Good morning!
There are few delights like sitting down with a cup of tea and journaling while rain patters outside the windowpanes outside. Winter is the perfect season for being more introspective and looking both ahead and behind.
I don’t know about you, but I scarcely ever set aside time for myself to just journal and clear my mind without any specific goal. Staring at a blank piece of paper is hard, isn’t it?! To keep from that sticky feeling known as writer’s block, I invite you to take this challenge yourself: set a thirty minute timer on your phone, take out a notebook, pick a random number of prompt, and write whatever comes to mind.
Without further ado, here are ten journal prompts for your writing pleasure …
- Make a list of your winter essentials. Draw illustrations: snowflakes, a pile of books, a steaming cup of tea — whatever makes you happiest during this dark season of midwinter.
- List out your goals and dreams for the year ahead. Visualize yourself in one year’s time. How old will you be? What do you want to have accomplished? How do you want to feel? What does your ideal daily routine look like? Visualization is the best way to clarify your dreams.
- Winter is the perfect time to get lost in nostalgia. Shuffle the music on your phone, play the first song that comes up, and write about what memories that song evokes for you.
- Draw up a memory of your favorite childhood haunt. It could be your childhood home. Spend some time making a map in as much detail as you can remember. When the map is sketched out, start scribbling out the memories associated with each little nook and cranny.
- Do “life update” pages where you describe your living situation, where you’re working, what’s on your mind, who your dearest friends are, how you spend your days, the soundtrack to your life and favorite songs.
- If you were trapped in a cabin during a blizzard for three days with no internet, how would you spend your time? What books would you read? What hot meals would you most enjoy? Do you have favorite board games or card games? Who would you like to catch up with in those few days?
- Describe the (imaginary) book you most feel like reading right now. What does it feel like? What is the aesthetic? What does the front cover look like? Who are the characters? How do you feel when you’ve finished it?
- Design your ideal desk/work/office space. Do you have plants? What photos are in the picture frames? What is the color scheme? Your organizational system?
- What are your favorite comfort foods? Do you have family memories associated with them?
- If you were to go on an evening walk down your street, write about the neighbors you pass. Do you remember any funny encounters or interesting conversations you shared with them?
And remember … make sure you design your journal to fit your own style. Lately, I’ve been really inspired by the “minimal floral” style, so that tends to be how I design my own journal. Give yourself a few minutes this week to make your journal your own.
Wishing you a lovely week,
<3 Olivia Grace
