20 Self-Reflective Journal Prompts for 2019

January is a perfect time to set new intentions and focus on your goals for the rest of the year. I’ve always found that doing a beginning-of-the-year journal entry helps me lay out my plans for the coming year. Here are twenty journal prompts to help you set your intentions for 2019.

Where do you want to see yourself by 2020, and what steps can you take to get there?
Reflect back on 2018 – think of a few things that made you happy, and write about them. Remember how you were feeling, what led up to that moment, the people you were with, etc. Relive those happy moments.
Did you travel in 2018? Write about your experiences and what you learned along the way.
What was the best book you read in 2018? What aspects about it did you love?
What was the worst book you read in 2018? What aspects about it left you wanting more?
Think of one person who influenced you during this past year. They could be a friend, family member, or even a celebrity. Why did their actions inspire you and how can you implement those lessons into your own life?
List three things you would like to focus on in 2019 and create a mindmap to succeed at them.
If you won the lottery and money was no longer an issue, what would you do with your time? Is it something that you can start doing now?
Who is the one person you would like to spend more time with, but rarely see? Write about your relationship with that person, and plan out a way to see them more often.
If you suffered any tragedy or heartbreak during 2018, take a moment to reflect back on those things and jot down all of your thoughts about them. Sometimes emptying your mind can help you cope.
What scares you about the future – nuclear war? Climate change? Pick the thing that keeps you up at night and write about why that thing worries you. Is there anything you can do to prevent it from happening?
What music did you find yourself enjoying the most last year? How did it make you feel to listen to it, and what memories do you associate with that music?
If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be, and why? Is it something that you can realistically alter about yourself? If so, create a map to getting there.
Can you think of anything that you wished existed but doesn’t yet, such as an artwork, movie, book, event, or anything else you can imagine? Write about that thing. Who knows – maybe it’s something you can create yourself!
Choose a quote that you loved in 2018. Write about what that quote means to you.
Write a letter to someone from your past that you still want closure with. You don’t have to send the letter (unless you want to, of course), but sometimes just writing down the things you wish you could have said to them can help you cope with their loss.
Make a list of things that make you feel happy, both large and small. Focus on those things in the new year.
If you could have coffee with any three people in the world, living or dead, who would they be and why?
Reflect back on some of your missed opportunities of 2018 – things you wished that you had said yes to or had worked harder to do. Why do you wish you had done those things and is there anything you can do now to make those things happen again in 2019?
Write about what you want from your future, as far ahead as you’d like. Make a vague map of succeeding at those things.