What Should I Write About in My Journal? 75 Ideas by Category

Why "What Should I Write About?" Is the Wrong Question

If you've ever sat down with a journal and felt paralyzed by the blank page, you're not alone. Research by psychologist James Pennebaker found that the act of writing matters more than the topic — people who wrote about anything for 15 minutes showed measurable improvements in well-being.

The real question isn't what to write about. It's what kind of writing will serve you right now? (If you're unsure which approach fits, our overview of the most popular journaling methods can help.)

History's greatest journal-keepers understood this. Marcus Aurelius used his journal for daily self-examination. Leonardo da Vinci filled his with observations and curiosity-driven questions. Virginia Woolf wrote stream-of-consciousness reflections on daily life. Anne Frank processed overwhelming emotions on the page. None of them followed a formula — they wrote what they needed.

This guide gives you 100 starting points, organized so you can find the right one in seconds.

Find Your Starting Point: A Decision Framework

Instead of scrolling through a random list, match your current state to a journaling style:

Category 1: Brain Dump — When You Need to Empty Your Head

A brain dump clears mental clutter. Research from the University of Chicago found that writing about worries before a stressful event freed up working memory and improved performance. No structure required — just let it flow. Our brain dump journal guide goes deeper into this technique.

1. Write everything that's on your mind right now — no filtering, no editing
2. What are the three things taking up the most mental space today?
3. If you could hand off one responsibility to someone else, what would it be and why?
4. What have you been putting off? Write about what's really stopping you
5. Describe your current stress level as a weather forecast
6. What would you say to a friend who had your exact week?
7. List every decision you need to make this month, big or small
8. What are you overthinking? Write the worst-case scenario, then the most likely one
9. Write a complaint letter to no one about something that's been bugging you
10. What do you need to hear right now that nobody is saying?

Example entry (Prompt #5): "Today's mental weather: partly cloudy with sudden gusts of deadline anxiety. There's a 70% chance of procrastination in the afternoon, but I'm seeing a clearing around 4pm when the meeting gets cancelled. Current temperature: slightly too warm from rushing this morning. The five-day forecast looks manageable if I can just get through Wednesday's presentation. I keep forgetting that these storms always pass."

Category 2: Gratitude — When You Want to Notice What's Good

Gratitude journaling isn't about toxic positivity. A 2003 study by Emmons and McCullough found that people who wrote about specific things they were grateful for (not vague generalities) reported 25% higher well-being after 10 weeks. For a full collection, explore our gratitude journal prompts.

11. Name three small things from today that you'd miss if they were gone
12. Who made your life easier this week? What exactly did they do?
13. Write about a skill you have that you take for granted
14. What's one "ordinary" thing in your life that would have amazed your 10-year-old self?
15. Describe a place that makes you feel calm. What specifically about it works?
16. What's the best thing you ate recently? Describe it like a food critic
17. Write a thank-you note to your body for something it did today
18. What problem from five years ago no longer matters?
19. Name someone who believed in you before you believed in yourself
20. What's one thing about your current life you'd never want to trade?

Example entry (Prompt #14): "Ten-year-old me would lose his mind over the fact that I can talk to my phone and it plays any song ever recorded, instantly. I remember saving up for CDs and having to choose between two albums. Now I have everything and somehow appreciate it less. I want to bring back that kid's sense of wonder — maybe by actually sitting with the music instead of using it as background noise."

Category 3: Goals and Future — When You Need Direction

Writing goals down makes you 42% more likely to achieve them, according to research by psychologist Gail Matthews. But effective goal journaling goes beyond listing targets — it explores the why behind them. Our goal-setting journal prompts take this further.

21. Where do you want to be one year from today? Describe a typical Tuesday
22. What's one goal you've been afraid to say out loud?
23. What would you attempt if you knew you couldn't fail?
24. Write a letter from your future self who achieved your biggest goal. What advice do they give?
25. What's one habit you'd love to build? What's the smallest possible version of it?
26. What are you tolerating in your life that you don't have to?
27. If money weren't a factor, how would your days look different?
28. What's one skill you wish you'd started learning five years ago? What if you start today?
29. Describe your ideal morning routine in detail
30. What would "enough" look like for you? Be specific

Category 4: Emotional Processing — When You're Working Through Something

Pennebaker's expressive writing research showed that writing about difficult emotions for just 15-20 minutes over 3-4 days led to fewer doctor visits and improved immune function. The key: write about both the facts and how you feel about them. Our guide to journaling for emotional regulation explores this approach in depth.

31. What emotion have you been avoiding? Write about it without judgment
32. Describe a recent situation that triggered a strong reaction. Why did it hit so hard?
33. Write about something you haven't forgiven yourself for. What would forgiveness look like?
34. What are you grieving right now, even if it seems small?
35. When was the last time you cried? What was underneath the tears?
36. Write about a boundary you need to set but haven't
37. What's the conversation you keep rehearsing in your head?
38. Describe a moment this week when you felt truly like yourself. What made it different?
39. What does your inner critic say most often? Write a rebuttal
40. Write a letter to a younger version of yourself. What do they need to hear?

Example entry (Prompt #37): "I keep rehearsing what I should have said to my manager when she cut me off in the meeting. In my head, I'm articulate and calm. In reality, I just went quiet. The conversation I keep replaying isn't really about the meeting — it's about whether I matter enough for people to listen. I think I need to stop rehearsing what I should have said and start practicing saying it next time. One sentence. That's all."

Category 5: Creativity and Imagination — When You Want to Play

Creative journaling activates different neural pathways than analytical writing. Research on divergent thinking shows that unstructured creative exercises improve problem-solving even in unrelated domains. For more inspiration, see our creative journal ideas collection.

41. If you could have dinner with any person from history, who would it be and what's your first question?
42. Write a short scene set in your favorite place, but 100 years from now
43. Describe your life as if it were a movie. What genre is it? What's the current scene?
44. You wake up with one superpower. What is it, and what do you do first?
45. Write a letter from your pet's perspective about living with you
46. Invent a holiday that the world needs. What does it celebrate and how?
47. If your emotions were characters, what would they look like?
48. Write the opening paragraph of your autobiography
49. Describe your favorite childhood memory using all five senses
50. If you could send a one-page message to everyone on Earth, what would it say?

Category 6: Self-Reflection — When You Want to Understand Yourself Better

Self-reflective journaling builds metacognition — the ability to observe your own thinking. A study in the Harvard Business Review found that employees who spent 15 minutes reflecting at the end of each day performed 23% better after 10 days. For a dedicated set, see our 24 journaling prompts for self-reflection.

51. What's one belief you held strongly five years ago that you've since changed?
52. When do you feel most confident? What's different about those moments?
53. What pattern keeps showing up in your life that you want to understand?
54. Describe a time you surprised yourself. What did you learn?
55. What are you pretending not to know?
56. What would people be surprised to learn about you? Why do you keep it hidden?
57. How do you typically respond to criticism? Is that the response you want?
58. What's the most important lesson you learned the hard way?
59. Write about a time your instinct was right but you ignored it
60. If you could change one thing about how you were raised, what would it be?

Category 7: Relationships — When You Want to Understand Your Connections

Journaling about relationships improves emotional intelligence and communication. Writing about interpersonal experiences helps you identify patterns, process conflict, and appreciate the people around you. For shared exercises, try our journal prompts for couples.

61. Who are the five people you spend the most time with? How does each one make you feel?
62. Write about a friendship that faded. What happened, and do you miss it?
63. What does love look like in your daily life, right now?
64. Describe a time someone's kindness caught you off guard
65. What do you wish you could tell someone but won't?
66. Write about a relationship that challenged you to grow
67. What's one thing you've learned about yourself from your closest relationship?
68. How do you show love? Is it the same way you prefer to receive it?
69. Write about someone you admire. What specifically draws you to them?
70. What would you want your loved ones to say about you at your 80th birthday?

Category 8: Daily Observations — When You Just Want to Notice Life

Observational journaling sharpens your attention to the present moment. Da Vinci filled his notebooks with observations about water, light, and human behavior. You don't need profound topics — the ordinary becomes interesting when you really look at it. For a structured approach, try a daily reflection journal.

71. Describe the view from your window right now, as if someone who can't see it asked
72. What's the most interesting conversation you overheard recently?
73. Write about a stranger you noticed today. What story did you imagine for them?
74. What sounds can you hear right now? List all of them
75. Write about something you do every day but have never described in detail

Category 9: Career and Professional Life — When You Want Clarity at Work

Your career takes up a third of your waking life, but most people never journal about it. Writing about work helps you spot patterns, process frustration, and make better decisions about where you're heading.

76. What parts of your job energize you? What parts drain you?
77. Describe your ideal workday from start to finish — how different is it from reality?
78. Write about a professional accomplishment you haven't given yourself enough credit for
79. What skill would make the biggest difference in your career right now?
80. If you could redesign your role from scratch, what would you keep and what would you change?
81. Write about a difficult coworker or boss situation. What can it teach you?
82. Where do you want to be professionally in three years? What's the first step?
83. What's one piece of career advice you wish you'd received earlier?

Category 10: Health and Body — When You Want to Check In Physically

Your body communicates constantly — through energy levels, tension, hunger, and pain. Journaling about physical experience builds the mind-body awareness that most people ignore until something goes wrong.

84. Do a body scan right now. Where are you holding tension? What might that tension be about?
85. Describe your energy levels today like a battery indicator. What charged you? What drained you?
86. What does your body need right now that you've been ignoring?
87. Write about a time your body told you something important — illness, exhaustion, gut feeling
88. What does "feeling healthy" actually look like for you? Be specific
89. Describe your relationship with sleep. Is it a good relationship?
90. What movement or physical activity makes you feel most alive? When did you last do it?
91. Write about a meal that made you feel genuinely nourished — not just full

Category 11: Travel and New Experiences — When You Want Adventure on the Page

You don't need a passport to explore. These prompts work whether you're reflecting on past trips, imagining future ones, or simply noticing the unfamiliar in your own neighborhood.

92. Describe the most memorable place you've ever visited. What made it stick?
93. Write about a time you got lost — physically or metaphorically. What did you discover?
94. If you could teleport anywhere for 24 hours, where would you go and what would you do?
95. What's the most interesting thing within walking distance of your home that you've never explored?
96. Describe a trip that changed your perspective on something important
97. Write about a food, custom, or tradition from another culture that fascinates you
98. What's on your bucket list that scares you a little?
99. Describe the last time you did something for the first time
100. If you could relive one travel memory, which would it be and why?

What History's Greatest Journalers Wrote About

If you're still unsure, take a cue from people who made journaling their lifelong practice:

The common thread: none of them worried about what to write. They just started — and the page met them where they were.

What to Do When You Still Can't Think of Anything

Sometimes even a list of 100 ideas feels like too many options. Here's a simpler approach:

The One-Sentence Method: Write one true sentence about how you're feeling right now. Not a clever sentence. Not a deep sentence. Just an honest one. Momentum often takes over from there.

The "Today I Noticed" Trick: Start every entry with "Today I noticed..." and finish the sentence. It works because noticing is easier than reflecting.

Use an AI Journaling Companion: If you're brand new, our beginner's guide to journaling walks you through the first steps. Or try tools like Life Note pair you with AI mentors trained on writings from history's greatest minds — so instead of writing alone, you get personalized responses drawn from real wisdom.

You might also enjoy our guide to 5-year journal.

FAQ

What should I write about in my journal if I'm a beginner?

Start with what's on your mind right now. Brain dump journaling is the easiest entry point — just write everything you're thinking without filtering or organizing. There's no wrong topic for your first entry.

How long should a journal entry be?

There's no minimum. One sentence counts. Research shows benefits from as little as 15 minutes of writing. Most regular journalers write for 10-20 minutes per session.

Is it OK to write about the same thing every day?

Yes. Returning to the same topic often reveals new layers. Many therapists recommend writing about the same experience multiple times to process it fully.

Should I journal in the morning or at night?

Either works. Morning journaling helps set intentions and clear mental clutter before the day starts. Evening journaling helps process the day and prepare for rest. Experiment to find what suits your rhythm.

What if my journal entries feel boring?

Boring entries are still valuable entries. The goal isn't to produce interesting writing — it's to practice self-awareness. Some of the most useful journal entries are mundane on the surface but reveal patterns over time.

Is it better to type or handwrite a journal?

Both work. Handwriting activates different brain regions and can feel more personal. Typing is faster and easier to search later. Many people use both — handwriting for emotional processing and digital tools for quick entries. Choose whatever reduces friction.

Can journaling help with anxiety?

Research says yes. Pennebaker's studies showed that expressive writing about stressful experiences reduced anxiety symptoms and doctor visits. Brain dump journaling is especially effective — getting worries onto the page frees up mental space.