6 Guided Journals to Help Put Your Thoughts to Paper

Written by: Rachael Thomas

Journaling is a great way to help you process your thoughts, but the activity can be a bit daunting and you may feel like you have to write the “perfect entry.” To help take some of that pressure off, we’ve rounded up different types of guided journals.

For The Optimist 

Becoming: A Guided Journal For Discovering Your Voice 

If you enjoyed former First Lady Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, perhaps you’ll like this journal. As the title suggests, the writing prompts  and inspirational quotes aim to help you process your experiences and find your inner voice.

Find it here.

For the Writer 

A Writer’s Year: 365 Creative Writing Prompts 

Bring out your inner storyteller with these daily writing prompts. The journal has some lighthearted ones — “Create a superhero’s ‘to-do’ list.” or “Describe your favorite food in no more than five words.” — along with some prompts that warrant some deeper thinking (i.e. “If you could travel back in time and meet your younger self, what would you tell them about the future and what would you hold back?”).

Find it here.

For the Doodler 

642 Tiny Things to Draw Journal 

If you find yourself doodling in the margins of your notebook, check out this journal. The book appears to have gotten very creative (and literal) in its prompts: one day, you’ll be drawing a “a yellow polka dot bikini.” The next: “a hot pepper flake.”

Find it here. 

For the Planner 

Self Journal

If you need that push to get serious about goals, then  BestSelf has the one for you. The 13-week planner features daily and weekly planning pages to help you assess your objectives, prioritize your workload, and practice gratitude; habit tracking pages; and a reflection area to help you see what worked and what didn’t.

Find it here.

For the Mom 

One Question a Day for Moms: Daily Reflection on Motherhood: A Five-Year Journal

This journal will help you take a step back and reflect on all those special moments with your child. If you stick with it, you’ll have a beautiful journal filled with five years of laughs, lessons, and memories.

Find it here.

For the Traveler 

Adventures – My Road Trip Journal

Keep track of all your trips with this one, which has you write down everything from the memorable sites and attractions to what the weather was like. 

Find it here.

You don’t have to buy a new journal to get started. Here are have some writing prompts for you!

Core 4: Write down one thing you did for fun, one thing you did to relax, one thing you did to connect, and one thing you are grateful for this week. 

Word Association: Write down any words that come to mind as you think through the past week. These do not have to be complete sentences.