Prompts
We see Prompts as coming in 4 different purposes:
- Explore
- Document
- Affirm
- Plan
Having a specific intention when you journal can help you get the most out your efforts. Very similar to Stephen Covey's thoughts on using a planner, there are times when life benefits from using it in specific ways - or not using it at all.
Below are brief explanations on suggestions about how to use a journal or prompts in different ways.
There are a lot of sources of prompts. If you are looking for something specific to write about, do an internet search for that topic followed by "journal prompts." You'll likely find more suggestions than we could ever list here.
After the explanations, we provide links to several other sites that have what we feel are good lists of prompts for you to consider.
Explore
Exploring prompts target the why behind something. The objective here is to cut through the fog and uncover an awareness. Shining a light on a true source of something is empowering. There are a few techniques for doing this whether or not you start with a prompt.
- 5 Why's. When you find yourself providing an explanation for a thought or a feeling, ask why. When you answer that, ask why again. Keep asking why until you get to the root cause - or, you can't. If you find the root cause, you now have something to work on. If you can't, you now have something else to explore. This is actually a business improvement technique that involves digging deeper into resolving problems.
- What's different. When exploring a particular thought or emotion about something or someone, replace that with something comparable, but different. For instance, if a friend were to evoke a response in you that seems uncharacteristic, consider what your response would be if it were a professional colleague who did the same thing. What about the emotion would be different and why?
- What's missing. As you journal about a topic, take time to review what has been written from an objective view and observe what or if you are leaving anything out. If something is being left out, reflecting on why may lead you to insights.
- Feeling the story. As you journal about a topic, listen to your body - typically your gut. Writing about topics or circumstances that are important to you can literally evoke a physical sensation. If you have this experience, follow that thread to see where it goes. Using 5 Why's above is great. Be honest with yourself and document the sensation - explore.
Document
Sometimes it's good to simply keep track of what happened. Family outings, vacations, or an important meeting at work can all elicit thoughts and emotions. They can also be important enough that you just want to be able to reflect on them and a later date.
Documenting could also be a simple stream of consciousness. This is especially effective when something that evokes strong thoughts or emotions in you. Just letting it out on paper is a classic method that dates back to Marcus Aurelius.
This method can be combined with the Exploration method to produce some interesting results.
- If someone else documents the same event, what did they include/exclude compared with you... then reflect on why you did/didn't capture something.
- Use the 5 Why's technique to reflect why something seemed more emotional than factual.
Affirmation
This one can go where you need it to go, but it certainly belongs here. Using your writing to document your affirmations can be very powerful. As writing has been documented as firing neurons in or near the emotion area of the brain, writing what you are striving to become is a great method.
We all have things we want or need to shore up with our lives. This is a great way to internalize it.
If you need a format for this one, long ago, there was a post by Matt Pletzer of Lift Consulting who posted a great suggestion.
Plan
Last, but not least, is to Plan in your journal.
Surprisingly underutilized and yet incredibly powerful when it comes to goal setting and evoking change in your life.
Use this method to write about your goals and aspirations. But don't just write - write with your senses.
Goal setting is said to be best when combining imagination with feeling and a great way to do that is to enlist the senses. As you write about your goals, include specific senses...
- What does the leather chair feel like in the office you want?
- What does the sand feel like on your toes while on that special vacation?
- How does the lobster tail flambé taste at the restaurant you want to launch?
If you pursue this one, give yourself some extra time to actually feel what you are writing about and let it sink in...
Specific Prompts
If it's helpful to have a starting point, you can always search the internet for different journaling prompts. In your favorite search engine, type what it is that you would like to write about and add "journaling prompt" to the end.
As general suggestions, we have found these links to have great lists of questions to get you started:
- 550 Journaling Prompts
- 365 Creative Writing Prompts
- 101 Thought Provoking Journaling Prompts
- 99 Journal Prompts to inspire you