5 Journal Prompts for People Who Don't Like to Journal
During the rise of the Wellness As A Business era there were no shortage of Insta Influencers ensuring us that a life worth living included green juice, meditation, and a daily journal practice (and use the code IVEGOTITALLFIGUREDOUT for a discount to my favorite leather-bound notebook that will do all the work of changing your life for you, of course). I actually don’t think there’s anything wrong with green juice, meditation, or a daily journal practice. I just know I’m among the many who don’t have it ALLFIGUREDOUT when it comes to being a consistent journaler. I’m aware of all the benefits of journaling daily or at least regularly, and I have seen them in my own life when I’ve been in a rhythm of journaling on the regular. And yet, like completely quitting sugar or flossing after every meal (eye roll) or unfollowing toxic reality stars and people from my past, regular journaling is something I still struggle to do consistently.
That said, I have found a few workarounds that help me get back into journaling when I’ve fallen out of the (already pretty weak) habit. These workarounds fall into 2 buckets: one is about the HOW of journaling, and one is about the WHAT.
The HOW:
How you journal seems obvious - grab a pen and start writing (or a device and start typing…but really, use a pen OK? It’s so much more beneficial, says all the data, and also your eyes need a screen break at some point…). But sometimes the logistics of being in a space to sit down and write, or the mental hurdle it takes to get myself there, are enough to keep me from trying at all. So instead, I try to find different ways (“hows”) to journal that make it easier for me to get it done - even if I’m playing fast and loose with the definition of the term “journaling”.
The point of journaling is to get whatever’s rattling around in your brain out into another space so that you can see what’s going on up there in your head, and how to change it or address it if there’s a bunch of drama and crap banging around up there (and there usually is) that isn’t serving you. So while writing long hand and actually seeing the words from your mind down on paper is the most useful way to reap the rewards of journaling, there are other methods which may help get you there in a way that’s logistically a little easier for you. I’m in my “something is better than nothing era”, and these tactics to alternative journaling could be helpful for you too:
Voice memo: The voice memo app on your phone is a great way to journal without journaling - just start talking and see where it takes you. I spend a lot of time (sadly) in the car, but I am often using this time voice memo journaling which helps clear my mind as well as make the drive go by faster (goes without saying but do this hands-free of course).
Talk out loud: At this point none of us are strangers to seeing other strangers talk on the phone while doing other things. The fact is though, we just assume people are talking to another person….but another way to “journal” is simply to talk to yourself out loud. And if you’re out in public and feel self conscious doing that (fair enough), you can throw on your headphones and make like you’re talking to a friend even if that “friend” is really just the you in your head. I do this when I’m walking the dog…just me, Howie, and the me in my mind out for a long walk-and-talk.
Voxer a friend: Another option involves the app Voxer, and choosing a friend to “journal” with. Voxer acts like a walkie talkie - you can voice message people and they message back. Pretty simple. If you have a trusted journal buddy you can simply Voxer them your rambling journal thoughts and they can do the same back; you can decide ahead of time if you will respond to each other or simply keep the channel open for a “friendly ear” and not much more than that.
The WHAT:
When it comes to the WHAT of journaling (what to write about….) the key to getting yourself to do it regularly is, at least at first, to start out by keeping it both useful and light. You can simply free write of course, or use the Morning Pages practice made famous by Julia Cameron in her bazillion times best selling book The Artist’s Way (strong recommendation even if you don't think of yourself as the next Picaso). But for many people, journaling with a specific question or topic to kick us off is a helpful way to structure and contain the practice - making it less overwhelming and therefore making you much more likely to do it.. SO with that, I give you 5 Journal Prompts for People Who Don't Like to Journal - meant to keep things fairly breezy and positive in order to entice you (and me) to keep at it…
What are 3 things that are going well for you right now?
What’s the nicest thing someone said to you/did for you in the last week? What’s the nicest thing you said/did for someone else in the last week?
What does your ideal day look like? What is one element of that day that you could have today?
When you think of your Future Self, who has everything she’s ever wanted, what advice would she give you today?
What are 3 ways you could make today even 10% more enjoyable?
The bottom line is - don’t overcomplicate this. Journaling is an easy and free way to clear your mind, help your mood, and generate ideas. Ask yourself, “How can I make this easy?” (another good journaling question!) and write from there. The green juice and meditation can wait.