24 End of Year Reflection Journal Prompts With Free Printables!
I started the day thinking I would post an article about New Year’s Resolutions with a freebie, but then I changed my mind. Well, there will still be freebies. There are always freebies here! But there won’t be any new year’s resolution talk. Not in the way we usually think about it, at least.
Every year we put so much pressure on ourselves to do better next year. We make all of these goals and set wild expectations.
Then what happens?
Well, some of you probably meet or exceed your goals for the year, and you’re fantastic for that. I love that for you. But then there are those of us who set these (usually unreasonable) goals and then get down on ourselves when we don’t meet them. And if you’re anything like me, you kind of feel like you have to wait until next year for some reason to try again. Like whoops, messed up again this year. Better luck next year.
But I don’t want to keep having this talk with myself each February (March if I’m lucky). I don’t want to set goals I won’t meet just to get down on myself a few months later.
Now am I saying not to set goals? I am absolutely NOT saying we shouldn’t set goals. We should. We should have dreams and aspirations. We should shoot for the moon. We should imagine living the life of our wildest dreams. But I do think we should stop waiting until the end of the year to say, “I have to do this, this, and this or I am a failure, and I can’t do anything to better myself until next year.”
So today, I am just going to be giving you some gentle end-of-year reflection journal prompts. There will be a set to help you reflect back on the previous year and a set to help focus on the year ahead. This way, you can get an idea of where you are and where you would like to be going without the pressure of concrete goals that feel like the end of doing better if you happen to fail at meeting those goals.
Again, this isn’t meant to be a negative ramble about goals. This is for those of you who may be looking for a different, more relaxed approach to reflecting on the years that have passed while also focusing on ways to improve yourself and your outlook in the coming years.
Looking Back Journal Prompts
- Write a list of all the things you are most proud of doing this past year.
- What was the hardest lesson you had to learn?
- Something that made you cry.
- Something that made you laugh.
- Something you had to let go of.
- Who did you connect with the most this past year?
- A list of things you are most grateful for from this last year.
- Did you practice enough self-care this past year?
- Something you learned.
- Write about an obstacle you had to overcome.
- What was something you created that you are proud of?
- What were some of your favorite memories?
Looking Forward Journal Prompts
- A letter to my future self.
- What things will you work on letting go that no longer serve you?
- Remember the hardest lesson you wrote about from this past year? How will that help you grow in the coming years?
- Write out your dream self-care routine.
- Make a list of new things you’d like to try.
- What are some habits you’d like to try to break?
- How would you like to grow as a person?
- What would you like to learn?
- Who do you want to make an effort to see more?
- What is most important to you in the coming years?
- A positive habit you’d like to start.
- What are some ways you can improve your mental and physical health in a way that feels good?
Take what you can use from these prompts and ignore the rest. Only do the ones that feel right for you!
Need some journal paper to write your end-of-year reflection journal prompts in? Check out our free printable lined paper section! You can save them all to your device so you can mix and match and use what you want whenever you want! I like to three-hole punch mine and keep them in a binder.
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Thanks for stopping by! I do hope the journal paper and journal prompts bring you some joy as we approach the new year! I am writing this for the approaching year of 2022, but you should be able to use them even if you find this years after I’ve written it.
