70 Easy and Fun Journal Prompts for Beginners

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Last Updated on September 16, 2022

If you’re just starting out with journaling, guided journal prompts are a great way to get started! Rather than sit in front of your journal feeling stumped on what to write about, you can follow journal prompts for beginners for inspiration.

Journal prompts are meant to guide you with a specific theme in mind, depending on what you want to gain out of a journaling session. For example, if you want to build confidence and self-compassion, self love journal prompts are great for that. If you want to reflect on your personality and learn more about yourself, self discovery journal prompts will do the trick!

But maybe you’re completely brand new to journaling and don’t even know where to start! If you don’t know exactly what you want to accomplish, then you’ll want to try these journal prompts for beginners. The prompts in this post will help you open up and get comfortable writing in a journal in the first place.

These journal prompts for beginners won’t be too deep or intimidating. They’ll simply introduce you to the habit of journaling and the benefits of self expression through writing.

To make things easier, here’s a few different categories you can browse through!

Fun Journal Prompts for Beginners
Self Reflection Journal Prompts for Beginners
Getting to Know Yourself Journal Prompts for Beginners

Table of Contents

This post is all about journal prompts for beginners

5 Easy Steps to Writing Your First Journal Entry

Writing out that very first journal entry is easier than you think! All you need to get started is…

A cute, blank journal like this one from Erin Condren or (if you could use a little assistance!) a guided journal like my printable gratitude journal is a great place to start!
A time of day that works best for you
The understanding that journaling is most effective when done regularly
A little inspiration (like the journal prompts for beginners in this post!)
Simply putting the pen to the paper and get started!

These are just a few things to keep in mind if you have no idea where to start in your journaling. Consider these as you browse through these journal prompts for beginners! Happy journaling!

70 Simple but Creative Journal Prompts for Beginners

Fun Journal Prompts for Beginners

What people, places, or things make you the happiest?
What is the biggest thing you’re looking forward to?
If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be? How would being there make you feel?
What is your happiest memory from the past week, month, or year?
What did you read, watch, or hear about this month that inspired you?
What is your favorite childhood memory and what makes it so special?
What was your favorite year in school and what made it so memorable?
What were some of the best highlights from your favorite trip you’ve ever taken?
What is your favorite food and what memories are associated with that food?
What were you laughing about the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
What are three of your favorite ways to spend your free time?
What can you add to your life to bring yourself more joy?
What sparks your creativity? In what ways are you creative?
What is something that always makes you smile?
What is your favorite family tradition and why?
Do you have any hobbies? Why do you enjoy them?
What hobby would you like to get into?

What is your favorite season and what do you like about it?
What does the perfect weekend look like to you?
If you could move anywhere in the world, where would you move to and why?
If you were magically granted 12 extra hours in a day, how would you spend the time?
If you could change your name, what would it be and why?

Self Reflection Journal Prompts for Beginners

How do you feel today?
How did your life look like at this time last year? What were the highs and lows?
What do you need most this week?
Reflect on some of the recent dreams you’ve had at night.
When you’re feeling anxious, what is something that never fails to calm you down?
What are three things you’re grateful for right now and why?

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What is something that keeps you going when times get a little tough?
What is something that opened your mind and made you change your perspective about the world?
If you could change one thing about your present life, what would it be?
What do you like about the neighborhood, city, state, or country you live in?
What can you remove from your life to decrease your stress?
What was a moment where you felt the most proud/accomplished?
What is the kindest thing you’ve ever done for someone?
What are three goals you’d like to achieve in this season of your life?
What is the best advice you could give someone?
What is the best advice you’ve ever been given that shaped you in some way?
What big dream or goal are you working toward?
What is your process for reaching that goal?
What are 5 things you want to learn more about? List them and describe why you want to learn more.
Who was your biggest role model growing up?
What is something you hope gets better?
What is something worth pursuing even though it’s hard?
What do you care most about presenting in a first impression?
How is your relationship like with your family?
What does your friend circle look like?
What advice would you give to your high school self?
What is something you really want to do but haven’t made the commitment yet?
What is something you can do on Sunday nights to make Monday mornings go smoother?

What is something you’ve overcome that truly felt impossible to overcome at the time?
What is the highlight and lowlight of today?
Who was the best and worst teacher you’ve ever had?

Getting to Know Yourself Journal Prompts for Beginners

How have your interests and passions changed over the last several years?
Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? How so?
What is your favorite form of movement/exercise and why?

If you could do anything you want without any negative consequences or fear of failure, what would you do?
What qualities do you seek out in friendships?
Which self care activities do you enjoy and why?
What is one thing you would change about your personality?
What do you think is the number one misconception people have about you?
What kind of person would make the perfect soulmate for you?
What is something you’re good at? What makes you excel at it?
Do you prefer to have one or two best friends or a group of friends?
Do you have a comfort song or comfort movie? If so, how does it make you feel?
What makes you feel safe?
What is something you struggle with that others don’t seem to?
What is something that comes easy to you but doesn’t come so easy to others?
If you had to open a business, what kind of business would it be?
What do you want to be remembered for?

Why Journal?

Not only is journaling a positive form of self expression, but it can help you organize your thoughts and feelings for greater clarity. There’s also many different approaches you can take to journaling, such as for your mental health, for identifying goals, getting in touch with your creative side, and so much more!

Journaling is powerful for self-reflection, problem-solving, and even increasing self-awareness of your needs. And even as a beginner, you can start to see some of these benefits in your journal practice.

Here are some of the most common ways you can start journaling:

Journaling for Mental Health and Self Care

Journaling can be used to unpack and process your emotions. Doing so can help ease your anxiety and allow you to get to the root of what may be bothering you. It can also help you discover what you really need most.

For example, if you’re overwhelmed and burnt out, this will likely reflect in your writing when expressing your emotions. From there, you can recognize that this is a problem for you and identify the steps you need to take to alleviate it. Maybe you realize your job is too demanding, or you haven’t been getting the support you need from family and friends.

Journaling for mental health and self care not only helps you with problem-solving, but it can also be a much-needed release for stress and anxiety.

Journaling for Creativity

Journaling can also be a powerful creative outlet for beginners! If it feels overwhelming to dive into things like mental health at first, you can always start slow with more positive journaling activities, like ones geared toward creativity.

Some ideas include designing pretty pages, doodling, bullet journaling, adding color, or anything your heart desires, really!

You can also use your journal to jot down creative ideas, such as fun projects to start, crafts to try, business ideas, and more.

I love writing down different blog post ideas and product ideas in my journal! When the creative mood strikes, it really helps to take notes on where your brain is at!

Journaling for Manifesting

Don’t let manifesting intimidate you! At its core, manifesting involves goal setting, planning your future, and instilling belief in yourself and your capabilities. You’ve likely already done some of these things, so manifesting isn’t so foreign after all!

When you manifest something you want to achieve, you become aware of your goals and what it takes to reach them. I have a guide on the way I use my journal to manifest and it’s a fairly simple process. It lets me plan out a goal to the very last detail as I envision myself achieving the goal.

Manifesting in this way gives me a positive mindset and confidence in what I’m pursuing!

These are just a few things you can choose to focus on when beginning your journaling practice, but you can also keep it simple. I suggest starting with the journal prompts for beginners in this post first, just to get used to journaling in an easy and fun way. Once you get the hang of it, you can consider diving into a specific focus!

Simple Tips for Journaling for Beginners

Before you give these journal prompts for beginners a try, keep the following in mind:

Let your thoughts flow – when you’re first starting out, don’t worry about how you sound when you write. No need to overthink your sentence structure, just let your thoughts flow! The goal is to make journaling as least intimidating as possible
Journaling is a tool, but one tool of many – what I mean by this is that if your goal is to improve your mental health or self care, it’s important to ALSO be seeking help in a variety of ways, including therapy. (Online Therapy is the best program I trust!!)
Journaling DOES get easier – My journaling sessions have gotten more productive and beneficial for me as time goes on. Why? Because I know how to make the most of it. I know which types of writing exercises work for me and which don’t. I know that when I’m short on time, it’s better for me to do a quick brain dump. When I have time to spare, I use specific prompts. You will learn what works for you too!
Journaling might feel tedious, but the feeling afterward is worth it – getting started is always the hardest part! With anything, am I right? But just as you might feel amazing after a workout, you’ll feel amazing after putting in the work with journaling too. My mind feels clearer, I feel like I released what I needed to, and I learned more about myself.

How to Use Journal Prompts for Beginners

There’s a few different ways you can approach these journal prompts for beginners to work them into your daily routine, like:

Answering just one prompt a day, working your way through the list in numerical order
Choosing a number at random and responding to the prompt from that number on the list
Pick the prompts that are most relevant to your life at the moment. For example, if you have a specific obstacle to overcome, you may want to choose the prompts that will help you face that obstacle.
Choose a few go-to prompts to respond to each time you journal. For example, each morning I write down three things I’m grateful for, my intention for the day, and my top three goals for the day.

How Do You Start a Journal as a Beginner?

Journaling doesn’t need to be a daunting chore! Just take it slow and don’t feel like you need to commit to a daily routine of journaling right away.

Even just journaling once a week can provide immense benefit to you. Allow it to fit into your schedule. Mornings too hectic? Try opening your journal at night before you go to sleep! Maybe Sunday nights are good for you, before you start your week.

Here are some of my favorite tips for starting a journal as a beginner:

Buy a journal that fits your needs – Do you want a blank notebook that you can write your own prompts in? Or would you prefer a guided journal like the Five Minute Journal? Think about what you want out of your journal.
Try a printable journal – printable journals are awesome because you can access them instantly instead of waiting for them to arrive at your door! They’re also a more affordable option than your typical store-bought journal. I have a printable mental health journal and printable gratitude journal you might like!
Set reminders – in your phone or calendar to journal at the same time each week to make it a habit
Pair it with other self care activities – try meditating after your journaling practice to clear your mind. This is a great way to let go of any final thoughts and sit peacefully with yourself after journaling.
Don’t be too hard on yourself – if you skip a day or week, that is okay! Just get back up and try again! Journaling is supposed to be a form of stress relief, not a job or chore.

Benefits of Using Journal Prompts

Journaling is super beneficial for your mental health, personal growth, organization, and even productivity! Here are some specific benefits of using journal prompts for beginners:

Decreases stress and anxiety
Assists in emotion regulation
Helps you organize your thoughts and declutter your mind
Increases self-awareness
Helps you learn more about yourself and your needs
Allows you to process your thoughts
Clears your mind to give you greater productivity throughout the day

Different Types of Personal Journals

Different journals will be geared toward different goals, and there’s actually so many different varieties out there! It is so much more than the “dear diary” memories you may have had from childhood.

Journaling in this day and age is so much more than that, and here are some common types of personal journals you can try as a beginner:

Gratitude journal (I have a printable gratitude journal right here)
DIY bullet journal
The Five Minute Journal
Fitness journal
Food journal
Manifestation journal
Travel journal
Mental health journal (I have a printable mental health journal here!)
Art journal
Reading journal
Goal journal (I have a printable goal setting planner right here)

Final Thoughts on Journal Prompts for Beginners

Up to this point, you might have thought journaling was only for a certain type of person. But because journaling can accomplish so many different goals, whether that be creative expression, organizing your thoughts, or improving self care, it’s so versatile that it’s for EVERYONE!

And we all gotta start somewhere! So I put together these journal prompts for beginners to ease you into a first-time journal practice. No matter what your ultimate motivation for journaling is, you can start right here and figure things out as you go.

Feel free to journal in any way that you want, about anything that you want, and your possibilities will be endless.

Psst…want to make journaling a habit? Grab my (free!) daily self care check in below for quick and easy self care prompts each morning and night!