Daily prompts to fuel your journaling and personal growth

Some days, journaling might not feel like it comes as easy as other days – and that’s where a few daily prompts can come in handy.

The topics don’t come naturally, or you feel like there’s something blocking your thinking. And if you can’t think, then you can’t think of how to start.

But journaling can be such an open-ended, blank-sheet-type activity that, if you can’t think of a how to get started, it can be like decision paralysis.

And you know what? That’s okay.

It’s like anything: sometimes we just need a bit of a push to help us.

That’s where daily prompts come in. Daily prompts are ideas to help you kickstart your journaling.

Prompts are a proven tool that provide guiderails to unstick your thinking, help you get out of your own head, and get started.

So, here are a handful of daily journal prompts that we love to use if we’re ever feeling stuck.

10 daily prompts for mindset

Sometimes, your current mindset can make you feel … stuck.

Or, maybe, you don’t even realise you’re stuck, but that doesn’t prevent your inflexible mindset from holding you back from achieving new ways of thinking or new ways of approaching life.

These journal prompts are designed to help you consciously consider what’s going on in your life, whether it’s a challenge, a change, or even if everything feels fine.

Shifting your mindset and your perception – even for a brief moment of journaling – can help you reframe seemingly inconsequential moments to be full of rich opportunity.

Regular journaling can help engage the areas of your brain responsible for broad, problem-solving thinking, and you can use that momentum to change your thought patterns for the better.

Use these 10 daily journal prompts to take intentional steps towards changing your mindset.

1. What are five things that I’m really good at? What can I do to improve and become better at these things?
2. What brings me the most joy in my life? How can I get more of that?
3. What have I accomplished in my life that I’m the most proud of?
4. What is a mistake that I’ve made recently? What did I – or can I – learn from it?
5. How do I define ‘success’? What does that mean for me? Do I consider myself successful?
6. What fixed mindset belief is holding me back? If someone else was in this position, what advice would I give them to turn this into a more positive mindset?
7. What unhealthy habits are holding me back?
8. I’m going to turn my negative beliefs into positives. Flip any negative beliefs around – how can I grow from this?
9. What fear is holding me back from accomplishing a goal? How can I overcome that fear?
10. How can I be an inspiration to someone else?

10 daily prompts for personal growth

Personal growth isn’t always easy. In fact, it almost NEVER is.

That’s because of one simple fact: by definition, growth means moving on from a part of who you were – you’re leaving a part of you behind and, not only will your mind resist that, but you’ll feel discomfort and negative emotion from it.

That doesn’t mean it’s not the right thing to do, though.

By getting comfortable with this discomfort, we’re able to flip this on its head and use this as an opportunity to grow.

Use these 10 journal prompts to help you when you’re stuck. Jot them down and discover what’s important to you.

Give yourself a sense of direction, and an internal impetus to work towards your personal growth.

1. Think about a time I stepped out of my comfort zone. What did that help me achieve?
2. What are some things in my life that I need to let go of?
3. What is getting in the way of my happiness? What can I do to change this?
4. What do I struggle with the most?
5. What are my top priorities in life right now? Why are they important to me?
6. What are my Top 5 personal growth goals for this year, and what steps can I put in place now to achieve them?
7. What would I do if I knew I couldn’t fail?
8. Make a list of life lessons I could tell a version of myself from five, 10, or 15 years ago.
9. What past experiences am I most thankful for? How will they help shape my future?
10. Where in my life do I need to start saying ‘no’ more?

10 daily prompts for goalsetting

Journaling doesn’t just help with our mindset and growth; it also helps us make our goals concrete.

By putting them in writing, we’re laying down the gauntlet for ourselves, putting our goals out in the open (so to speak), and making them real.

It’s important to remember that these are also your goals – they can be whatever you want, from the smallest, mundane daily task, to a grand dream you want to bring to reality.

You’re not trying to impress anyone here.

Maybe you simply want to make sure you put the washing away, rather than leave it languishing in the basket, or maybe you want to start a big side-hustle.

Setting clear, achievable goals can help you make the most out of your life – and, importantly, give you a plan to get there.

So, here’s 10 goalsetting journal prompts to inspire you to make each day intentional, and help you work towards your purpose.

1. Where do I want to be in one years’ time?
2. Where do I want to be in three years’ time?
3. What are three short-term goals that I have? What can I do to make sure I reach these goals?
4. What are three long-term goals that I have? What can I do to make sure I reach these goals?
5. Why do these goals mean so much to me?
6. Which of these goals can I achieve in the next year? Why?
7. What can I do in the next month to work towards these goals?
8. How can I manage and prioritise my time each day to meet these goals?
9. What is one small step that I can take every day that helps me work towards these goals?
10. Why is it worth it for me to pursue my goals?

A little help from outside your own head

These questions are the reason why daily journaling prompts can be so beneficial to our mindset, personal growth, and goalsetting efforts.

They challenge us to think in ways the average person doesn’t usually consciously and deliberately do.

But, hey, that’s why we’re here: to help you improve your journaling.

Prompts like these help you dive deeper, to kickstart your thinking, and help you rewrite your story.