The Best 5 Minute Journal Prompts for Beginners

Are you new to journaling? Maybe you have limited time during the day? Many of us are seeking specific prompts or ideas to inspire and improve our journaling practice. This post continues the journaling tips series. Today, I will share 15 of my favorite simple, 5 minute journal prompts that are perfect for beginners just starting out journaling or for the busybodies in my community.

If you are curious to learn more about the practice of journaling and see my first post on shifting your money mindset, you can find more here.

For now, keep reading to find out more!

Sometimes we experience writer’s block. It happens to the best of us. You want to journal and reflect, but where do you start? It is helpful to have some guidance or at least some pre-established prompts to help move you through your feelings.

Journaling Really Helps With Processing Thoughts and Feelings

When we write about our experiences, emotions, and innermost thoughts, we create a tangible outlet for self-expression. And by physically putting our thoughts on paper, we externalize them. It’s almost like releasing them and letting them go.

Or at least, putting a pin in it and saving the thought for a later date. This helps us gain clarity and perspective, and enables us to examine our thoughts and feelings from a more objective standpoint.

Journaling is like a safe space to explore and unravel our thoughts and emotions. It helps us identify patterns, triggers, and recurring themes, leading to greater sense of self-awareness.

And that right there is the key to learning how to love yourself, learning how to treat yourself, and how you want others to treat you.

Can you tell I am passionate about journaling?

Why Can 5 Minute Journal Prompts be Helpful?

When you think about journaling, you likely think about long form journaling, where someone may be letting out a constant stream of thoughts for pages and pages.

However, as I am hinting at in today’s post, 5 minute journal prompts can be just as effective. And in particular, they are great for when you aren’t sure where to even start. So these are great for beginners new to journaling.

5 minute journal prompts offer an efficient and effective approach to processing thoughts and feelings. They are great for those of us who want to dip our toes into journaling but also may not have all the time in the world to sit and journal for 30 or more minutes at a time.

I’m looking at you boss babes out there. I know you’re trying to have it all 🙂

Despite their brevity, 5 minute journal prompts can be just as effective at facilitating self-discovery and emotional processing. It is definitely likely that you will be more consistent because you realize you can fit it into your schedule. And consistency is key for helping us learn more about ourselves over time, right?

These journal prompts are the perfect thing to incorporate into your relaxing and self care routines. I mean this is so important too for stress management with our busy schedules.

This is something I have harped on in the past, and I will continue to harp on. We really can’t let our self care fall by the sidelines. It can have destructive consequences on your health and wellbeing in the long term.

I’ve experienced this first hand, and I want to help other women like me heal from that or prevent it to begin with!

It is so easy to get caught up in the fast paced life, the constant grind. It is so important to make time for you. Don’t forget to relax!

That’s why it’s always good to have a little check in with yourself periodically.

With that, here are my favorite 5 minute journal prompts ideal for beginners and those with busy schedules.

5 Minute Journal Prompts – Save for Later!

1. What are three things you are grateful for today?

This one is great because it can help foster a positive outlook for the rest of your day. The type of mindset you start a day with really has a huge impact on your mood and the kind of things you will open yourself up to for the rest of the day.

That’s why it is so important to not check your emails or scroll social media first thing in the morning when you wake up. Instead, try starting off your morning with this quick journal entry that is sure to brighten your day!

2. Write down three positive affirmations for the day.

Again, this is another good one for really bringing light and positivity to your mood. Affirmations are known to be so impactful to framing your mindset and opening you up to receiving what you deserve.

Affirmations are empowering statements that cultivate a positive mindset, boost self-confidence, and align your thoughts with your desired reality.

Speak it into existence right? Incorporating positive affirmations into your routine will instill them in your mind and help you improve your self-confidence overtime.

Some examples of positive affirmations I like to incorporate into my morning routines include:

• I love and appreciate myself entirely.
• I don’t need a seat at the table, I bring the table.
• I will release any worries over things I cannot control.
• I am in charge of my future.
• I am healthy, safe, and loved.

3. Reflect on a recent accomplishment or success and how it made you feel.

Think about a recent time where you achieved a goal or completed a project you were working on and the types of emotions you experienced. Who was around you when that happened, or who did you call to tell first? Did you do anything to celebrate yourself? What came of that goal or project you successfully accomplished? Anything coming next?

These are all some great thoughts to consider and reflect on. It will help you get your thoughts flowing on the next things you may want to tackle. And at the baseline, it will remind you to feel happy with the things you have done and don’t let those accomplishments go unnoticed.

4. Describe a moment of kindness or generosity you witnessed or experienced this week.

I feel like these days, it is so rare to come across genuine kindness! For me it is even the simple things that bring me joy when I am out in public.

Someone holds the door open for me, and I shuffle to it quickly. They jokingly say no need to run, hope you have a nice day!

Like that is so pleasant, but it doesn’t always happen!

Hopefully you do not have to wrack your brain too hard to come up with an act of kindness you experienced recently. It doesn’t even have to be anything big or extravagant. Maybe this also spurs you to want to do something extra nice for someone else!

Be the light you want to see in others 🙂

5. Write about something that brought a smile to your face the day before.

Out of all the 5 minute journal prompts, this is one of my favorites because there are so many reasons to smile and oftentimes they go unnoticed. So take the time to reflect on it. What actually made you smile recently. Was someone involved or was it an animal, or a show or an object? What about the experience made you feel happy?

How can you experience more of that? Life is just as much about the little moments as it is about the big moments. Take the time to reflect on this and you will realize what is actually important to you.

6. List three things you love or appreciate about yourself.

This shouldn’t be hard, but unfortunately it is for so many of us! Why is it that way! Society has progressed to a place where we get instant gratification for things or instant shame.

We are taught to like certain things, and dislike others. We have made up this false sense of how people should look, act, and feel!

Look deep within yourself and try to block out all the noise and external factors. What are some things about yourself that you truly love?

7. Reflect on a challenge or setback you faced and how you can learn from it.

These 5 minute journal prompts are all so good in their own rights! This one is great because it helps you reflect on times that were difficult for you. Kind of like a lesson learned exercise.

What do you think could have gone differently, and if you experienced it again in the future, what would you change?

What made the experience challenging? How did it make you feel? Was it preventable?

8. Write about a goal or aspiration you have and one step you can take in the near term to move closer to it.

I included this one because at the end of the day, we should always be trying to take one step each day to become a better version of ourselves…wink wink wink that’s the goal of this community here!

But seriously, think about all the goals you might have for yourself and try to break them down into bite size daily tasks and activities.

Before you know it, you just may accomplish that big dream goal you had.

9. Describe a person who inspires you and why they are an inspiration.

Almost everyone has a role model in their life and someone who serves as an inspiration for them and how they envision their life to become. This can be someone in your inner circle, or maybe a celebrity, or even a mentor at work!

What qualities do they have that you appreciate? What is their lifestyle like? Why are they an inspiration to you?

Thinking about these things may help you really reflect on the type of people you keep in your life. After all, we are a reflection of the type of company we keep!

10. Write down one thing you would like to let go of or release from your life.

This one is tough because it is really hard to let things go. But if you are trying to grow and become a better version of yourself and something may be holding you back from that, why would you want to keep that thing around.

11. Reflect on a lesson you have learned recently and how it has impacted you.

I like to think, at least now as a more recent discovery, that failures are more so lessons in life. Failure is such a strong word and does it really need to be that intense?

At the end of the day, we are all on this journey of life, just trying to figure it out. There will be ups and downs. It’s how you pick yourself up from the downs that really counts.

12. Describe a place that brings you peace or makes you feel calm.

For me this is at home and home is anywhere my husband is. He always knows exactly what I need and how to be there for me. He always tries to make me happy and put me first. I am so thankful to have someone like him in my life supporting me and being my biggest cheerleader.

We’ve created a lovely home that is perfect for the two of us and filled with everything that makes us feel comfortable.

What makes you feel that?

13. Write about a book, movie, or song that has had a profound impact on you and why.

Whew, this one might be tough because it’s so hard to choose just one of any of these things! But I challenge you to try! We spend so much of our free time listening to music, watching tv/movies, and some of us actually enjoy reading! So take some time to reflect on these activities!

14. List three things that energize or recharge you.

Hmm, for me I would say cooking, taking baths, and going for walks. We should actively seek out the little things that bring us joy in life and help us recharge from the busy lifestyles we live.

And more importantly, make time for those things! By reflecting on what energizes or recharges you, it may help you realize what you should be doing more of. It’s so important to take time for yourself daily if you can.

15. Reflect on a moment of self-care or self-love you have practiced or plan to practice today.

Piggybacking off the topic above, but we all have to try to incorporate more self-care into our daily routines! Even if it needs to be scheduled.

Take time for yourself. The more you give to yourself, the more you will be able to give to others.

All of these prompts are designed to be quick and easy, allowing you to spend just five minutes each day engaging in reflective writing and self-discovery. Ideally you can replace scrolling your phone in the morning with reflecting on one of these journal prompts!

Happy journaling!