Journaling Ideas for When You’re Bored of the Same Old Prompts

When I run, I find that I prefer it when my mind is occupied. Something to think about while I take my strides.

One of the reasons I love my running app so much is because the guided runs come with voiceover coaching. Most of the coaching is pretty straightforward and has questions like “why did I start this run?” and “how do I feel?” Helpful, for sure, but expected.

But while running this last time, I got the question, “what do I want to eat for lunch…tomorrow?”

Wait, what? Totally unexpected.

And it got me thinking about what …what I in fact wanted to have for lunch. Tomorrow. And as I was thinking about how a toasted sandwich fits the bill, my run was complete.

I find it amazing how the slightest curveball to a simple question gets me thinking about things that I probably wouldn’t otherwise. It’s like tapping into a part of my brain’s creative side that is underexplored. How fun is that?

When journaling, it’s fine to write about the same old, same old. How am I feeling? What am I avoiding? Etc, etc. But what about adding in some curveballs, to keep things quirky?

I’ve collated these journaling ideas here so you can add in a little bit of fun to your writing.

I’m sure your day, like mine, is full of routine mundane tasks. But sometimes the ordinary daily stuff can become the best content. Start with your daily routine and see where your thoughts take you.

Try writing about…

• The weirdest part of your day (like that awkward Zoom moment when I didn’t realize my mic was on…yup, that really happened to me)

• What you had for breakfast and how it made you feel (hello, coffee therapy)

• A “win” that felt really insignificant to others but secretly meant a lot

• Your to-do list, but rewritten as a haiku

• What the weather looked like and what kind of mood it matched

• The last meme that made you laugh way too hard

• A text conversation that stuck with you (for good, or for cringe-worthy reasons)

• A simple routine that’s keeping you sane lately

• Something mundane that’s weirdly comforting (like folding towels the way hotels do)

• What you’d name today if it were a chapter titleThe goal here is to make journaling feel like a playful, low-pressure chat with yourself, even with the simple stuff you do day after day.

Have you ever shown up to an important meeting “early” and then realized you were an hour late? I have, and it was so incredibly awkward! Ugh. We’re all a little emotionally scrambled sometimes. These prompts help you untangle things.

Try journaling about…

• A phrase that sums up an awkward encounter

• What you secretly wish someone would say to you today (no shame if it’s “you look like you need a nap!”)

• That one thought you keep swatting away like a fly but it keeps circling back

• The last time you felt awkwardly invisible (like getting in line at the grocery store)

• One thing you’re weirdly proud of yourself for (not cutting off that rude driver? Good job!)

• How you overreacted to a minor inconvenience that resulted in a breakdown

• The strangest piece of advice you’ve ever taken seriously and why it works (like “clean your room to fix your life”)

It might not sound nice, I think that’s ok! Say what you mean. You’re the only one reading it anyway.

Let your inner artsy kid have some space to play. These ideas might get you doodling (which is a part of journaling!). Basically whatever keeps things fun and silly.

Try these…

• Write a letter to your favorite day of the week (mine is Saturday!)

• Describe your ideal day like it’s a movie scene

• Create a playlist and explain what each song means to you

• If your mood had a color today, what would it be and why?

• Use a quote as your jumping-off point (inspirational or completely unhinged)

• Journal as if you're someone else for a day (celebrity? pet? random 1800s poet?)

• Pretend you're writing a novel and today was a chapter

• Collage your current mood with photos or stickers and explain it

• Invent a new word for a feeling you’ve never been able to name

• Describe your mood as if it were the weather on another planet

If you’re grinning while writing, then that tells me you’re doing it right.

Sometimes having a dedicated journal theme makes the process even more fun. Create different sections for each of these:

• Gratitude (the cheesy and the sincere)

• Travel (even if it’s just your walk to the mailbox)

• Dreams (the actual sleep kind or the big life ones)

• Healing (personal reflections, therapy takeaways, mantras)

Quotes (your own or ones you stole lovingly from Pinterest...I won't tell)

• Weird habits you’ve picked up and whether or not you’re keeping them

• Mini memoirs from each week

• Your fictional alter ego’s daily log

• Funny conversations overheard in public

• Lists of must-haves you’d bring to your personal island getaway

You can even decorate the edges or change pen colors for each theme if you’re feeling a little on the creative side.

This section is a little left field, but again, that’s the whole point. I think life can be way to serious sometimes so it’s good to get wacky every now and then.

Take what you like, and leave the rest behind.

• What would your pet say about your fashion choices?

• Invent a conspiracy theory involving your local grocery store

• Write an apology note to your future self for something you haven’t done yet

• Create a fake dating profile for your left shoe

• Rank your top 5 most dramatic moments of the week

• What would your neighbor write about you in their daily journal?

• Pitch a new holiday that the world desperately needs (I already know mine!)

• List the items in your bag and what they say about your secret identity

• Describe your dream job as if you lived in a parallel universe

• Rewrite a famous fairy tale from the villain’s perspective

Your imagination should be working overtime with these!

What do you think, did you get a chuckle out of any of these? Try writing about a few of these journaling ideas for some fun. And if nothing sticks? Scribble a taco. That counts too. Maybe that can be your lunch tomorrow!