Inside: Start your day with these 35 morning journal prompts that will help you live with intention and feel better about life!
Do you wake up frazzled, stressed, and feeling like you never receive a good night’s sleep?
Are you wondering if a morning journaling ritual can help you live more calmly and set the right intentions for the day?
If so, then you’re in the right place!
Ever since I was little I’ve kept a journal. When I’m feeling stressed, I turn to journaling. It’s the best way for me to release any built-up emotions and figure out why I’m feeling a certain way about a situation.
Starting a morning journal can be intimidating if you’ve never done it before, so here are my best tips and recommendations for choosing the right morning journal prompts!
How do I start a daily journal?
Creating a new habit can be hard, so it’s important to treat your morning journal writing like an important date with yourself. Write time into your schedule for your journal entries the same way you would a conference call or other important events. Decide where you want to do your morning journal writing and make sure this place is clear and ready for you when you wake up.
You can even create an ambient environment that will be welcoming for you each day. Light a candle or use a specific pen each day to make this time feel set apart.
If tea or coffee is a part of your morning routine, you can look for a way to incorporate them into your morning writing. While the water for your tea gets warm, you can collect your journal and pen so you’ll be ready. More than anything, make sure you are present and open to the experience of sharing your feelings through words each morning. Take this time for yourself to focus on the present.
What should I write in my morning journal?
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to what you can write about within the pages of your journal. The goal is to get your thoughts on paper and to hopefully start your day off right. Journaling has been shown to reduce stress and help with moods, so it makes sense to sit down and write first thing.
Morning pages prompts are popular because they help you ask questions or set intentions that can help steer your day. While simply freewriting works for some people, most of us like to have a starting prompt when we’re trying to get our words to flow. Morning pages prompts can at least get you started each day even if you veer into other topics as your writing continues.
Morning journal prompts can also help you face challenges and look back at all you’ve already overcome. They often ask you to reflect on your true desires and to recall situations where you solved problems and prevailed. Even reflecting on mistakes helps you learn, and morning journal prompts help you do this in a way that is encouraging and productive.
35 Morning Journal Prompts that Will Help You Live With Intention
- Name five things that you can see right now and describe your relationship with them.
- List and describe three goals that you want to achieve by the end of the day.
- What is one kind of thing that you could do for a stranger today?
- Check-in with your physical body and describe your mood this morning.
- Name one thing that you can improve upon today.
- Describe how you want to feel when you rest your head on your pillow later tonight.
- Name three things that you could do today that will make you happier.
- Describe a future goal and what you will do today to help you get there.
- What is one thing that you are proud of that you did in the past week?
- Is there someone that you should check in on? Do you have time to reach out to this person today?
- Set a timer and rest your mind for 3 minutes. Afterwards, write about what patterns and thoughts were going through your head.
- Describe the type of energy that you want to put out in the world today.
- Envision your future self a year from now. What can you do today to become more like that person?
- Are you happy with the way things currently are in your life? Why were why not?
- What is something that you would like to have more time for each day?
- Name one thing that you would like to change by this time next week.
- Name something that is important to you that you can’t live without each day. Why?
- What is one piece of advice that you would have given yourself this time last year?
- Describe your current morning ritual and how it sets you up to be your best self for the rest of the day.
- What is something that you could do this week to feel fulfilled?
- Is there a new hobby that you would like to try?
- Is there anything that you’ve been putting off at work? What can you do to help get this thing accomplished?
- How do you feel each morning when you wake up? Why?
- Do you feel like you’re on the path to happiness? What would it reaching happiness look like for you?
- What is the most challenging part of your day? What can you do to make this a little easier on you?
- Do you feel grateful for your life when you go to sleep at night? Why or why not?
- List 10 things that you are grateful for that happened to you yesterday.
- Name someone in your life that always seems to make you happy. Can you reach out and thank them for their support today?
- What is the best thing that happened to you in the last week?
- Name a recent situation when you thought something was going to be worse than it really was. What did you learn from this?
- Describe something that has been bothering you recently and why. What can you do today to help alleviate this dress?
- Describe a situation that was bothering you a few weeks ago but now is fine. What change and how can you apply what you learn from that situation to be future?
- How can you make the most of the current situation that you are in?
- Is there a relationship in your life that needs to be mended in order for you to move on?
- Even if nothing goes right today, name one positive thing that you could do to feel good about yourself when you go to sleep tonight.
Final Thoughts on 35 Morning Journal Prompts that Will Help You Live With Intention
Don’t let the fear of getting started make you miss out on the opportunity to journal. Research shows that journaling can boost your mental health and help you recognize patterns in your life. It’s a mindful practice that sets you up for a thoughtful day.
Use morning journal prompts to make your journaling easier to start and targeted to your needs. Get up each morning looking forward to what you will discover in your morning pages.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Have you heard? I’m hosting a 31-Days to Transformation Challenge where you’ll receive free tips and action items delivered straight to your inbox every day in January.
This is perfect for those of you who:
- Have a vision of the person you want to be but struggle getting there.
- Want to overcome your defeative mindset.
- Need help finding the passion you once had.
At the end of the challenge, you will have a framework for what you want to achieve in 2022 and how to get there.
If you’re struggling to find peace with your health symptoms or chronic illness, visit How to Be Mindful When You’re Suffering from Chronic Illness (In 2021)
Or if you’re trying to calm the restless chatter in your head, then check out my tips for easing an overactive mind.
Once you read those, here are a few more journal prompts you might enjoy:
- 28 Creative Journaling Prompts for Self Discovery (+ FREE PDF)
- 20 Therapeutic Writing Prompts to Help You Feel Restored (+ FREE PDF)
- 30 Grief Journal Prompts to Help You Process Difficult Emotions
Are there any morning journal prompts that help you live with intention? Tell me in the comments below!
Allie Schmidt
Allie Schmidt is a rare disease advocate and disabled mom living with motor neuron disease. She founded Disability Dame in 2020 to provide tips to other moms living with disabilities and chronic illnesses.
In her spare time, you can find her traveling with her husband (she's been to 38 states and 16 countries!), watching reruns of Survivor, or tending to her near-constant sunburn from spending too much time outside. You can follow her adventures here.
Hi! I love this post. I wanted to ask, what alternative methods of journaling have you used given weakness in your arms and hands? I happened upon your site while looking for new ways of doing things with limited arm mobility. I have a fairly bad shoulder injury and have undergone surgery for repair – I will regain function of my arm and hand, but I have a long road ahead. It’s my dominant arm/hand, and the loss of ability to write without pain is something I haven’t found a way around. I’m an avid fan of journaling and written lists, but it’s just not working right now. I’m using dictation to my phone for most things, but it’s not the same to me, so figured I’d see if you have any tips :).
I love your blog and your Instagram – feeling very motivated to have our sons do more for themselves after seeing your post – to help me and them long term! 🙂
Thank you!
Hi Michelle – I’m sorry to hear about your limited mobility and pain, but thank you for your nice comments! Unfortunately, I have not found a way around physically writing when it comes to journaling. I also use dictation on my phone. I use it directly in the Apple notes app or Google Docs. I agree, it is definitely not the same as writing. Since the onset of my disability, I’m much more in my head. I will dictate to get my thoughts out, and then I like to lay down and just think about everything I “wrote.”