Weekly prompts to help you think a little harder, write a little longer, and have a bit of fun in your journal. I provide the prompt and then a bit of discussion afterward to help you think beyond the prompt.
How To Use Weekly Prompts
Using weekly prompts can be as simple or as difficult as you would like. I do not use one every day, and sometimes I use several from the weekly prompts list at one time. Over time, I have learned that too simple doesn’t work for me. I like to push the question around in my mind, look at it from a couple of different perspectives, and see what comes out.
Imagine, if you will, the prompt as a unique piece of artwork. Put that piece of artwork on a pedestal and then move around it. Look from side to side, high to low, and anything between. I want it to speak to me, give me thoughts, and guide my thoughts into a deeper understanding.
In all seriousness, I do study the question. I don’t spend hours on it and sometimes not even minutes. A few seconds and a few pointed questions after. Generally, those questions begin with why. Why did the prompt spark that response? Does that matter to me, and why? Why did I choose that answer/point? My meanings and questions can be vastly different from yours. That’s okay! The prompts are supposed to spark YOUR thoughts and feelings.
Focus Quote
Preserve your memories, keep them well, what you forget you can never retell.
Louisa May Alcott
Memories go hand in hand with my journal. Sometimes, my entries will include memories of days gone by or events that have happened in recent days. I have learned with time that by reliving these memories in writing, it provides me with a sense of living through them again. It solidifies the memory in my mind and makes it all even easier to remember.
My new daily page includes a bit of after thought at the end of the page. I write down what I think or about something that happened during the day. I try to focus on the parts I want to be cemented firmly in my mind for later times. Memories are something you don’t want to lose, they are very comforting as you get older.
Weekly Inspiration
Journal Covers
Your journal cover is important. It needs to draw you in, tempt you to touch it, make your heart swell with the need to write, and be appealing to you. It doesn’t matter if it’s plain or handmade or a great image. It only matters that it is appealing to you. The more you like seeing it, the more you will like using it.
Journaling
There is nothing as beautiful as a journal with full or used pages. Seeing it closed and from the side, it’s obvious those pages are used and that fills you with a sense of accomplishment that can’t be beat.
Bullet Journaling
The horizontal monthly log is brilliant and so clever if you don’t have a lot that goes on to it. I’m not sure how it would look with more entries so I haven’t tried it yet. But it’s on my list!
The images that I choose for inspiration are not about the links. They are solely about the images and what they represent. I love seeing other people’s journals. I love the inspiration that hits me to go write in my own. Sometimes, that inspiration leads me to try something I have seen on their pages. Mostly, it just inspires me to write!
Weekly Prompts
49.01 If you could add a custom emoji to your phone, what would it look like, and what would it mean?
There are tons of emojis already, but they never have THE one I want. So what would yours be? Do you use stickers instead? I use stickers, too, but those little yellow faces are so handy!
49.02 Imagine you could create your own amusement park ride.
What would it be called, and what kind of experience would it offer? Would you build a roller coaster? Maybe you’d create a water ride? Would you want to make a body-activated game? The possibilities are endless, so what would you do?
49.03 What smell instantly takes you back to a specific place or time?
Describe the memory it brings up. All sorts of smells evoke reactions for me, like cinnamon rolls take me back to mom making them when we were kids. The smell of a pasta dish takes me back to my great grandmothers in east Texas. But there are other smells, too, like wood or leaves burning or freshly cut grass. There’s just so many!
49.04 Write about a childhood nickname.
Who gave it to you, and do you still like it? I’ve never had the pleasure of a nickname. I had a mean uncle who called me a name when I was young. It wasn’t a nickname, just an adult being abusive. I have always envied kids with real nicknames, though. My dad was called Beaner, my mom Becky, and my daughter Kate. Have you had one? Do you still go by that name?
49.05 List a few things that always make you feel at home, no matter where you are.
We travel a lot with work, so there are some things that I never leave home without. I never leave without my journals, for obvious reasons, but also my favorite slippers and coffee mug. Those two things can make almost anywhere feel like home.
49.06 What’s one small habit you’d like to add to your daily routine to feel more grounded?
Being emotionally, mentally, or physically grounded can add to your overall well-being. Making an effort to improve your feeling of being grounded is something you should aim for daily. Life gets in the way, though, and it’s sometimes hard to make time. What is one small thing you could add to help that along?
49.07 Word of the week: Xanthic.
Look it up, write it down, and use it in a sentence or two. List three things that are xanthic.
I hope these weekly prompts inspire you to think harder, dig deeper, and write a little longer this week. Looking for more prompts? Check out the Divergent Dialogues category to see more weekly prompts, 31+ Fun Journaling Prompts, or head on over to my Pinterest board!
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Happy Journaling!
Sarah G.
