The start of the year is a natural time to reflect and plan. Use these 2024 new year journal prompts to gain clarity, set intentions, and explore your hopes and goals for the upcoming year. You’ll find prompts for introspection, gratitude, and everything in between!

As 2023 winds down, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the past year. It’s an opportunity to consider the positives, disappointments, and challenges, as well as set intentions for the new year ahead.

Taking the time to reflect on our experiences is crucial for understanding their impact on us and recognizing the changes they bring. By pausing to feel and reflect, we gain valuable insights that can guide us toward personal growth. This process allows us to appreciate our progress and successes, fostering a deeper connection with our purpose and goals.

To facilitate your end of year reflection, I created a set of new year’s journal prompts. Let’s start by acknowledging what was positive about 2023.

Remember what went well in 2023

Sometimes we have to look hard for the positives, but they are there – hidden among the struggles and the simple pleasures that we often take for granted. Other times, our blessings are people who helped us cope or brought joy to our lives.

• I accomplished __________.
• I feel good about __________.
• I took care of myself by __________.
• I’m grateful for __________.
• A book/movie/tv show I enjoyed was _____________.
• A happy memory was __________.
• Something positive that I wouldn’t have normally done  __________.
• Something funny that I want to remember is _____________.
• I was challenged by__________.
• I learned __________.
• I felt passionately about _____________.
• I accomplished _____________.

In addition to noticing the positives in our lives, it’s important to acknowledge the challenges and painful aspects of 2023. By considering both , we can keep a balanced perspective.

Acknowledge challenges of 2023

We all face individual struggles; they may involve our health, mental health, finances, relationships, and loss. We also collectively experience challenges and traumas such as natural disasters, war, inflation, and mass shootings. Acknowledging and processing these losses, struggles, fears, and disappointments helps us move forward and avoid getting stuck in our pain.

• 2023 was hard for me because _____________.
• I was stressed or anxious about _____________.
• I’m grieving the loss of _____________.
• I struggled with _____________.
• I feel sad about _____________.
• I feel angry about _____________.
• I feel anxious about _____________.

Notice how far you’ve come

When we face great challenges, we usually learn a lot. You may already be aware of some valuable lessons from 2023 and others may be revealed in time. The next set of journal prompts will help you recognize the ways you’ve grown and what you’ve learned from 2023.

• As a result of these struggles, I learned _____________.
• I can cope with stress and uncertainty by ______________.
• Some things I learned about myself are ______________.
• Some things I learned about others are ______________.
• I didn’t know I could ______________.
• I learned that I like ______________.
• I learned that I don’t like ______________.
• For the first time, I _____________.
• As a result of last year’s struggles and learning, going forward I will ______________.

And now on to planning for a healthy and fulfilling 2024!

New year journal prompts

The next set of questions will hopefully get you thinking about how you want to spend your time and resources, how you might improve your life, and ways to grow into a healthier and happier version of yourself.

• This year I want to focus on __________.
• I want to learn or improve __________.
• In 2024, I’m looking forward to __________.
• A habit or activity that I started last year and want to continue is __________.
• A habit I want to change is __________.
• I want to strengthen my relationship with ___________.
• I will connect with others by _______________.
• I will work on accepting others as they are by __________.
• Something I want to do for others is __________.
• I will take care of myself by __________.
• I will show myself compassion by __________.
• I will save money for ______________.
• I will splurge on ____________.
• A creative project that I want to work on is __________.
• This year I want to add more __________ to my life.
• Every day I plan to __________.
• My career goals for the coming year are ___________.
• To be physically healthier, I will _____________.
• To be mentally healthier, I will _____________.
• I will ask for support, help, or accountability from _____________.

I hope these journal prompts and questions help you thoughtfully reflect on 2023, feel your feelings, acknowledge your successes and growth, and set a course for a fulfilling year ahead!

Download a PDF of the journal prompts

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©2023 Dr. Sharon Martin, LCSW. All rights reserved. Photos courtesy of Canva.com.

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Additional Resource

Ditch Your Rigid, Self-Critical Thinking

Do you hold yourself—and perhaps others—to extremely high standards? Do you have a nagging inner-critic that tells you you’re inadequate no matter how much you achieve? Do you procrastinate certain tasks because you’re afraid you won’t carry them out perfectly? If you’ve answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, chances are you’re a perfectionist. And while there’s nothing wrong with hard work and high standards, perfectionism can take over your life if you let it.

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