New Month Journal Prompts for Mindful Goal Setting

Feeling a little all over the place as the new month rolls in? Don't worry, this is the perfect time to reset with these new month journal prompts!

Okay, somehow, it's May already?? 

I love the start of a new month. It almost gives the same energy that the end of the year does, not in a big dramatic way, but in small choices you get to make differently.

It's the perfect time to pause, reflect a little, reset with more intention, and think about what's actually important and how not to repeat patterns that may have thrown you off last month.

That's where these new month journal prompts come in to help you set goals that will actually help you plan with purpose. Writing really helps me compartmentalize all my thoughts by clearing the noise and figuring out what I want the next 30 days to look like. If you want to go into this month with some clarity, you are in the right place.

The goal isn't to plan a perfectly organized routine, have a significant life event, or wait until the new year again. A new month is more than enough to get honest about where you're really at and refocus on your goals (without overcomplicating it).

So, grab your journal and a pen, and let's plan out your next month with intention. 

Why Should You Set Goals Each Month?

When life gets busy (and let's be real- when isn't it busy), setting goals every month can feel like another thing you need to add to your to-do list. But honestly, it helps more than it hurts. 

Taking some time to check in with yourself makes it easier to figure out what needs your attention. Otherwise you're constantly reacting to everything around you. Your goals do not need to be anything big or fancy, just intentional about what's working and what's not allowing you to make small shifts that line up with how you want to feel and live. 

Think of this as a monthly reset where you get to focus on where you are now and reflect on where you would like to be. 

And honestly, monthly goals just feels wayyyyy easier to handle. NY resolutions for the whole year? That's a lot. But a month? That feels way more doable to work with, and easier to shift things as you go. 

Every month isn't going to be perfect, and that's okay! Celebrate the small wins because that means you're not stuck in the same place. Even little progress adds up. 

If the goal is living an intentional life, these new month journal prompts are where you want to start.

Reflect on Your Previous Month

Okay, before you go rushing off to plan a bunch of goals for the new month, it's worth taking some time to reflect back on your previous month. 

What worked, what didn't and what completely fell of the radar? The goal with reflecting back on your previous month is not about picking yourself apart or listing everything you did wrong or didn't get done.

It's about noticing patterns that kept showing up, noticing where you felt stuck, or things that surprised you. It's an opportunity to help you do things a little differently so you're not going into another month with the same stuff without realizing it.

I know I can struggle with perfectionism tendencies sometimes where I get caught up in fixing things, perfecting the next goal, or repeating the same patterns even though its not helping anymore where I forget to celebrate all the progress that I did make or focus on smaller steps even if its not perfect. 

When you take a few minutes to reflect on your previous month, it will give you a chance to learn from your highs and lows and help you figure out what you need to shift (even a little) next month. 

Again, you don't need a fancy system or the perfect time to do this. Just ask yourself these questions using the end of month journal prompts:

• What felt good this past month? (Write about moments you felt proud of yourself, even if no one else noticed.)
• What are some things that drained you the most this past month?
• What do you need more from this past month (boundaries, rest, socializing, etc.)?
• Where did old coping habits sneak back in? Why do you think that happened?
• What are 1-2 things you want to leave behind and not carry into the next month?

By reflecting on your previous month regularly, you will start to catch patterns before they take over again, allowing you to show up differently month by month. 

Now you can move on to the new month journal prompts! 

5 Monthly Reflection Journal Prompts to Set Intentional Goals 

If you're trying to stop repeating the same patterns every month, journaling can seriously help. 

Remember, you don't have to write pages and pages or even write in a journal every day to focus on your goals. Just take some time out at the end of the month or the first week of every month and work through the new month journal prompts below.

I promise these journal prompts will help you set intentional goals that actually make sense for wher you are right now and not where you think you should be. 

1) What intentions are you setting for yourself this month?

Setting intentions for the month is not about having the PERFECT goals. It's more about thinking of how you want to move through the month. Think of this as setting a tone for the month, and when things feel too overwhelming, the intention is like coming back to the center. 

Whether you want to be consistent in showing up for yourself within your relationships or you want to slow down, your intention needs to be something you care about, and that can help ground you. 

My intention for April is to set healthy boundaries and slow down. I have a very busy month that includes some stressful and anxiety-provoking situations, and setting boundaries will allow me to make sure I am spending my energy in the best way possible. 

2) What is on your to-do list for the month ahead?

I LOVE a good to-do list. It allows you to lay out all the appointments, habits you want to track, plans, errands, or tasks that you have been putting off in one spot. 

When I am feeling really overwhelmed about my week, the first thing I do to compartmentalize my thoughts is list out all the things I need to do. Of course, not everything on the list might need to happen that month, but some stuff does.

My husband shared this really great trick with me that has really helped me stay on top of my to-do list. Basically, when you're writing out your list for the week or month, you go through each item and think of it as either a rubber ball or a glass ball. 

Rubber balls are things you can delegate, delay, or drop entirely, and they can bounce back. But the glass balls are the things that you can't drop because they will shatter, aka there are consequences. This trick is a super simple way to figure out what really needs your time and energy this month.

 
It can be really easy to let things pile up in your head until it feels overwhelming. When you start to write down and look at how many rubber balls vs glass balls you're juggling that month, it will allow you to see what is actually urgent and what can wait until the next month. 

3) Where did you feel the most out of control last month-and what might have been triggering that?

You are human, and humans have slip-ups, and we make mistakes. This prompt is all about looking at some of the challenges from your previous month. 

Maybe you checked your screen time and noticed scrolling on your phone for hours, spiraled with food, violated your own boundaries, or lashed out at someone. This question is not meant to shame you but to help you notice the why behind it. 

So, think back to a moment when you felt out of control and write about what was going on in those moments. Were you hungry, tired, emotionally drained, sick, or already upset about something?

Every behavior has a function, and when you understand the function, you can know what you need and make a different choice next time. 

4) What old habits, patterns, or beliefs showed up again—and how did that impact you?

If you're working on breaking patterns and cycles from the past, this is a big one. Our old habits, patterns, and beliefs have a sneaky way of showing up without you even noticing. Most of the time, they start as a way to protect you but are most likely not serving you anymore. 

Take some time to think about some moments from last month where you caught yourself reacting in a familiar but not helpful way.

Maybe you said no to an opportunity out of fear, tried to manage or fix someone else's emotions, said yes to something when you really wanted to say no, over-explained yourself, shut down emotionally or gave the silent treatment, avoided conflict to keep the peace or maybe perfectionism got the best of you.

Now, think about what might have pulled you back into those old patterns and how you felt afterward.

For me, one habit I have been working on is eating out less. When I have jam-packed days, I would go until 1 or 2 pm without eating anything, and by then, I would be so hungry and craving something tasty or quick, which meant going out to eat.

When I started to journal about this, I started to notice a pattern. Like, I was skipping breakfast most mornings, my sleep habits were not the best, and I was cramming way too much into my day. 

These past few months, I've just been trying to eat something in the morning and keep my snacks nearby. Again, nothing fancy, just trying not to hit a point where I am starving and become reactive towards food choices. 

It's definitely not perfect or consistent, but when I do it, I am able to notice im less all over the place with food which feels like enough for now. 

If you spot a pattern, you can give yourself a chance to reflect and choose something different the next time.

True behavior change happens when you are being present and intentional with your choices.

5) What do you want to feel more of this month and what do you need to do to make that happen?

Instead of thinking just about your goals and to-do list, this question is a little bit softer, focusing on how you want to feel this month. Whether it's grounded, calm, motivated or even just not so tired all the time, there is no wrong answer here. 

We spend so much of our time chasing our goals that we forget the goal isn't just to get stuff done, but also feel good while doing it. So I wanted to keep the last new month journal prompt focused on how you want to feel. 

Then, think about what you need to do or change (even a little) to make that happen. Don't overthink this. It could be simple things like getting more sleep, moving your body more, balancing your meals, making time to journal, or even watching less TV. You want to think about small shifts. 

Monthly Journaling Prompts for 2025

There you have it- monthly reflection questions to help you go into a new month with more intention and less noise. In my experience, when you set goals without checking in with yourself first, you end up going after things that aren't really important to you or repeating patterns that keep you stuck.

Taking some time to reflect to see what's actually going on will help you slow down, stop see what needs to shift, what you want more of, and what's just not it anymore. 

These new month's journal prompts are not just to check off a box but to challenge you and be honest with yourself (even if its mess).

Have a fantastic month, and I can't wait to see how much you grow. 

I am rooting for you always, cycle breaker!

Psst...save these new month journal prompts for your next reset!

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