

Start journaling with a method that makes you feel comfortable. Some prefer writing in a notebook, while others are more organized by using digital tools.

• Notebook (paper): Writing by hand in a physical notebook requires no device. Some people prefer this method because it is simple and self-reflective. But writing a stream of thoughts on paper can be difficult to organize, search for something specific, or edit your entries.

• Digital tools: People write better using phone, tablet, or laptop applications. It helps them organize their writing, easily edit their entries, and search them. If you like to utilize digital tools, you can also add pictures, links, or audio to your journal entries to make them more adaptable. However, this method may feel less personal for those who write on paper because they find it more calming and connected to their thoughts when they write by hand.

Choosing between a notebook and digital tools depends on your personal choice and what helps you stay consistent with your journaling habit.

If you choose to write digitally, a word processor like ONLYOFFICE Document Editor can help you keep a private digital journal that can be accessed from any device, online or offline. Your inputs remain in sync, secured, and neatly organized.

Set a routine

The easiest way to have a daily journaling habit is to choose a time that works best for you. It can be mornings, evenings, after work, or before bedtime. If you wish to use the morning journal prompts, begin your day with a good thought to set your mindset.

Smart small

You don’t need to write a lot of pages. Start with 5 minutes, or 1 brief paragraph. These small, consistent steps will lead you to long-term success.

Use prompts to guide you

Journaling prompts remove the pressure of “what do I write today?” By using prompts as starting points, you stay inspired and motivated to know exactly where you need to improvise.

You will find a list of 150 prompts below, each organized by theme.

15 journaling techniques

Here are 15 practical journaling techniques, each with a brief overview and a sample application.

• Free writing / stream of consciousness: You can write constantly without worrying about structure or grammar.

  Example: Set a timer for 10 minutes and write anything that comes to mind.

• Prompted / guided journaling: Use questions or themes to begin. In the next section, you’ll find a total of 150 prompts spanning different themes. They are more detailed and worth exploring.

  Example: What made your day today meaningful?

• Gratitude journaling: Keep your focus on what you are thankful for.

  Example: List 3 things you appreciated today.

• Bullet journaling: This is a visual system of journaling utilizes bullets, lists, or symbols to keep a track of moods, tasks, and habits.
• Morning pages: Write three pages in the morning to have a clear mind.

  Example: Use morning journal prompts such as “What is my intention today?”

• Evening reflection journaling: A review centered on what went well, what challenged you, and what you achieved during the day.
• Goal / success journaling: You can write about your goals, progress, wins, and setbacks.
• Shadow work journaling: Express the emotions you hide, your insecurities and problems that need to be resolved.
• Mindfulness / meditation journaling: Record your observations, sensations, and moments that kept you calm.
• Emotional / therapy journaling: Use journal prompts for mental health (therapeutic prompts) to understand and process your feelings.
• Dream journaling: Write about your dreams after waking up to know the patterns.
• One line / tiny journaling: This is great for beginners. Write one sentence daily and make sure you remain consistent.
• Visual / art journaling: Use colors, doodles, collages, or sketches to express yourself.
• Travel / experience journaling: Document your trips, memorable moments, or new discoveries.
• Future self journaling: Write as or to your future self.

  Example: Where do I want to be in one year?”

150 journal prompts to get you started

Here are six categories, each with 25 prompts, and a total of 150 journaling prompts to start your writing journey. They are numbered consecutively for readers to track all of them.

Daily journal prompts (1–25: daily journal prompts)

1- What was the best part of today?

2- What challenged me today?

3- What emotions did I feel the most?

4- What did I learn today?

5- What made me smile?

6- What do I want to improve tomorrow?

7- What drained my energy?

8- What energized me?

9- What’s one thing I’m avoiding?

10- How did I take care of myself today?

11- What surprised me today?

12- What am I proud of today

13- What frustrated me?

14- What did I complete today?

15- What did I fail at and what did it teach me?

16- What habit did I follow today

17- What fear showed up today?

18- What inspired me today?

19- What conversations stood out?

20- What did I notice about my thoughts?

21- What didn’t go my way?

22- What felt meaningful today?

23- What am I grateful for today?

24- What’s one thing I can let go of?

25- What do I want tomorrow to feel like?

Gratitude journal prompts (26–50: gratitude journal prompts)

26- List three small joys today.

27- Who made your day better?

28- What ability are you grateful for?

29- What’s a challenge you overcame?

30- What’s something you often take for granted?

31- What’s your favorite moment this week?

32- What is a luxury you enjoy

33- What made you feel loved recently?

34- What is a memory you’re grateful for?

35- What part of nature do you appreciate?

36- What’s a simple pleasure you enjoy

37- What’s something positive about your health?

38- What’s something about your home you’re thankful for?

39- Who inspires you?

40- What opportunity are you grateful for?

41- What went better than expected today?

42- What book or idea shaped you?

43- What’s something that helps you relax?

44- What do you appreciate about your work?

45- What piece of technology helps your life?

46- What is something funny you’re grateful for?

47- What’s something beautiful you saw today?

48- What made you feel supported recently?

49- What’s a past mistake you’ve learned from?

50- What’s a tradition you appreciate?

Journal prompts for mental health (51–75: journal prompts for mental health)

51- What emotion am I struggling with?

52- What triggered this feeling?

53- What do I need right now?

54- What’s overwhelming me?

55- What helps me calm down?

56- What negative thought keeps returning

57- What would I tell a friend in my situation?

58- What’s one kind thing I can do for myself?

59- What habit affects my mental health most?

60- What boundary do I need to set?

61- What would make today 1% better?

62- What is something I can forgive myself for?

63- What am I afraid to admit?

64- What emotion am I suppressing?

65- What soothes me immediately?

66- What does stress feel like in my body?

67- What am I overthinking about?

68- What small win did I have today?

69- What are three things within my control?

70- How can I show self-compassion?

71- What do I need to release?

72- What thought patterns harm me?

73- What makes me feel safe?

74- What’s something I survived that I don’t give myself credit for?

75- What’s one supportive statement I need to hear?

Journal prompts for self-discovery and growth (76–100: journal prompts for self-discovery & self-growth)

76- What are my core values?

77- What does happiness look like for me?

78- What are my strengths?

79- What habits are holding me back?

80- What gives my life meaning?

81- What are five goals I care about?

82- Who am I becoming?

83- What do I want to improve about myself?

84- What do I want to learn next?

85- What motivates me deeply?

86- What fears limit me?

87- What does my ideal life look like?

88- What relationships matter most?

89- What beliefs do I want to change?

90- What patterns do I repeat?

91- What does success mean to me?

92- What do I admire in others?

93- What drains vs. energizes me?

94- Where do I want to be in five years?

95- What is my purpose?

96- What is something I avoid but need to face?

97- What new habit would change my life?

98- What am I truly passionate about?

99- What do I need to accept?

100- What’s a part of myself I want to understand better?

Morning journal prompts (101–125: morning journal prompts)

101- What is my intention today?

102- What would make today successful?

103- What do I want to focus on?

104- How do I want to feel today?

105- What’s one thing I’m excited about?

106- What’s one thing I’m nervous about?

107- What can I do to stay calm today?

109- What do I need to prioritize?

110- What do I want to be mindful of?

111- What is something kind I can do today?

112- What affirmation do I need?

113- What distractions should I avoid?

114- What are three things already going well?

115- What would my future self want me to focus on?

116- What do I need to let go of this morning?

117- What can I learn today?

118- What’s one boundary I want to keep?

119- What would make today peaceful?

120- What inspires me right now?

121- What am I grateful for this morning?

122- What’s something new I can try today?

123- Who do I want to show up as today?

124- What can I simplify?

125- How can I be more present today?

Fun and creative journal prompts (126–150: fun journal prompts)

126- If my life were a movie, what genre would it be?

127- Describe your perfect day as a comic strip.

128- Write a letter to your favorite fictional character.

129- Invent a new holiday — how would we celebrate it?

130- If I could teleport anywhere, where would I go?

131- What superpower would I choose and why?

132- Describe yourself as a color.

133- Rewrite a past moment with a funny twist.

134- If I could talk to my pet, what would we discuss?

135- Design your dream home in words.

136- What nickname would I give my future self?

137- If I could relive one day, which would it be?

138- What talent would I love to master instantly?

139- Describe your personality as a weather forecast.

140- Write a poem about your morning.

141- Create a list of 10 silly goals.

142- If I could time-travel, where would I go?

143- Describe your happiest memory as a fairy tale.

144- Write a letter to your past self at age 10.

145- What made you laugh recently?

146- If you were a season, which one would you be?

147- Design a dream adventure.

148- What fictional world would you live in?

149- Describe a perfect lazy day.

150- Write about a random object in your room as if it has feelings.

Tips for maintaining a journaling habit

Once you finally start seeing the results of journaling, there are a few points to keep in mind:

• Start small and be consistent: Begin with one sentence a day for five minutes. This is all you need for self-motivation and encouragement.
• Mix different techniques: Always rotate through different journaling techniques. This will keep your writing fresh and interesting.
• Reflect on your progress: Study your monthly or weekly journal entries consistently to notice patterns of growth. This gives insight into which parts of your life you need to improve.
• Don’t worry about perfection: Journaling does not contain grammar rules. It is your private space to express what you feel without any pressure for corrections.

Why journaling is worth it

Journaling does not require rules, perfection, or long hours. It can change the way you think, feel, and understand your life, and this starts by writing for a few minutes every day.

By using the 15 techniques and 150 prompts above as your starting guide, you are prepared to begin a habit that supports your mental health, personal growth, and creativity.

Go ahead and open your notebook or launch ONLYOFFICE Document Editor, and start with one honest prompt, one sentence, or even one thought. These small steps will nurture into a powerful change tomorrow.

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