Here are 30 new year journal prompts for looking back on the year you've had and planning the one ahead, without the pressure of a long resolution list. One research finding shapes how they're written: in a large experiment, resolutions framed as something to move towards succeeded more often than ones framed as something to avoid.
The turn of the year is the most natural time to journal. Everyone's a little reflective, the diary is blank, and there's a sense that you get a fresh start. The danger is the list of ten resolutions that's forgotten by February. These prompts slow that down. They start with an honest look back, move through what you've learnt, and finish with a small number of goals written in a way that research suggests is more likely to stick.
What a resolutions experiment found
A PLOS ONE study followed 1,066 people who made New Year's resolutions. At a one-year follow-up, 55% considered themselves successful. The most useful finding for journaling is about wording: approach-oriented goals, such as 'start running twice a week', succeeded more often than avoidance-oriented goals, such as 'stop being lazy'.
| Finding | Result | How to use it in your journal |
|---|---|---|
| Success at one year | 55% of responders felt successful | Resolutions aren't doomed; plan them well |
| Approach goals | 58.9% successful | Write goals as things to move towards |
| Avoidance goals | 47.1% successful | Rewrite 'stop' goals as 'start' goals |
For the looking-back half, Gibbs' Reflective Cycle, which the University of Edinburgh describes as moving through description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and action plan, is a handy structure for reviewing a whole year.
Looking back prompts
An honest review of the year. Good and bad both count.
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What were the three best moments of the past year?
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What was the hardest thing you got through?
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Who made the biggest difference to your year?
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What surprised you most about yourself?
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Which decision are you most glad you made?
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What did you let go of, and how do you feel about it now?
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Describe the past year in three words.
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What would you tell yourself on the first day of last January?
Lessons learnt prompts
Turn the year into wisdom you can carry forward.
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What's the biggest lesson the past year taught you?
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What drained your energy most, and what gave you energy?
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Which habit served you well? Which didn't?
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What did you learn about the people around you?
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What would you do differently if you could replay one month?
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What are you proud of that nobody else noticed?
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What do you want to keep just the same?
Looking ahead prompts
Dream a little before you plan.
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What would make the coming year a good one, in specific detail?
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I build the systems that handle the boring 80 percent, so you get your week back. Done properly, with the human kept in.
What do you want more of, and less of?
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What's one thing you'd regret not trying?
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Who do you want to spend more time with?
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What word would you like to define the coming year?
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What do you want to learn?
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How do you want to feel on an ordinary Tuesday a year from now?
Goal-setting prompts
Write goals as things to move towards, as the resolutions study suggests.
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Write up to three goals, each starting with a verb like start, build, learn or make.
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Rewrite any 'stop' or 'quit' goal as something to move towards.
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What's the smallest first step for each goal?
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What inner obstacle might get in the way, and what's your plan for it?
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Who could support you, and how will you ask?
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How will you check in on your goals during the year?
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What will you do to celebrate progress?
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Write a note to yourself to read a year from now.
A simple new year journaling session
If you've only got one evening, try this order. Spend fifteen minutes on three looking-back prompts, writing quickly and honestly. Spend ten minutes on lessons: what you'd keep, what you'd change. Take a short break, then spend fifteen minutes on looking ahead, letting yourself dream without editing. Finally, spend ten minutes turning the dreams into no more than three goals, each starting with a verb and each with a first step. You'll finish with a page you can reread in spring, and a much clearer head than you'd get from scribbling resolutions at midnight.
When the past year was hard
Not every year deserves a celebration. If yours was full of loss, illness or worry, the looking-back prompts can feel heavy. Go gently: it's fine to write only about what you got through, who helped, and one small thing you're grateful for. Goals can be tiny, too. Sometimes 'rest more' is the bravest resolution there is.
How to get better at new year journaling
- Look back before you look forward. Goals land better when they grow out of real lessons.
- Keep goals few: two or three you care about beat ten you don't.
- Write goals as approach goals, which did better in the resolutions study.
- Plan for obstacles, not just outcomes, because the obstacle is what usually derails a goal.
- Schedule a check-in for the end of March so the goals don't vanish, and be kind to yourself if they need adjusting.
If you'd like more on making goals last, my piece on keeping your New Year's resolutions goes deeper, and why I give myself two new years explains a mid-year reset that pairs well with these prompts.
My advice for your new year journal
Give yourself an hour, a hot drink and a quiet corner. Work through the looking-back prompts first, then the lessons, and only then the goals. Keep the goal list short and positively worded, and put a reminder in your calendar to reread it in spring. The resolutions research suggests more people succeed than you'd think, especially when the goal is something to move towards.
Frequently asked questions
What are good new year journal prompts?
Prompts that look back first, like 'What were the three best moments of the past year?', then forward, like 'What would make the coming year a good one?'
Do New Year's resolutions work?
Often more than people think. A PLOS ONE study found 55% of responders considered themselves successful at a one-year follow-up.
How should I word my resolutions?
As things to move towards. Approach-oriented goals succeeded 58.9% of the time versus 47.1% for avoidance-oriented goals in the same study.
How many goals should I set for the new year?
Two or three you care about tend to work better than a long list, because you can give each one real attention.
How do I reflect on the past year?
Try Gibbs' Reflective Cycle: describe what happened, your feelings, what was good and bad, why, what you've learnt and what you'll do next.
