Goal-setting journal prompts.
Fifty prompts that move a goal from a wish to a plan, plan for the weeks when it stalls, and check whether it is still the right goal.
Work through the groups in order the first time: choose one goal, make it concrete, then plan for what will get in the way. After that, the “Checking progress” prompts are for your check-in date.
Choosing a goal 10 prompts
Find the one worth your time before planning anything.
- What do you want to be different in six months?
- Which goal keeps coming back to you, year after year?
- Why does this goal matter to you, and not just to someone else?
- If you could work on only one goal this month, which would it be?
- What would you try if failing cost you nothing?
- Which goal are you keeping only because you think you should?
- What would make next year better than this one?
- What do you want to learn this year?
- What do you want more time for?
- Which small goal would make a big difference to your everyday life?
Making it concrete 10 prompts
From a wish to something you can start on Monday.
- Write your goal in one sentence a ten-year-old would understand.
- How will you know when you have reached it?
- What is the very first step, and when will you take it?
- Break your goal into three smaller ones.
- What will you do this week to move forward?
- How much time can you really give this goal each week?
- What do you need: time, money, help, or information?
- Who could help you, and how will you ask?
- What does a good day of work on this goal look like?
- Choose a date to check your progress, and write it down.
What gets in the way 10 prompts
Plan for the bad weeks while it is still a good one.
- What has stopped you before?
- What is the most likely reason you will stop?
- What will you do on the days you do not feel like it?
- Which habit gets in the way of this goal?
- What could you remove from your week to make space?
- What are you afraid will happen if you try?
- What is the minimum version of this goal for a busy week?
- Who might not support this, and how will you handle that?
- What would you tell a friend who had the same problem?
- Which excuse do you use most often? Write it down, then answer it.
Checking progress 10 prompts
For the check-in date you wrote down.
- What have you done this week that moved you forward?
- What is working, and what is not?
- On a scale of one to ten, how close are you? What would add one point?
- What have you learned since you started?
- Is this still the right goal?
- What has surprised you about the process so far?
- Which step took longer than you expected, and why?
- What will you change next week?
- How could you mark a small step forward?
- Write a short progress report, as if for a friend.
Looking further 10 prompts
Longer views, written in pencil.
- Where would you like to be in five years?
- What would you like to be known for?
- Which goal would your future self thank you for starting now?
- What would you do if money were not a problem?
- What do you want to stop doing for good?
- Write one goal for your work, one for your free time and one for the people you love.
- What does “enough” look like for you?
- Which goal is too big for one year but worth starting?
- Which goal have you already reached that you forget to count?
- Write a short note to read on the day you reach this goal.
- Three ways to talk about the future. Going to for plans you have already made (I’m going to run on Saturdays); will for decisions made as you speak (OK, I’ll start today); the present continuous for fixed arrangements (I’m meeting my teacher on Friday).
- Make it a sentence a child would understand. Short words force clear goals. I’ll read one English book this month can be checked; improve my English cannot.
Frequently asked
How do I write a goal in my journal? Write it as one plain sentence, add how you will know you have reached it, and name the first step and when you will take it. The prompts under “Making it concrete” walk through this.
What if I keep missing my goals? Look at what got in the way, not at your character. The prompts under “What gets in the way” are for exactly this, including a minimum version of the goal for busy weeks.
More prompts: morning · evening · gratitude · self-reflection · writing in English, or all six themes. New to journaling? Start with how to start a journal.