20 Journal Prompts To Get You Started

Have you ever wondered how to get started in your journal, or just felt a little short of inspiration? If so, this is the blog post for you. I am going to share 20 journal prompts to help get you started, which will be a combination of writing and creative ideas. I will begin with the writing prompts and I really hope you find this helpful.

1. Writing Prompt: What were you doing this time last year?

   I find this a really interesting prompt to reflect on as time has a strange way of distorting reality. If you are already a regular journal keeper, then this is a great time to flip back through some of your pages from this time last year. Otherwise, you could look at your diary, online calendar, photos or even your email sent box to see what you were doing 12 months ago.

   
   

   

   2. Writing Prompt: What do you hope life will look like this time next year?

   Whilst none of us can predict the future, I find it really helpful to think about how I would like my life to look and feel over the coming months and years. It helps me to set intentions and make sure that I am focusing on the most important areas in my life.

   
   

   

   3. Writing prompt: What steps can you take to move towards your dreams?

   This is where I like to think in slightly smaller terms, as in what are the next small steps that I can take. This stops things feeling too overwhelming and enables me to focus on some little things that I can do to keep moving in the right direction.

   
   

   

   4. Writing prompt: What are you grateful for?

   If you've been following me for a while then you know just how much I value keeping gratitude pages as part of my regular journaling routine. I have a video about how to deepen your gratitude journaling practice which you can watch here.

   
   

   

   5. Writing prompt: How has your month been?

   I find it really helpful to check in with myself each month in my journal. The specific areas that I like to focus on are "what went well?", "areas to develop", "happiest moments" and "work/life balance". You can of course pick your own specific areas to review.

   
   

   

   6. Writing prompt: How could you take better care of yourself?

   In this busy world I find that it's all too easy to neglect ourselves somewhere along the way. This prompt is designed to get you thinking about how you can prioritise your mental and physical health.

   
   

   

   7. Writing prompt: What is important to you?

   I find this a really interesting prompt to reflect on as whilst many areas stay the same from year to year, over time I've noticed that some of my priorities have changed. It's a good prompt to consider reviewing every year to see what has altered for you.

   
   

   

   8. Writing prompt: What habits are you, or could you be focusing on?

   Focusing on daily habits is such an important way of moving towards the life we want to live. I keep a monthly habit tracker in my journal, but I also like to reflect more deeply on this from time to time, to check that those particular habits are still the ones that are most important to me.

   
   

   

   9. Writing prompt: What kind of difference would you like to make in the world?

   Whilst this sounds like quite a big issue to consider, I like to look at the small acts I can carry out, that I hope will make a difference to the lives of those that I come into contact with. I believe this has the power to do more good than we necessarily realise.

   
   

   

   10. Writing prompt: What am I currently enjoying?

   I really enjoy this fun journal writing topic as it encourages me to think about the books I'm reading, food I'm eating and songs I'm listening to on repeat. It's another great prompt to revisit from time to time to see how things have changed.

   
   

   Next, we'll look at some creative journal prompts for further inspiration. I'm sure you'll pick up some extra ideas for writing topics from these too.

   

11. Creative prompt: Use a magazine image

I find that magazines can provide a really rich source of imagery for my journal pages. Before putting any out for recycling, take a moment to tear out pages with great photos and interesting text. You never know when they might come in handy.

12. Creative prompt: Try out a vintage-style collage on your pages

    Lots of earthy tones work well for this style of collage, along with old torn and stained book pages. I always like to keep interesting bits of paper and fabric that I can use together as clusters on my pages.

    
    

13. 

    Creative prompt: Add some flower doodles

    For bold splashes of colour on your page, try using some brush pens to add simple flower doodles. I used black and white gel pens to add extra details on top.

    
    

    

14. Creative prompt: Include some stitching

    Adding a little stitching gives a really lovely tactile feel to your journal pages. I added my stitches to this cluster of papers before sticking them to my page and they create a really welcome splash of colour and interest.

    
    

    

15. Creative prompt: Layers of acrylic paint

    Whilst my journal only has quite thin paper, I find that if I add a layer of white gesso to my pages, it can hold up to a good few layers of acrylic paint. Trying using stencils to create lots of layers of interest.

    
    

    

16. Creative prompt: Patchwork papers

    Try cutting up some patterned papers into small squares before sticking them to your page and adding some "stitched" lines in black pen. It's such a quick and effective creative page.

    
    

    

17. Creative prompt: Watercolour circles

    Use a few different colours of watercolour to paint circles on your page. You can also paint some smaller circles to create a border like I have on my right-hand page. Try adding doodles on top in black and white pen.

    
    

    

18. Creative prompt: Watercolour flowers

    You could definitely use coloured pens or pencils for this if you prefer, but I just love the way that the watercolour paints flow into each other and create unexpected variations. I painted mine to create a border across the bottom of the page

    
    

    

19. Creative prompt: Try out some "found poetry"

    I love trying out found poety as a creative exercise in my journal. Find an old book page and scan through the words until you find some that work well together. Draw a box around those words and then paint over the rest of the book page so that only your selected poetry is visible.

    
    

    

20. Creative prompt: Create a scene in pastel

    I created my scene on mixed media paper using pastels. I then added some hair spray on top to seal the pastel in place. A night sky is a really lovely project to try out.

I do hope you've enjoyed this blog post and that it's given you plenty of ideas to try out in your own journal.

Each of these pages were created in my dotted Flexbook. I often get asked about the girl stickers that I use in my journals. These are cut from London Gifties PET tape. You can use the code HELEN and you will get a free roll of washi tape with any order over the value of £35.

*Some of the links in this blog post are affiliate links which means that I earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

If you found these journal prompts helpful, then you might want to consider joining me on Patreon.

I release a new set of journal prompts on the 1st of each month, along with plenty of videos, tutorials and printables to keep you inspired throughout the month.

I have also written a book that includes 500 journal writing prompts and over 100 layout ideas that you can use to inspire your own journaling.

As always, I hope you feel inspired to document your life, along with all your thoughts and feelings. Your story is worth telling.

I will leave you with a flip through of my latest completed creative journal, Helen x