Reflective journal prompts to help you think deeper

How to write a reflective journal entry

Reflection is more than describing your day. It means asking why, noticing your part, and pulling out a lesson you can use. Schools, nursing programs and workplaces often teach a simple three part model for this.

For a full guide with templates, see our page on the reflective journal.

Reflective journal questions about one event

Pick one moment from the past week that stuck with you. Work through these in order, or choose the two or three that fit best.

1. Describe one event from this week in plain facts, as if a camera recorded it.Write
2. What was my part in how that event went?Write
3. What was I thinking right before things changed?Write
4. What did I feel, and when did the feeling start?Write
5. What did I assume about the other person that I did not check?Write
6. Why does this moment still stand out to me?Write
7. What does this event show me about what I care about?Write
8. Have I been in a situation like this before? What repeated?Write
9. What went well that I want to keep doing?Write
10. What would I do differently if it happened again tomorrow?Write
11. What is one specific step I will take because of what I learned?Write
12. Who could give me a different view of what happened?Write

Prompts to reflect on a week or month

1. What took most of my energy this month, and did it deserve it?Write
2. Which plan from this week fell apart, and why?Write
3. What did I spend money on this month that I am glad about, and what do I regret?Write
4. Which day this week felt the longest, and what made it heavy?Write
5. What did I start this month that I want to keep going?Write
6. Who did I see most this week? How did I feel after time with them?Write
7. What did I avoid this week?Write
8. What is one thing I noticed about myself this month that I had not seen before?Write
9. Which of my habits helped me this week, and which got in the way?Write
10. What did I read, watch or hear this month that changed my mind about something?Write
11. What did this month ask of me that I did not expect?Write
12. What do I want to carry into next month, and what do I want to leave behind?Write

Reflective prompts about patterns and habits

Patterns are easier to see on paper than in your head. Read back over a few weeks of answers and look for repeats.

1. What do I tend to do when I feel stuck? Does it work?Write
2. What kind of situations make me go quiet?Write
3. What do I reach for, like my phone or a snack, when I feel uncomfortable?Write
4. Which time of day am I at my best, and what do I usually do with it?Write
5. What do I complain about most often? What does that tell me?Write
6. When do I say yes when I mean no?Write
7. What do I do first when I get good news? Who do I tell?Write
8. What kind of mistakes do I keep making?Write
9. What do I do on a free Saturday when nobody needs me?Write
10. Which thoughts show up again and again before I fall asleep?Write
11. What makes me impatient, and what is usually underneath it?Write
12. Which habit would my closest friend say I should change?Write

Reflective journal prompts for work and school

These work well for students, teachers, nurses and anyone asked to keep a reflective log. For more, see our journal examples for students and what to write in a work journal.

1. What did I learn this week that I could teach someone else?Write
2. Which task did I enjoy even though it was hard?Write
3. What feedback did I get recently, and how did I react to it inside?Write
4. Where did I play it safe at work or school when I could have spoken up?Write
5. What skill would make the biggest difference to my work in the next six months?Write
6. Which project am I proud of, and what exactly did I do well?Write
7. What part of my work feels meaningful, and what part feels empty?Write
8. How do I act when I do not know the answer?Write
9. Who have I learned the most from this year, and what did they do?Write
10. What would I change about how I study or work if no one was watching?Write
11. When did I last lose track of time doing something? What was it?Write
12. What part of my job would I keep even if every job paid the same?Write

Prompts to reflect on choices and decisions

1. What is a decision I made a year ago that shaped where I am today?Write
2. Which choice am I putting off, and what am I waiting for?Write
3. When I made my last big decision, did I trust my gut or the facts?Write
4. What decision would I make if I knew no one would judge me?Write
5. Which past choice do I still second guess? What did I know at the time?Write
6. What are the real options in front of me right now? List them all.Write
7. Who do I let make decisions for me, and is that okay?Write
8. What would I regret not trying in five years?Write
9. What is one decision that looked small but turned out big?Write
10. How do I want to make decisions in the future?Write

Reflective journal prompts for adults: looking at your life

These are bigger questions. Take one per sitting and give it time. If you want to go further, try our journal prompts for self discovery or journal prompts on values.

1. How have my priorities changed in the last five years?Write
2. What did I believe at 20 that I no longer believe?Write
3. What part of my life feels most like me right now?Write
4. Which relationship has taught me the most about myself?Write
5. What do I want more of in my everyday life? What do I want less of?Write
6. What does home mean to me now?Write
7. When was the last time I changed my mind about something big?Write
8. What am I still trying to prove, and to whom?Write
9. What would a good next year look like, in a few honest lines?Write
10. What hard season of my life am I grateful for now?Write
11. How do I usually spend my weekends, and what does that say about me?Write
12. What question about my life do I keep avoiding?Write

Tips for better reflection

• Write facts before feelings. Describe what happened first. It keeps you honest about the difference between what happened and what you think it meant.
• Always ask why twice. The first answer is usually the easy one. The second is often the true one.
• Finish with an action. Reflection without a next step is just remembering. End every entry with one thing you will try.
• Read back once a month. Your old entries show patterns you cannot see day to day.
• Be fair to yourself. Notice what you did well, not only what went wrong.
• Keep it private. Honest reflection needs a safe place. Our free online diary keeps pages in your own browser.

For lighter daily questions, see our daily journal prompts, or browse the full list of journal prompts.

Questions people ask