Starting a journal is a great choice for a new year’s resolution. It will help you organize your thoughts, allow you to reflect on what’s most important to you, and serve as an outlet for anything you need to get off your chest. Most importantly, though, it can act as a tool to help you reach all your other goals.
However, you may find that when you sit down to write in your journal, you have no idea where to begin. Using journal prompts can be the solution: you’ll never have writer’s block and can use your journaling time productively. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
1. Look at the Big Picture
Start by thinking about your biggest dreams. These can be things that you’re unsure are even possible to achieve but that you want to do more than anything. Some journal prompts to help you with this include:
What would be your ideal career after you graduate?
What do you most want to accomplish in life?
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and what would you do?
2. Think About Your Goals
After journaling about your dreams without a specific timeline in mind, you can begin thinking about the nearer term. Consider what you could start doing now to put yourself on the right track to make these things possible. This should show you that even dreams that seem far fetched could be within your reach.
To explore your ideas, use journal prompts like:
What do you want to have achieved by this time next year
What do you need to move closer to your goals?
How can you bring more happiness into your life?
3. Create an Action Plan
The last thing to do is turn all your ideas into actions. This can be particularly difficult for huge goals. In fact, many people feel so overwhelmed at the idea that they end up waiting for some external force to push them onto the right track — which may never happen. If you’re serious about seeing your dreams come true, there’s no better time than the present to take action.
Journaling can help you decide what to do next when you answer questions like:
How can you split large goals into achievable tasks?
What small actions can you take on a daily basis?
How can you make more time for what’s important?
Journaling Tips
To gain the best results from your journaling, there are a few more things you need to do. The key is to let your writing flow. Take whatever inspiration you can from the prompts — as you’re not writing a paper for a class, you don’t need to worry about sticking to the question exactly. Secondly, go into as much depth as you can. This may mean writing long paragraphs or it could involve mind maps and diagrams. Lastly, always be honest. No one ever needs to read your journal except you, meaning this is a judgment-free space.
Just as important as coming up with ideas is having somewhere you can write in your journal in peace. Foundry Princess provides you with the Queens off-campus housing you deserve. Choose from a number of spacious floor plans with between two and five private bedrooms. Plus, our great onsite amenities will also help you meet your goals — for instance, you’ll have access to a fitness center, community clubhouse, and study areas. Book a tour to see our premier student housing for yourself.
