How to turn colourful prompts and puzzles into meaningful journaling

I like to think of my journal work lately as a playful approach to serious work.

Playfulness in journaling, for me, means colourful layouts, lots of free association in my prompts and writing, and following my curiosity and intuition wherever they lead.

The serious work is what happens along the way, including:

  • Knowing ourselves better.

  • Thinking, dreaming, and discovering what works and what doesn't.

  • Capturing important moments, figuring out what they mean, and taking purposeful action.

  • Connecting the good stuff out there to our everyday lives – so we can access it easily and often.

  • Seeing challenges and their solutions from new perspectives. (Because if we always reflect the same way, we'll always see the same things.)

  • Developing our voices so we can advocate for ourselves, others, and the issues we care about.

I've made three hand-lettered pages so far. (You might notice that they look a little different from my usual printables!)

Each page is filled with prompts and puzzles inspired by meaningful reflective practice. Some sections are quicker than others, but they all count.

Image features a peek at three colourful, new hand-lettered journal pages entitled And Other Things against a blue background.

I hope they'll show you that there are as many ways to reflect as there are words to reflect with!

A closeup of my new hand lettered page entitled And Other Things, filled with colourful prompts and puzzles.

I'm sharing the first page with you today and will follow up with the next two in future posts. Before I do, if you're wondering where they might fit in your day, here are a few thoughts.

When to use these pages:

  • When you want to journal but need a place to start.

  • When you're in a journal rut and want to shake up your practice a little.

  • When you need a quick pick-me-up in the midst of it all.

  • When you want to play with the words and ideas around you.

  • When you want to joyfully connect with the things that matter to you.

How to use them:

  • Just print and write. I keep my pages in my favourite binder. When it fills up, I move the older entries to bound folders.

  • If printing isn't an option, try typing or writing your reflections onto the page on your tablet or in your PDF reader.

  • When you have more to say about a prompt or when it leads to new ideas, you can write on the back of the page or start a new page in your notebook or note-taking app. But don't stop there! Share your ideas, follow up on your discoveries, and, where you can, delight in the serious work of embracing a full life with all its gifts and challenges.

If you'd like to play with this page, click here to download it now.*

Next time, I'll share more of my thinking behind this little project – including its title! Until then, I wish you oodles of colourful inspiration in your journaling!

* The pdf file includes two versions of this page (colourful and greyscale) and two page sizes (letter and A4).

 

One Simple Journal Prompt, So Many Reasons to Try it For Yourself

A journal prompt can be a lot like Mary Poppins' carpet bag: on first inspection, it seems pretty ordinary, but when you rummage around inside, you can pull out all sorts of things, like hat stands, potted plants, and magic measuring tapes.

Within every journal prompt, even the most ordinary ones, there are untold possibilities! I'd like to take you on a guided tour of one of my all-time favourites and show you all the good stuff you can find inside.

Here's the prompt:

Three things you can do to turn a bad day into a good day.

Let's start with three neat features within the structure of the prompt:

1. A list. Why three things?

  • Lists of three are lovely. Not too long, not too short. We can usually come up with three things on most subjects reasonably easily and quickly, which makes for a fun and rewarding journal session.

  • And once you have your list, it's a sweet reminder that there's more than one way to turn your day around.

  • You've got backups! If your first attempt doesn't work, you have two more ideas already teed up and ready to go.

2. A mid-prompt confidence booster: “… you can do …”

  • This is another sweet reminder within the prompt: you can turn your day around.

  • Put another way, you can make a difference in your own day.

3. Your vision: turning a bad day into a good day

  • What does a good day look like to you? This is your chance to take a moment and picture what you want from your day. Because the more clearly you can envision it, the more likely you are to get there.

And that's just the wording! There's still more to this prompt.

There are several ways to get your thoughts onto the page.

  • You can keep it super simple and use one big, meaningful word per item in your list of three. For example, my three words would be "walk, bake, and journal."

  • Alternatively, you can use an oodles-of-words approach and fill your journal with lengthy paragraphs describing step-by-step how each of the things on your list can be accomplished.

  • Or, you can forego words altogether and doodle or draw your answers onto the page. You can tape in photos or inspiration pics. Anything that illustrates your vision of a good day.

They all count.

And here's why:

  • When you commit your ideas to the page, in whichever form you choose, they become an action plan for turning your day around (with backups!). It's right there, in your journal, not just for today, but whenever you need it going forward.

  • And it's not just any action plan for any person experiencing a rough patch. It's your plan, based on the things you know work best for you and your vision of a good day. It's tailor-made just for you.

  • Your list of three also creates a record of your good-day strategies for this moment in your life. You can repeat this page every so often and see how your answers develop and change over time. You can celebrate all the ways you're getting better and better at turning bad days into good days.

All of this – your list, your vision, your way – comes from one tiny prompt.

Imagine what you can do with a journal full of thoughtful questions and heartfelt responses!

I hope this quick tour inspires you to see your journal as a tool for meaningful action that makes a difference in your days – and your life.

P.S. I first wrote about this fun little prompt in my newsletter. If you’d like more journal inspiration and new printables before they’re available anywhere else, sign up right here!

 

6 Quick New Prompts to Inspire Your Journaling: Letter Z

At first glance, you might not think the letter z has much to offer in terms of journal inspiration.

After all, Chapter Z in the average dictionary is exceptionally short and mostly filled with words like zoonosis and zygomorphic, which don’t play a huge role in daily conversation.

But that’s the exciting thing about a rewarding journal practice: it often involves seeking out new ideas in unexpected places.

Today, we take on the last letter of the alphabet!

Here are 6 new journal prompts inspired by the letter z:


1. One awesome thing you do that’s very much inside your comfort zone.

  • We all know how important it is to step outside our comfort zones to grow and develop new skills, but there's plenty of good stuff inside our comfort zones too! What’s one thing you do well precisely because it feels practised, second nature, and, yes, comfortable?

2. Two (or more!) things you do when you need to add a little zing to your day.

  • This prompt is an action plan in disguise. Think about the things that add excitement to your day – like switching things up, trying something new, or treating yourself to something special -- and add them to the list! Then, when you’re low on zing, you won’t have to look far for ideas that you already know you’ll love.

3. One thing you notice when you zoom in on one lovely thing that’s within your view right now.

  • Take a moment to engage your senses. Find a lovely thing within view. What’s one interesting detail about it that you can see, hear, touch, remember, or imagine? Challenge yourself to notice something you haven’t noticed before.

4. One person you admire for their zest for adventure.

  • Who is one person you know – or know of – who never says no to a new adventure? Maybe it’s someone who accompanies you on your adventures or someone out in the world who’s always up for a good challenge. Maybe they’re out there doing things you’d like to do or perhaps they simply approach their adventures differently from you. Whose sense of adventure do you admire?

5. One thing you admire about their zestiness.

  • This is a quick follow-up to Prompt #4. Let’s explore a little further. How does your person embrace adventure? Is it something you could try too?

6. One simple, yet delightful thing you’ve done a zillion times.

  • What’s one little thing you do all the time, but it still makes you smile? Include an extra detail or two and see if it makes you smile writing about it.

Would you like more alphabet-inspired prompts? I’ve created prompts for each letter of the alphabet. You’ll find them all right here.

How to journal your letter-z prompts:

Here are a few different ideas for reflecting on these letter-z-inspired prompts:

  • Choose one prompt to start with and write your answer in your journal. Be specific and include lots of details. Aha moments are often found in the tiniest details.

  • Share your answer to one of the prompts in the comments below. I promise to reply and cheer you on in your journaling!

  • Send one (or more!) of these prompts to a friend and compare answers.

  • Print my quick and colourful letter-z journal page. It’s part of my alphabet-inspired ebook and includes every single alphabet-inspired prompt.

  • Come back to these prompts again and again, to look for patterns and themes and notice what changes over time.

Looking for more journal inspiration? Join my newsletter to get my free ebook 10 Good Reasons to Journal. It includes 10 journal pages for celebrating your successes, nurturing your voice, sparking your creativity, and more!

 

Journaling the Rhythm of the Seasons: A New Collaboration with Jenn Begin

I think it's fair to say, before meeting Jenn Begin, I only ever thought about the seasons from the most fleeting perspective: spring is rainy, summer is hot, fall offers the best walks in the woods, and even though I love a good snowfall, winter always lasts a little too long.

I never wondered what the seasons in my little corner of Southern Ontario could teach me. I never appreciated their guiding energies or recognized I was missing out on a huge opportunity to experience my surroundings in more meaningful ways.

A snapshot of Jenn and Christie, smiling, with green trees behind them

Jenn and me on a walk in the woods.

Over the past two years, Jenn has been sharing a different view of the seasons with me, an Indigenous view, based on her experience and those of her teachers. As a passionate music educator, multifaceted journaler, and creator of gorgeous, one-of-a-kind junk journals, she has patiently imparted her knowledge over long email threads and winding walks through one of the many conservation areas between our two homes.

Our resulting collaboration has been one in which I've taken a step back to listen, learn, and explore. I've loved thinking about how the wind carries me in fall, how I find light during the darkness of winter, and which ideas I can breathe life into in spring.

Today, I'm proud to share a set of four journal pages in which Jenn invites us all to attune ourselves to the rhythms of the seasons.

Jenn writes:

When we journal into the seasons, which signal the everchanging energy of Mother Earth or Ahkikwe (Anishinaabemowin), we become more aware of natural changes and perhaps can begin to connect to those changes in ourselves.

My family is Anishinaabe, Scottish and French. My teachings lead me to shift my life to attune with "all my relations": Nokomis Giizis, Grandmother the Moon and her monthly cycle, Mishimis Giizis, Grandfather Sun and his reliable shining light and Ahkikwe, and her changing seasons. As I became more aware of the changes in Ahkikwe, each season, I started to lean into the energy of that season and see the changes in myself as well.

I hope you can see possibilities of how you can attune your life to grounding and rooting in the spring, blooming in the summer, harvest and gratitude in the fall and then deep rest in the winter.

If you'd like to explore your connection to the seasons, you'll find these new pages right here.

To learn more about Jenn – and see her amazing junk journals! – visit her on Instagram and Linktree.

As always, I'd love to hear from you! In the comments below, let me know: How do you incorporate elements of the seasons into your own routines and practices?

 

Say Yes to 7 Quick New Prompts to Energize Your Journaling: Letter Y

Saying yes can be the simplest thing in the world.

Did you schedule that appointment? Yes. Is this your hat? Yes. Would you like dessert? An enthusiastic yes!

But sometimes, saying yes is like leaping into the unknown. We can't know what we're saying yes to until we dive in and we can't be sure we have what it takes to follow through with the commitment we've made until long after saying yes.

So, to put yourself out there, say yes to something big, and feel glad to have done so – that's worth journaling about!

Here are 7 journal prompts, including three big yeses, inspired by the letter y:


1. One huge responsibility you’re glad you said yes to.

  • This prompt is bursting with opportunities for deeper reflection.

  • After you’ve proudly written about one huge responsibility you’re glad you said yes to, follow up with one way you’re managing your huge responsibility and one huge thing you’ve learned along the way.

2. One complicated challenge you’re glad you said yes to.

  • Ditto to the ideas above!

  • As follow-ups, think about three important steps you’re taking to overcome this challenge and one thing you’ve learned about yourself along the way.

3. One new idea you’re glad you said yes to.

  • Cheering you on as you go out there and try new things!

  • For quick follow-ups, what made this new idea appealing to you and what’s one reason you’re glad you said yes?

4. Yummy things.

  • Make a list of treats and flavours you love. Everyday things and special things. Are they sweet, spicy, sour, salty, or savoury?

  • Add to your list from time to time as you discover new yummy things.

5. One thing about you that’s difficult to understand.

  • This prompt is pure curiosity, shining a light on the unknown parts of ourselves.

  • What’s one thing you’re still trying to understand about yourself? Alternatively, what’s one thing about yourself you have a hard time explaining to others?

6. One thing about you that’s easy to understand.

  • And now an easy one. What’s one thing about you that makes complete sense?

7. One thing that’s going well this year.

  • Regardless of what time of year it is, think back from January 1st to this moment right now. What’s one thing that’s working for you?

  • This could be the beginning of a lovely little list of good stuff in your world. Add one reason each thing is going well and you’ll have another list of tips and tricks for how to keep the good stuff going!

Looking for more alphabet-inspired prompts? I’ve created prompts for every letter of the alphabet. All of them! You’ll find them right here.

How to journal your letter-y prompts:

Here are a few different ideas for reflecting on these letter-y-inspired prompts:

  • Choose one prompt to start with and write your answer in your journal. Be specific and include lots of details. Aha moments are often found in the tiniest details.

  • Share your answer to one of the prompts in the comments below.

  • Send one (or more!) of these prompts to a friend and compare answers.

  • Print my quick and colourful letter-y journal page. It’s part of my alphabet-inspired ebook and includes every single alphabet-inspired prompt.

  • Come back to these prompts again and again in your journal. Look for patterns and themes in your answers and notice what changes over time.

Ever wonder about the benefits of journaling? Join my newsletter to get my free ebook 10 Good Reasons to Journal. It includes 10 journal pages for celebrating your successes, nurturing your voice, sparking your creativity, and more!

 

Your Best (and Worst) Reading Rules: A Delightful Chat with Stephanie Affinito

How do you make your reading experiences your own?

This is the question Stephanie Affinito and I set out to answer at the outset of our new journal page collaboration. To our surprise, we ended up breaking a few rules along the way!

Stephanie is a literacy educator, author, podcaster, reader, journaler, and notebook keeper. She believes in the power of books and reading to transform lives and she brings the promise of discovery and growth through reading to her podcast, teaching, writing, and community building.

We began our first collaboration conversation with some of the questions we've encountered — and asked of ourselves — around personalizing a practice like reading or journaling: What if I don't do it right? What if I make mistakes? What if I end up doing it differently from everyone else?

We wondered, who makes the rules we read by?

Together, we created two colourful pages dedicated to exploring the rules that encourage us toward the best possible experience and the ones that are standing in the way of rewarding reading. Then, last week, Stephanie invited me to return to her podcast to discuss the final result.

I loved this conversation.

Sharing our rules — like reading one book at a time or reading from beginning to end without skipping ahead — and asking about each other's hows and whys led me to discoveries I'm not sure I would have encountered on my own. It also made me feel so supported in the process of re-thinking long-held ideas and beliefs. I want to have more conversations like this!

If you'd like to explore your reading rules – the ones you make and the ones you might consider breaking, you'll find our new pages right here.* This is a perfect set for sharing. Why not start your own conversation about rules with someone you know and trust!

To learn more about Stephanie and all the ways she can help you grow and enrich your reading life, and your life beyond reading, visit her podcast, website, and Patreon community.

As always, I'd love to hear from you! What's one rule that enriches your reading life? What's one rule that needs some tweaking? You can leave a comment below or reach me through my contact page anytime. Can't wait to chat!

*In order to fit a variety of binders and journals, these pages are offered in four different page sizes: letter, half letter, A4 and A5.

 

Expected the Unexpected! 5 New Journal Prompts Inspired by the Letter X

It probably comes as no surprise that I had to make a few exceptions to create five new letter-x-inspired journal prompts. Although xanthan gum and xylene are excellent and upstanding x words, they don’t translate into helpful journal material.

So I went with the next best thing: words beginning with ex. Luckily, in that category, there are lots of neat ideas to explore.

Which brings us to expectations. Isn't it wonderful when an experience turns out to be better than we predicted or even better than we could have imagined? Or how about when we entrust the details of a special moment to someone else and they surprise us with their attention to detail, kindness, or creativity?

Today, let's use our journals to collect one little moment, event, or gesture that went above and beyond what we expected.

Here are 5 journal prompts, inspired by the letter x:


1. One recent experience that exceeded your expectations.

  • Reflecting on these moments, I think, gives us a chance to capture how it feels to recognize that experiences can be more – more joyful, more fulfilling – or less – less scary, less difficult – than we thought. We can use that recognition to encourage us toward the next experience or to discover new ways to exceed our own – and others' – expectations.

  • Don’t forget to include the details that made the experience exceptional.

2. One thing you find challenging to explain.

  • What’s one thing that baffles you? Maybe it’s a complicated idea or a sensation that’s hard to translate into words.

  • What do you think makes it so hard to explain? What could you learn about it to make it easier?

3. One thing you’d like to exchange for another thing.

  • Just playing with ideas here. What’s one thing of yours that’s not quite right or could be replaced by something better? What makes the better thing better?

4. Ways you expand your knowledge.

  • Make a list of all the different ways you learn. What’s one you’ve used recently? What did you learn?

5. One extra thing you’re up to today.

  • What’s one thing you’re up to that isn’t necessarily required, but you’re doing it anyway? Is it a treat? Something that brings you or someone else a little extra or unexpected joy? What might it be?

Would you like to try more alphabet-inspired journaling? I’ve created prompts for every letter of the alphabet. All of them! You’ll find them right here.

How to journal your letter-x prompts:


Here are a few different ideas for reflecting on these letter-ex-inspired prompts:

  • Choose one prompt to start with and write your answer in your journal. Be specific and include lots of details. Sparkling insights are often found in the tiniest details.

  • Share your answer to one of the prompts in the comments below. A little reflection on the spot! I read every comment and I’ll do my best to reply – either in the comments or by email.

  • Send one (or more!) of these prompts to a friend and compare answers.

  • Print and journal my quick and colourful letter-ex journal page. It’s part of my alphabet-inspired ebook and includes every single alphabet-inspired prompt.

  • Come back to these prompts again and again in your journal. Look for patterns and themes in your answers and notice what changes over time.

There are so many good reasons to journal! Join my newsletter to get my free ebook 10 Good Reasons to Journal. It includes 10 journal pages for celebrating your successes, nurturing your voice, sparking your creativity, and more!

 

7 Creative and Colourful Journal Prompts You Can Try Right Now: Letter W

Looking back on the alphabet-inspired words we've journaled to date, many have been chosen for their singular definitions:

Today's featured word – with – takes a different approach. You can define with in all sorts of ways. You can be with, make with, have with, do with, live with, and so much more.

Reflecting on the things we bring with us when we go out into the world is a way to recognize we don't go out there alone, without resources. Over time and through ongoing experience, each of us can equip ourselves with a wide range of tools, skills, and intentions that offer support and direction when we need it.

So, in the first three letter-w-inspired prompts, I'm asking, ever so briefly and colourfully, what do you bring with you when you go out into the world?

Here are 7 journal prompts, inspired by the letter w:

1. One item you bring with you when you go out into the world.

  • What’s one tool, keepsake, or other helpful item you’re glad to have with you when you’re out and about?

2. One skill you bring with you when you go out into the world.

  • What’s one skill or ability you know you can count on to meet the challenges you face out there?

3. One purpose you bring with you when you go out into the world.

  • What’s one way you’d like to make a difference as you make your way through the world?

4. One way you show your wholehearted support.

  • I love the word wholehearted. I think we know when we have someone’s wholehearted support, don’t you? How do you show yours to the people and projects you care about most?

5. One thing you know about an issue of worldwide significance.

  • What’s happening out there in the world that you’re keeping tabs on? Why is it of particular interest to you? What else would you like to know about it?

6. One lovely thing about the view from the window closest to you right now.

  • A little closer to home, what’s lovely to look at outside your window? Use lots of descriptive details to see it better!

7. Worthwhile things you do.

  • Celebrate the things you do that are worth the time and effort they require. Start making a list!

Would you like to try another letter? I’ve created colourful prompts for every one of them! You’ll find them all right here.

How to journal your letter-w prompts:


Here are a few different ideas for reflecting on these letter-w-inspired prompts:

  • Choose one prompt to start with and write your answer in your journal. Be specific and include lots of details. Meaningful discoveries are often found in the tiniest details.

  • Share your answer to one of the prompts in the comments below. A little reflection on the spot! I read every comment and I’ll do my best to reply – either in the comments or by email.

  • Send one (or more!) of these prompts to a friend and compare answers.

  • Print and journal my quick and colourful letter-w journal page. It’s part of my alphabet-inspired ebook and includes every single alphabet-inspired prompt.

  • Come back to these prompts again and again in your journal. Look for patterns and themes in your answers and notice what changes over time.

There are so many good reasons to journal! Join my newsletter to get my free ebook 10 Good Reasons to Journal. It includes 10 journal pages for celebrating your successes, nurturing your voice, sparking your creativity, and more!

 

V is for Voice - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Many years ago, in a newsletter series that became my 10 Good Reasons to Journal e-book, I wrote this about voice:

"Your voice is much more than what you say. It's a reflection of who you are in the world.

With your voice, you can help others understand your point of view, you can draw on personal experience to inspire action or change, you can let people know what you stand for, and you can contribute in meaningful ways to important conversations.

Your journal is an invaluable tool for exploring the fascinating, talented, multi-dimensional person you are. It's also a place to think about how you want to use your voice and what, exactly, you want to say.”

It still rings true to me today, especially the part about nurturing and developing your voice in your journal.

One perspective I didn't include way back when (here's the page!) was how you're already using your voice. So when I happened across voice in Chapter V of my dictionary, I knew I wanted to include it in today's alphabet-inspired journal page.

What counts as using your voice? I think that's open for discussion!

For my part, I prefer an expansive definition. It can include, for example, the things you say/write/teach/share/express and other ways you relate to people and the world around you, such as the people/places/things/ideas to which you devote your time, efforts, attention, resources, and/or expertise.

It can be scary to use our voices. It certainly is for me! It takes practice, I think, to express ourselves in the ways that best represent our ideas and aims. And we don't always get it right.

One thing's for sure though: there's no other voice exactly like yours. In my view, that gives you a unique opportunity to add to, even expand, the conversations that matter to you in new, unexpected, and meaningful ways.

(One little step at a time, and with the steadfast support of your journal, of course!)

V is for Voice - alphabet-inspired printable journal page by Christie Zimmer

If you'd like to journal the letter v with me, I'll send it to you! In the comments below, tell me one way you use your voice. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll also send a reply in return along with the pdf file* so you can keep journaling!

P.S. If you're new to this alphabet-inspired journal series, I'm sharing the process with you -- and these printable journal pages! -- as I go. You can find more information about pages a through u, plus some of my other page projects, here.

* The file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.

 

U is for Unlimited - New alphabet-inspired journal page

Chapter U in my recently thrifted, very gently used Oxford Canadian Dictionary is all about the uns. They fill 22 pages of the 31-page chapter!

Mostly, they're dedicated to undoing their opposites, which I have to admit was a little off-putting at first. Unappetizing, uninteresting, uncaring, unhappy. I thought about skipping all of the uns, just on principle.

Eventually, however, I encountered unlimited, which instead felt like throwing the doors open.

If you survey definitions of the word unlimited, you'll find other words like boundless, infinite, vast, and some uns too: unconditional, undefined, unrestricted. Just reading them, I found myself breathing a little deeper, feeling more attuned to the possibilities.

For better or worse, our days are all about navigating limits. Just for a moment, why not cast our attention in the opposite direction, toward the wide open things, the vast and the boundless. Who knows, it might spark ideas for undoing one or two of those limits.

U is for Unlimited - printable journal page, blue pen, colourful notebooks, papers and tapes

If you'd like to journal the letter u with me, I'll send it to you! In the comments below, tell me one good thing in your world that feels unlimited. Not only will you get a head start on the first prompt in this printable, but I'll also send a reply in return along with the pdf file* so you can keep journaling!

P.S. If you're new to this alphabet-inspired journal series, I'm sharing the process with you -- and these printable journal pages! -- as I go. You can find more information about pages a through t, plus some of my other page projects, here.

* The file will include two page sizes: letter and A4.