90+ New Year Journal Prompts for 2023 to Focus on Self Growth

2022 is coming to an end, and what better time to reflect on this past year? So here are 90+ New Year Journal Prompts for 2023 to focus on your self-growth and start the year with a clear perspective.

90+ New Year Journal Prompts for 2023 to Focus on Self Growth

The start of a new year can be exhilarating, and if you're anything like me, you like to spend some time reflecting on the past year and preparing for 2023. Taking the time to reflect allows you to slow down and think about what you want from your new year.

While you can hit reset and restart at any point in your life, the new year gives people added hope and motivation to work towards a life they want to build for themselves.

It is easy to start thinking about the new year without wanting to reflect on your past year, but you must take some time to think about the year you just experienced. Don't worry; this post will provide you with all the reflection questions you need to get started.

This post is for you if you're looking for New Year journal prompts.

What is Journaling and Why Should You Bother?

Simply put, journaling is getting your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors out on paper. Think of it as a low-cost therapeutic tool connecting the dots to understand yourself better. You might have seen various journaling tools like bullet journals, morning pages, planners, etc. If you are someone like me, you like using a plain notebook. However, the act of journaling regularly is more important than the tool used.

The wonderful thing about journaling is that there are no rules. Instead, you decide when, how, and what you will journal. Now, that can be daunting for some people, so I am providing you with the New Year journal prompts.

Some may wonder, "why should I bother with journaling?" On the contrary, journaling is the easiest way to get to know yourself and have value-based growth. It allows you to pause & look at things differently, search for answers, reflect & learn, and finally, just a place to show up for yourself.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by journaling.

New Year Resolution Journal + Supplies

The only two things you need to get started with journaling are a pen and paper. I am sharing 3 of my favorite journaling supplies you can use to get started.

3 Types of New year Journal Prompts

1) End-of-Year Self- Reflection 

Let's recap 2022! What were the highs & lows? What important life lessons have you learned this year, what are you most proud of (or not so proud of), how did you celebrate yourself this year, and things do you need to forgive yourself for?

2) Start Of New Year Journal Prompts

Reflect on the eight areas of your life and determine where you are this year and where you want to go in 2023. Wondering what are some good journal prompts for this? You will find new journal prompts for each area as you keep reading.

3) New Journal Prompts for Intentional Goal-Setting

Did you know the second Friday in January is Quitters Day? This is because most people with New Year's resolutions will likely give up by this day. Having resolutions is a great start, but more is needed. It would be best if you had SMART Goals. There is nothing wrong with resolutions, but for the new year journal prompts goal settings is important and will the most effective.

8 Areas of Life

It can be overwhelming to think about the different things you can journal about. Keeping that in mind, this post will evaluate the eight areas of life. Within each area, you can utilize the new year journaling prompts to set powerful goals for the 2023 year.

1) Physical Wellness

Your mental health is connected to your physical health. Your physical health goes beyond diet and exercise. You must reflect on other aspects of your physical wellness, including sleep, water intake, medical appointments, and decreasing stress levels. 

2) Mental/Emotional Wellness

We face many challenges throughout our lifetime, and our emotions can quickly become the drivers of our decision. Emotion wellness is your ability to constructively acknowledge, manage, express, and accept your feelings. This does not mean you are happy ALL the time, but rather how you deal with all the emotions experienced. Emotionally healthy people can bounce back from setbacks, have high self-esteem, and have good relationships. 

Mental health influences your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. The WHO defines mental health as "Mental health is a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community."

3) Spiritual Wellness

A spiritually healthy person engages in activities consistent with their values, allowing them to find purpose and meaning in their life. Values and beliefs help you make value-based decisions and can be a foundation for living an authentic life.

4) Social Wellness

Social wellness is how you maintain healthy relationships, develop relationships, and your ability to allowing other people to care about you. It also includes how you contributed to your community.

5) Intellectual Wellness

Think of your intellectual wellness as an exercise for your brain. Intellectual health goes beyond academic knowledge. It also entails fostering curiosity, being a lifelong learner, exploring new ideas, and seeking personal growth.

6) Environmental Wellness

Environmental wellness is the livability of your living space. Your natural and built environment affects your health and well-being. How you take care of your immediate environment and your ability to recognize how your daily habits impact the world around you.

7) Occupational Wellness 

Your capability to find the right work-life balance is essential. Work can take up a big part of our lives, and you must reflect on ways to manage and balance work obligations with personal activities like rest and connecting with friends and family. Having a good work-life balance will ensure you are less stressed and fulfilled.

8) Financial Wellness

This area looks at your awareness of your financial situation and ways to manage it. Of course, everyone has different ways of reflecting on their financial values and needs. It is essential, however, to make informed financial decisions and set financial goals.

What Are SMART Goals?

SMART Goals are a great way to define your goals and set you up for success. The SMART acronym stands for "Specific," "Measurable," "Attainable" (or Achievable), "Reasonable"( or Relevant), and "Time-bound." 

If this is the first time you are reflecting on these new year journal prompts, it may be easier to first look at the big picture and then zoom out. My husband, a project manager, passed on this tip of 'working backward.' Whenever I work on a goal and find myself stuck, he will ask me to think of the big picture and then narrow it down. This has been a GAME CHANGER for my personal goals. 

Regarding manifesting your new year's resolutions 2023, take some time to reflect on what you want from your life. Think big; remember, it's good to be a little scared when visualizing your ideal life. Need some help in this area? Try the Miracle Question Test: Suppose one night while you are asleep, a miracle occurs, and all your problems are gone. When you wake up, what is different about your life? Use that information to now work backward. 

Once you have a nice working list of your ideal life, you want to think about some short-term goals you can set for this coming new year. Think of it as a blueprint for your ideal life. 

5 Tips for Sticking to Your New Year Resolution Journal

1. Habit Tracker

Remember when I said most people would quit their goals by the second week of January? A habit tracker is a tool that will help you stay on track. Like most people, our motivation is naturally higher towards the start of a new year. However, more than motivation is needed. 

My favorite way of tracking habits is 'The Seinfeld Method.' It is a productivity technique that has helped me build good habits.

2. Reward Yourself

Self-reward is self-love in action. When you reach a particular milestone within your goals, think of ways to reward yourself. Not only will this give you the motivation to accomplish your goals, but it will also give you something to look forward to. I LOVE ramen. I look forward to going to my favorite ramen place when I finish my monthly tasks.

An important point to remember with rewards is that you want to give yourself a reward that isn't already part of your routine. So, for example, if you already go to Starbucks every week and use that as a reward, it may be less appealing.

3. Finding an Accountability Partner

An accountability partner knows your goals, helps foster your strengths, and is a constant source of motivation. Your accountability partner can be someone you trust in your inner circle or an outsider that can keep you motivated. It can also be helpful if your accountability has similar goals.

4. Forgiving Yourself and Moving Forward

One common thing for many people is that they are tough on themselves. However, you will make mistakes along the way and mustn't get stuck in the cycle of self-doubt and loathing for too long.
While it is essential to reflect on your past year, the idea behind self-reflection is not to highlight every 'mistake' you made and make yourself feel bad. It is quite the opposite.

Forgiveness is about making space to focus on what you learned from these choices and what you can do differently in 2023 if that choice isn't working for you anymore. So take a deep breath, make space for your emotions, reflect on the lesson, and move on.

5. Avoid Black-and-White Thinking

Black and White thinking is a popular cognitive distortion that impacts many people. This thinking can be described as "either-or" thinking. Examples 'Either I complete this task perfectly today, or the goal is completely failed.' or 'I am either successful or a complete failure.'

People who identify as perfectionism tend to struggle with this type of thinking. As the fear of failing grows, procrastination can grow. When procrastination grows, we engage in avoidance-based coping, leading us to not work on our goals. It can also show the opposite, where the fear of failure drives you to burnout.

Balancing these thoughts with more neutral thoughts is essential. Remind yourself that you can hit reset anytime, and take a dialectical stance.

90+ New Year Journal Prompts for 2023

End Of Year New Journal Prompts For Self-Reflection

1. What was the most memorable moment of 2022?

2. What was the most challenging part of this past year?

3. What are you most proud of this year? 

4. List 3-5 ways you celebrated yourself.

5. What surprised you about yourself this year?

6. How did you prioritize your physical health this year?

7. What new skill did you learn this past year?

8. What new books did you read this year?

9. I could not have done 2022 without....

10. Reflect on the time you asked for help.

11. How did you nurture your friendships this past year? 

12. What self-care practices did you engage in? 

13. What were you inspired by the most this past year?

14. What financial practices did you implement this past year?

15. Did you spend time in nature this past year? 

16. Reflect on your birthday. 

17. Who did you turn to for help during challenging times?

18. What did you waste time on this past year?

19. What/who something/someone you had to grieve this past year is?

20. What is an important lesson you learned about your family this past year?

21. What are you the most grateful for this year?

22. In what ways did you make time for yourself this year?

23. How challenging was it to say no or ask for something this year?

24. Did you have a good work-life balance?

25. What's a new place you sought out this year?

26. How are you, really?

Start Of New Year Journal Prompts

Physical Health:

27. How did you take care of your physical body this year?

28. What was your relationship with food like?

29. Did you remember to drink water regularly?

30. Did you fuel your body with nutrient-dense foods?

31. Reflect on your sleep hygiene. 

32. Did you keep a track of important medical appointments?

33. How often did you depend on any substances to get through the day?

Mental/Emotional Self-Care:

34. What steps did you take to care for your mental health this year?

35. What was your relationship with technology?

36. How often did you check in with yourself to recognize and name your emotions?

37. How often did you spend alone time?

38. Did you set any boundaries this past year? 

39. How did you manage stress?

40. Did you extend yourself self-compassion when needed?

Financial Wellness:

41. When I think about my financial situation, I feel.....

42. Reflect on a financial decision you made this past year that you are the proudest of

43. Reflect on a financial decision you made this past year that you regret. 

44. Did you avoid any aspect of your finances? 

45. Did you create a budget and track expenses this past year? How did it go?

46. . How often did you search for ways to limit your expenses every month? How did it go?

47. Did you add to your savings account this past year?

Spiritual Wellness:

48. What gave you hope this past year?

49. Do you have a mindfulness practice that you regularly engage in?

50. Did you engage in value-based decision-making?

51. How often did you engage in your hobbies and passions?

52. What type of content did you consume regularly?

53. How often did you make time for relaxation? 

54. What gave your life meaning and purpose this past year?

Workplace Wellness: 

55. How satisfied are you with your career? 

56. Did you challenge yourself to learn new skills?

57. Does your career align with your passions? If not, why not?

58. How often do you take breaks and time off?

59. How are the relationships that you have with your co-workers?

60. Did you make an effort to maintain a work-life balance consistently this year?

61.  Reflect on the work setting that is most beneficial for you (remote, hybrid, or in-person)

Relationship Wellness:

62.  How did you nurture relationships in your life?

63. How often did you schedule regular dates/activities with friends and family this past year?

64. Reflect on your communication patterns. 

65. How often did you try to keep in touch with your friends and family?

66. Reflect on yourself and your social needs. 

67. Did you have to set any boundaries this past year?

68. What are parts of your social life that you most and least enjoy? 

Intellectual Wellness:

69.  What hobby did you foster this past year?  

70. What hobby did you foster this past year? 

71. What books did you read this past year?

72. What new thing did you try to do outside your comfort zone this past year?

73. How did you build and nurture your curiosity?

74. How often did you engage in self-reflection this past year?

75. Reflect on your time-management skills.

Environmental Wellness:

76. Reflect on your living space this past year. Does it feel like home?

77. How often do you take time out of your busy day to connect with your surroundings? 

78. How frequently did you engage in cleaning your space?

79. Where did you find small pockets of peace this past year?

80. In what ways did you contribute to taking care of our environment? 

81. How did you spruce up your living space to support your mental health? (ex. Decluttering, redecorating, organizing, etc.)

{Read: 100+ Positive Affirmations For Depression That Will Make You Feel Better}

New Year Journal Prompts: Goal Setting

82. Out of the 8 areas, what area needs to change the most?

83. What are your top 3-5 goals for 2023 in these areas?

84. Break down the big goals into smaller goals. 

85. How will you track your goals?

86. How will you know you have achieved your goals?

87. What resources do you need to reach your goals? 

88. Reflect on why your goals are important and how they align with your big picture.

89. What is a reasonable time limit to achieve your goals?

90. What specific steps must you take to achieve your goal?

91. What are possible challenges that may get in the way of you achieving your goals, and how will you address them?

92. Who do you trust sharing your goals with?

93. What do you need to let go of in 2023?

94. When you reflect on 2023, what do you hope to accomplish?

Let's Recap......

I hope you find these 90+ New Year Journal Prompts useful for your self-growth. These simple questions can help you understand yourself and move forward towards becoming the best version of yourself. 

Whether you are looking to reflect on your past year or would like to set new goals for the upcoming year, these prompts can be a great starting point. Finally, remember that your self-growth journey is not a destination, it is a journey. Happy journaling and have a wonderful New Year. 

What you hope to achieve in 2023?