Do you ever have trouble falling asleep due to stress over work and responsibilities?
I used to struggle with this frequently. I would go to bed, then lie there for a long time thinking about everything I needed to do. Thoughts like, “I have to do X, Y, and Z by the end of the week!” or “Hold on, I forgot this one detail on an assignment!” would be spinning in my head and keep me awake. However, since journaling every night, I’ve been able to overcome this issue.
In fact, it’s not just me—research has shown that journaling before bed reduces stress and improves sleep quality for students and the larger population.
Not only has journaling before bed helped me sleep better, but it has also promoted my productivity, self-growth, and self-discovery. If you’ve never journaled before or tried it but didn’t see results, make sure to read this post. In it, I discuss essential journaling mistakes to avoid and how to make journaling a positive experience.
But for now, let’s get into 11 before bed journal prompts to enhance sleep quality, productivity, and personal growth!
Quick note: I know this may seem like a lot of prompts, but you don’t have to address all of them daily. However, even if you did, they are short and simple and will probably only take you 10-15 minutes total each night.
Journal Prompts to Reflect on Today
Self-reflection at the end of each day is essential to making sense of your life and developing a more productive mindset. The following before bed journal prompts will help you with self-reflection.
Bedtime Journal Prompt #1: What did I accomplish today?
Every night, I start my journal entry with a summary of everything I did during the day.
Recognizing and feeling proud of your daily accomplishments is crucial to building a healthier relationship with yourself. While it’s important to reflect on things you’re dissatisfied with, it’s just as important to acknowledge your achievements.
After all, balancing praise with critique is necessary for any nurturing relationship, including the relationship you have with yourself.
Additionally, writing down your accomplishments makes them seem more tangible. As a result, you’ll have greater satisfaction at the end of the day—this feeling of satisfaction is a positive reward that will motivate you to continue being productive.
But what if I didn’t get much done?
That’s totally okay. Our minds and bodies need time to rest, and we aren’t always feeling our best every single day. Taking a day off for relaxation and self-care can be your accomplishment!
In fact, every week, I try to take one day off from following a tight schedule. In the past, I found that if I followed a rigorous schedule without breaks, I would get burnt out quickly. Nowadays, I try to prioritize my mental and physical well-being and consider taking time for self-care just as important as doing work.
Bedtime Journal Prompt #2: What is something new I learned today?
To have personal growth, you must embrace one key concept: every day is filled with new learning opportunities.
Before bed, reflect on the events of the day, and identify something new you learned. This could be a hard skill or soft skill. Or, it could be a new topic you read about in a book or news article. Then, write about how you can apply what you’ve learned.
It can really be about anything. For example, a while back, I had a conversation with someone who immediately set me at ease. I reflected on what they did that made me feel comfortable. Then, I wrote about how I could use those skills in future conversations.
Bedtime Journal Prompt #3: What is one way I demonstrated kindness to someone today?
Another great before bed journal prompt is writing about one kind act you did for someone.
This is a prompt I’ve been including in my journal entries because I’m a bit of a workaholic who sometimes gets too immersed in my work to think about anything else.
However, small acts of kindness can mean a lot to others, so I use this prompt to hold myself accountable for sharing a little joy every day.
Plus, research shows that making others happy also makes you a happier person.
Here is a great list of kind acts you can use for inspiration. Many of them are simple, like keeping a sigh to yourself or genuinely meaning it when you ask, “How are you doing?”
You may also like “9 Best Night Routines to Skyrocket Productivity”
Bedtime Journal Prompt #4: What is something I’m grateful for?
This is a common but nevertheless important before bed journal prompt. Expressing gratitude gives you greater appreciation towards life and your relationships. In fact, research shows that practicing gratitude can make you happier.
Gratitude also humbles us by making us realize that our achievements are due just as much to personal merit as they are to external assistance and circumstances.
Bedtime Journal Prompt #5: What is one way I took care of myself today?
Journal prompts #3 and #4 are both about caring for others and showing gratitude. However, it’s also important to care for yourself.
Self-care can be small things like reading a book, doing an enjoyable hobby, or taking a walk at the park.
You shouldn’t feel guilty about taking time for yourself because your physical and mental well-being should always be a priority. Plus, it is only through recognizing your self-worth that you can have a healthier relationship with yourself, others, and life in general.
Bedtime Journal Prompt #6: How do I feel right now? Why do I feel the way I do?
If you want to have self-growth and self-discovery, you must become more attuned to your emotions.
At the end of each day, identify a word or a few words that describe how you’re feeling. Then, ask yourself why you’re feeling that way. To do this, reflect on the events of the day or events reaching farther back.
If you’re experiencing positive emotions, try to understand what led to them. That way, you can do more of whatever was the cause (provided it’s a healthy routine) to bring you more positivity in daily life.
If you’re experiencing negative emotions, also try to identify their cause. If you don’t confront the cause of prolonged negative emotions, they will remain a subconscious burden and potentially get worse.
Bedtime Journal Prompt #7: What is something positive that happened today?
If you had a particularly bad day, remembering something positive that happened—no matter how small—will help you be less fixated on the not-so-great events.
Perhaps a colleague gave you a genuine compliment. Or a stranger held a door open for you at the store.
Developing a habit of recognizing bits of positivity will help you develop a more optimistic outlook on life.
Journal Prompts to Bring Positive Energy Into Tomorrow
Journal prompts #1-#7 are meant to help you reflect on the events of today in positive, productive ways. In the following section, you’ll find 4 before bed journal prompts to prepare yourself for a positive, productive tomorrow.
Bedtime Journal Prompt #8: What is something I don’t want to carry into tomorrow?
By answering this prompt, you are making an affirmation to release counterproductive negativity.
For example, say you had an argument with someone that caused you frustration today. Instead of letting that frustration taint your mood the next day, leave that frustration behind today.
Bedtime Journal Prompt #9: What is something I want to carry into tomorrow?
Identify something that brought you positivity today that you want to carry into the next day.
It could be a habit you want to continue sticking to. Or, it could be the “something new you learned” from journal prompt #2, which you want to start implementing.
Also, think back to journal prompt #6. If you had a good day, which items you listed as reasons for positivity could you include in your routine?
Bedtime Journal Prompt #10: What do I intend to accomplish tomorrow?
Remember how I said that before journaling before bed, I would have trouble sleeping due to work-related stress? Well, this one before bed journal prompt helped me significantly.
By writing down a list of tasks I want to do the next day or by the end of the week, I detach myself from thoughts about work. Additionally, I wake up in the morning with a greater sense of purpose and motivation to be productive.
And I’m not the only one who’s experienced these benefits. According to this research study, young adults who wrote down a to-do list before bed were able to fall asleep much faster.
So if you want to be less stressed and more productive, this is an essential journal prompt to answer each night.
Bedtime Journal Prompt #11: What is a positive mantra to inspire me tomorrow?
At the end of each journal entry, I like to include a quote that resonates with whatever I’m experiencing at the moment.
If I’ve been feeling reluctant to learn something new, I’ll look up “quotes about learning”. Or, if I haven’t been taking good care of myself, I’ll look up “quotes about self-care”.
Including a quote at the end of each journal entry inspires me to continue striving for positivity and growth in my daily life.
Wrap-up of Before Bed Journal Prompts
Here is a list of all the prompts you can write about in your journal before bed:
As I mentioned before, you don’t need to answer all of these prompts daily. Nevertheless, I hope they provided you with inspiration on things to journal about for better sleep quality, productivity, and personal growth.
What are some things you enjoy writing about in your journal entries? I’m always open to journaling inspiration, so let me know in the comments below!
For more on journaling and self-improvement, check out these posts:
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