105 daily journal prompts that’ll make you want to write

A daily journal practice is a great way to process events and clear your head. 

But if you’ve had one for a while, you might find yourself staring at a blank page without anything to say. Your mind still spins after writing about so many events that you’re unsure where to start without repeating yourself. 

There’s still room for journaling growth when you hit this kind of writer’s block. Using daily journal prompts, you can explore a new subject on the page every day and continually learn about yourself. The right prompts inspire change, challenge you to go deeper, and relieve stress. 

What are journal prompts?

Journal prompts are questions or ideas that help you write. You can start your journal entry by exploring the prompt’s inquiry and then waxing poetic, following your train of thought wherever it takes you. Whether you're starting with a self-esteem journal prompt or a journal prompt to help with motivation, there is a prompt for you.

Prompts encourage reflection on topics you may not naturally select. Often, journaling topics are analytical, therapeutic, and investigative. They encourage you to push your thinking to learn more about yourself and gain further mental clarity. 

4 benefits of using journaling prompts

The University of Rochester’s Medical Center states that journaling can help you manage stress, depression, and anxiety. The activity encourages you to process your feelings and understand your behaviors, giving you better insights into why you react in certain ways. And journaling pulls you out of the stress of your day and refocuses your attention on the page, giving your mind a much-needed change of scenery.

Journaling alone is a healthy practice, and using prompts ensures you keep up with it. Daily journaling prompts motivate you to explore new corners of your mind, and in doing so, you experience boosts in the following areas. 

1. Inspiration

Journaling can inspire you to take action as you better understand what you want and set goals on the page. Suppose a journal prompt invites you to consider where you’ll be in five years. Playing out this exercise can help you manifest an ideal future and outline the steps needed to get there, like budgeting money, building good habits, or starting over in a new city or job.

Journaling can also inspire you to take charge of your mental health or relationships. As you write, you’ll notice patterns in behaviors or thoughts you wish to refine. You’ll also discover the inner workings of your relationships and brainstorm ideas on how to improve them.

2. Motivation

When you’re stuck, seeing past your current state can be challenging. But a journal prompt can propel you to consider your next move, generating motivation. 

You may resist using a prompt that pushes you to view your life critically when in a tough spot. But if you manifest a new reality, no matter how improbable it may seem, you’re one step closer to goal-setting and taking action toward that vision. 

3. Creativity

Journal prompts encourage you to get creative when in a writing rut. Everyone has topics of interest they return to, like work life, personal relationships, and hobbies. But these prompts encourage you to think outside your usual journaling box. 

Daily writing prompts also invite you to explore different thinking and writing styles. A journaling idea could propel you to create a poem, draft a short story, or try on a new philosophy for a day. 

4. Gratitude 

If you use journaling to flush out negative feelings, you’re giving your mind a necessary release. There’s nothing wrong with this type of writing practice. 

But you can step out of this trend with a gratitude journal that invites you to explore the joyous moments in life. You may even experience physical health benefits as a result. In one study, half the participants wrote about what was bothering them, while the others gave thanks. Those who practiced gratitude enjoyed an uptick in exercise and fewer doctor’s visits.

105 daily journal prompts to get the ink flowing

Even career scribes experience writer's block. But staying consistent helps banish the block. In one study involving professional writers, those who wrote daily could push past the wall faster than those who didn’t. 

Using journal writing prompts can help you maintain your cadence, generate fresh ideas, and avoid stagnation. Here are 105 journal entry examples to try. 

Creative journal prompts

Journal prompts about creativity ask you to write about why and how you make things. You’re creative — even if your work doesn’t generally fit into this category. You don’t have to make art to explore your inventive side. Creativity may mean dreaming up innovative solutions to problems or brainstorming unique business ideas. Use the following creative writing prompts to better understand your generative instincts:

1. What does creativity look like in your life? 
2. What’s one creative thing you did today?
3. What’s something you’d like to create? 
4. Whose creativity do you admire and why? 
5. What inspires you to create? 
6. If you could practice an art, what would it be? 
7. What is your inner artist like?
8. How do you creatively approach challenges? 
9. How can you introduce more exploration and play into your life? 
10.  What artistic hobby would you like to try? 
11. Does anything hold you back from being more creative? 
12. Write a poem about your day.
13. Draft the first chapter of a novel about your life. 
14. What artists or creators would you like to learn more about? 
15. How can being more creative help you at work?
16. Generate a creative solution to a problem in your life.
17. What type of reading would you like to start?
18. How can you improve your creative thinking?
19. If you don’t see yourself as a creative person, why is that?

Evening journal prompts

Part of establishing excellent sleep hygiene is getting into a bedtime routine. This ritual should help you wind down, relax your body and mind, and detach from devices. Journaling is an excellent activity to add to your bedtime line-up. Start with the following nighttime prompts that help you get closure on the day through self-reflection:

1. What are you most grateful for today? 
2. What went well in your day?
3. What’s one thing you learned today? 
4. What was the most meaningful interaction of the day?
5.  What self-care habits did you practice today?
6. What could you have done better today? 
7. What emotions did you have today? 
8. What was your greatest accomplishment of the day? 
9. How did you influence someone else today for the better? 
10. How did you help others today?
11. What steps did you take toward a goal today? 
12. What’s one thing you want to remember about today? 
13. What was the highlight of your day? 
14. How did you take care of your body today?
15. What are you most proud of today?

Morning journal prompts

Morning journal prompts invite a moment of reflection before the day. Your answers set the tone for the hours ahead and help you define bite-sized goals. Start your day with an intentional mindset by using the following prompts:

1. What’s one goal you have for the day?
2. What went wrong yesterday that you can do better today? 
3. What are you looking forward to today?
4. What self-care activities will you do today? 
5. What will you do for fun today? 
6.  Who will you help today, and how? 
7. Write a positive affirmation you can return to throughout the day.
8. What could be challenging today, and how will you face it? 
9. How will you practice gratitude today? 
10. How do you want to feel at the end of the day? 
11. What’s one way you can treat yourself today?
12. Is anything worrying you today? 
13. How did you feel when you woke up? 
14. What did you dream about last night? 
15. How can you forgive yourself or others today?
16. What’s one way you can save money today? 
17. Who’s one person you’ll try to connect with today, and how? 
18. What healthy choices will you make today? 
19. What step can you take today toward a bigger goal?
20. What will you read today? 

Inspiring journal prompts

Inspiring journal prompts ask you to tap into your inner strengths and motivations and use them to kickstart your self-improvement. Understand what makes you shine with the following journaling ideas:

1. What are your strengths? 
2. What do you give to others? 
3. How does your company or other individuals benefit from your work? 
4. Who inspires you, and why? 
5. What accomplishments are you most proud of?
6. What book, movie, or piece of art changed your life? 
7. What experiences have made you stronger? 
8. How do you inspire others?
9. What’s the best idea you’ve ever had?
10. What’s the nicest compliment you’ve gotten? 
11. What extrinsically motivates you? 
12. What intrinsically motivates you?
13. Who have you learned the most from, and why? 
14. What’s an important lesson you’ve taught someone else? 
15. How do you approach hardship? 
16. List your significant achievements from the last five years.
17. What’s one aspect of your personality or behaviors you’d like to work on?
18. Describe a time you achieved a goal you thought was out of reach.
19. How have your self-care and health rituals improved? 
20. What’s a lesson you’d give to your younger self? 
21. What’s an insight you can take from your younger self? 
22. What makes you resilient?

Stress-relieving journal prompts

Journaling may force you into close contact with your feelings, which can initially be uncomfortable. But a study by the American Psychological Association found that writing about your feelings can reduce stress and have long-term physical and mental health benefits. 

While journaling alone eases stress, using a relieving prompt might boost the effect. Here are several to try:

1. What’s causing you stress?
2. What types of stress do you experience? 
3. How does stress feel in your body?
4. What are your stress management tools? 
5. Describe a stressful situation you overcame and how. 
6. What healthy coping mechanisms do you use? 
7. Is there a stressful relationship or situation in your life you can let go of?
8. How does self-care positively impact your stress levels? 
9. How can you de-escalate a stressful situation today? 
10. How do you help others when they’re stressed? 
11. How can you prevent stress in the future? 
12. How are you improving your work-life balance? 
13. What’s one boundary you could set to reduce your stress? 
14. How do you feel about your current work level? 

Goal-setting journal prompts

One of the key benefits of journaling is the self-awareness you gain. Sometimes, this awareness cues you into goals you’d like to reach. The page is a safe space to explore a vision and commit to striving toward a specific achievement. Here are several journaling questions that can help you envision a better future and understand how to get there:

1. Where do you see yourself in three years? Five years? 10?
2. How can you improve your physical wellness? 
3. What’s one financial goal you have? 
4. How do you want people to remember you? 
5. What’s your dream career? 
6. Do you have an action plan for your goals? 
7. What obstacles do you face right now? 
8. What skills do you need to achieve your goals?
9. What does accountability mean to you?
10. What have you learned from achieving goals in the past? 
11. What don’t you want in life? 
12. What degrees, certificates, or levels of schooling would you like to earn? 
13. Do you believe in yourself? Why or why not? 
14. How can you improve your faith in yourself?
15. Do you feel you’re moving toward your goals?

Stay consistent with journal prompts

Routines and schedules support a more fulfilled existence. Rhythm gives your life structure, helping you accomplish more and make time for rest and self-care. 

Sticking to a journaling practice is a healthy ritual that encourages accountability, self-discovery, and well-being. But like with other positive habits — say, gulping down your morning green drink — consistency can wane. Sometimes, doing right by yourself is the hardest action of all. When you find yourself in this position, seek out daily journal prompts that motivate you to write and help you learn about yourself.