This website uses affiliate links. I may earn a commission on purchases made at no extra cost to you.
Journaling is generally like snacking… There are no bad times to do it! But morning journaling has a special place in my heart because it has made the deepest impact on my life. Truly!
So let’s get into it, including morning journaling prompts, benefits, and examples.
Is journaling in the morning good?
Heck, yes! It’s my favorite time to journal.
I find that when I journal in the evening, it’s mainly a recap of my day. I write about what I want to remember or something unpleasant that happened to process it.
But my morning journaling is very future-focused. I think about my upcoming day or week and decide ahead of time what I want to think or feel. I anticipate obstacles and plan how I want to react to them. It’s also a time to zero in on the tasks that will move me toward my goals.
This is why morning journaling has changed my life—it grounds me in my authentic self so I can show up for my day intentionally.
Morning journaling is one of the five habits that changed my life!
My favorite morning journaling prompts:
I use a special self-coaching journaling regularly, and I can’t express the transformation it has created in my life. It is built specifically to support higher productivity. If you want to learn this 7-step, 15-minute process, I have a powerful mini-course that is perfect for you: Productive Thoughts Journaling.
If you’re feeling more free-flowing with your journaling, here are some simple morning journaling prompts:
- What do I have going on today, and how do I feel about it?
- What are ALL of the thoughts I’m having about today?
- I can take good care of myself today by…
- Today, I’m grateful for the opportunity to…
- I can make today fun by…
- Here’s what I don’t want for today:
- How would my most authentic, higher self handle today?
What do you write in your journal in the morning?
In addition to following my Productive Thoughts Journaling Method, I try to just write without stopping, stream-of-conscious style.
This can be similar to the Morning Pages journaling method from Julia Cameron, which I spent an entire month following.
For example, on an average morning, my journaling might look like:
Blerg. So tired. Time to wake up. Why am I always so tired? I’m probably making myself more tired by wasting energy thinking about being tired. Maybe it’s ok if I’m tired. I can probably still handle everything important today. Today, there are 2 client meetings. I’m prepared. I’m excited to support them. Thank goodness I work from home. I can’t imagine having to get properly ready to leave the house. Majorly grateful. What else can I be grateful for? Puppy cuddles. Extra-strong coffee. Good books to read. Come on, coffee. Work your magic.
It might not look like anything helpful or insightful. But it allows me to get my morning grumpiness out and “talk back” to it. If I notice myself sinking into stress or negativity, I can find the opposite argument.
This random expression of my thoughts and emotions lets me start the day clear-headed, feeling a bit more grounded into who I am and how I want to show up for the day.
Is journaling in the morning or at night better?
The answer to this depends on what you’re trying to get out of your journaling.
I find that journaling at night leads to recounting my day and recording the events of my life.
My purpose in journaling is not to remember. I have a horrible memory about the things that have happened throughout my life, and I’m totally ok with that!
I’m a very present- and future-focused kind of person. Morning journaling is the best time for me to ground myself in the present moment and be sure that the things I’m doing are creating the future I want.
Can you journal to record memories in the morning? Of course.
Can you journal at night to prepare for the next day? Sure.
Those just aren’t my natural inclinations—hence, my preference for morning journaling.
If you’ve never tried morning journaling before, I hope this gives you a tiny push to give it a go. Don’t worry about doing it “right.” Do it messy.
It’s a simple habit, but for me, it’s made an epic difference in my daily life. Maybe it will for you, too.
