Intentional Journaling Prompts

Each week in Time Intentional, I reflect on time well spent and share takeaways or journal prompts for readers to consider. The goal of these prompts is to help readers gain clarity and incorporate small actions that enable them to build an intentional life they love.

Below, you’ll find a running list of the key takeaways. (I’ll add the questions from each recent issue to this list!) Ask yourself these questions (and/or write down your answers) to help you make the most of your time.

P.S. You don’t have to wait for this list to update! Sign up for Time Intentional to receive new key takeaways/journaling prompts each week.

Reflective Prompts for Intentional Living

Values

• Where can you create more space to reflect on your days and understand whether they feel value-aligned? Gratitude journaling is a great place to start!

• Where do your values overlap, and what are some creative ways you can live in the overlap?

Self-Reflection

• How might you conquer, befriend, or lean into your fears to prioritize something important to you? Small fears count!

• Are you giving yourself space to make intentional decisions without judgment?

• What actions (big or small) can you take when you need to step back from the busyness and stressors of the day? Spend five or more intentional minutes with yourself to reset and reflect.

• Spend some intentional time looking at photos and revisiting memories. What moments make your heart sing? How can you incorporate more of those in the future?

• Are there areas in your life where decision fatigue distracts you from deliberate choices? How might you reduce the number of decisions you need to make?

• Can you turn an unintentional moment into an intentional one with a perspective shift?

• Where and how does money fit into your definition of an intentional life? What does “enough” money look like to you?

• How can you clear space in your mind so you might show up more intentionally?

• Who makes you feel nostalgic? What places evoke nostalgia? Consider creating a list of names, locations, memories, and photos you can refer back to (hello, scrapbooking!).

• How do you want to be celebrated and seen?

• Changing your mind is a good thing! Name an opinion you’ve held that you may want to revisit as part of spending your time intentionally.

• Commit to a reasonable action outside of your comfort zone that’s an intentional use of your time, and then keep your promise to yourself and do the thing! How did it feel?

• Inspired by If Cats Disappeared from the World by Genki Kawamura, what would you erase from the world to extend your life by one day? What would you be willing and unwilling to sacrifice for more time?

Fun & Joy

• Have more fun! Where can you infuse some intentional fun and silliness into your life?

• Channel a younger version of you. What hobbies or activities did you enjoy as a child that you might intentionally invite back into your life or prioritize again?

• Immerse yourself in a hands-on activity! Ideas include painting, drawing, crocheting, knitting, coloring, calligraphy, gardening, writing, cooking, and building something. How does a hands-on activity allow you to show up more intentionally? What does it feel like?

• Choose a simple moment of play (with your pets, kids, friends, or family), even when you don’t feel up to it. How did it feel?

• Gamification can make hobbies and activities more enjoyable. How might you gamify your life over the next few weeks?

• Choose a time-consuming activity or hobby you enjoy, and rather than completing it at once, try:

  • Breaking the activity into smaller tasks: This won’t work for all activities, but for many, you can break them down into smaller parts and spread them out.

  • Dedicating multiple smaller time blocks versus one larger one: Spread the activity out so you can enjoy it longer (and hopefully show up more present).

  • Matching your energy: If it doesn’t feel like the right time to enjoy the activity, reschedule or postpone until it does (assuming it isn’t time-bound). Don’t let pressure prevent you from enjoying what you love.

• What activity can help you reconnect with your roots and incorporate more of what you love into your life?

• What’s one small action you do daily that you can savor this week that you typically blaze through?

Boundaries

• Is there an opportunity to establish and reset boundaries (with people, technology, etc.) to allow you to be more present and act with intention?

• Your energy is sacred. What boundaries do you need to set to protect your energy this week? This month?

Relationships

• How might you support or show up for someone in your circle this week?

• Are you intentional about who you surround yourself with? Are there non-traditional options you might consider to create the community you seek in various parts of your life?

• When was the last time someone offered a compliment that reflected one or more of your values? How did it make you feel? How can you recreate more of those moments?

• When did you last lose track of time in an intentional conversation with someone? Who was it with? How might you invite more of these opportunities into your world?

• Where can you create space for more unstructured but intentional time in your life? Who do you want to spend unstructured time with? 

• What knowledge or expertise can you share with someone else to help them be more intentional in some aspect of their life? How might you use it to help someone in need?

• Can you engage in an intentional and deep conversation with a group of loved ones? What are some topics you all might enjoy discussing?

• How can you intentionally show up for someone in your life who is entering or transitioning into a new season of life? How might your relationship look different in this season? How will it stay the same?

• Commit to making a small or simple gesture to support someone in your circle who could use positive thoughts and love.

• Who do you desire more quality time with? What’s one small step you can take to spend more time with them in the near future?

• Identify an opportunity to be ruthlessly honest with yourself, a small group of people, family members, or social media. Now go and say or write what you need to. How’d it feel?

Death, Grief & Legacy

• How can you intentionally celebrate and honor someone you’ve lost? What about their legacy can you carry with you?

• Mortality can be an uncomfortable topic. How can you contemplate mortality in your life (within reason and comfort) to help you live more intentionally?

Habits & Routines

• Where could you use more defined transitions that enable you to be more present and intentional with your time?

• Where do you have an opportunity to habit-stack your values and weave them into your current routines?

• How might traditions help you build repeatable intentional moments? What steps must you take to make this happen?

• What sneaky yet subtle habits are robbing you of intentional time? What baby steps can you take to address these habits?

• Challenge the ways you typically interact with the world. What’s a habit you can bend on for more intentionality?

• Intentionality doesn’t always require careful, extensive planning. Where can you run experiments with your time? What activities or habits might you adopt from experiments that feel good?

• What tools or resources might you need to help you create healthier habits? Or, what tools do you use to develop healthy habits that you can share with those around you?

• How can I bring more joy (and deliciousness) into mealtime and food preparation?

• If you want to be more intentional throughout the week, set mini, achievable goals with built-in motivation mechanisms, such as:

  • An accountability partner: Bring your goal to life by sharing it with someone else or, better yet, doing the work or activity with someone. For example, if your goal is to walk four days a week, try to find someone to walk with so you can hold each other accountable.

  • Putting something you care about on the line: This doesn’t have to be big, but it should be big enough to drive you to stay committed.

  • Isolating a time block versus a general timeframe for the goal: “I’ll do that on Wednesday,” we say. Then Wednesday arrives, and we “don’t have time.” Instead, try something like, “I’ll do that thing from 2:00-3:00 pm on Wednesday, and it’s on my calendar.”

Environment & Spaces

• What spaces in your environment could use your time and attention?

• Can you invite more intentionality into your life using your current belongings?

• Is there an opportunity for your media consumption to shed light on what matters to you or what you want your intentional life to look like? What captures your attention, and why do you think so?

• Is there an opportunity for you to slow down and intentionally put something you’ve learned into practice?

• What small, intentional actions might you incorporate into how you already spend your time? (Money isn’t always required here!)

• Are you avoiding an intentional act you can tackle in a few minutes? It might make you feel great afterward!

• So much of spending time intentionally is about cutting what doesn’t feel intentional (especially from our inboxes). How might you add new content to your world (maybe your inbox) to help you spend time more intentionally (doing something you love)?

• Pause and observe your surroundings for 3-5 minutes. What do you notice while being fully present that you sometimes miss?

Work

• Can you identify new opportunities to be more intentional in your workday? Consider what your typical workday looks like and how it feels to you. Is your schedule intentional, or is it on autopilot? Where can you adjust it to better align with what matters most?

• Workplace meetings check! Audit and review your calendar. Do your meetings feel like an intentional use of time? If not, where can you adjust them to increase their value or substitute them with another form of communication?

• Identify a recent personal or professional accomplishment. Aim for one YOU feel excited about and are proud of, not one you should feel happy about. Now, spend a few minutes celebrating!

• How can you be more intentional by creating a schedule supporting your productivity and energy throughout your workday?

• If you like someone’s work, let them know! Tell at least one person how much you enjoyed something they did recently.

• What is someone else’s work telling or showing you that you want to explore or express more of in your own life?