45 Monthly Reflection Journal Prompts to Realign and Make Progress
Sometimes I lose track of what I’ve been working on or what I need to work on next. A task will pop into my head, and I say I’ll write it down, and then I forget about it. Time passes quickly and weeks blur together.
And before you know it, another month has passed.
So, we’re going to hit pause and use this as a moment to check in with ourselves before the next month begins. These monthly reflection journal prompts offer you a way to slow down and actually figure out what new goals to set for next month.
Breaks matter. Reflecting matters. And reflection isn’t about overanalyzing every aspect of your life. It’s about taking the time to reconnect with your mindset, your goals, and where you want to prioritize your energy moving forward.
Table of Contents
Journaling Prompts for Monthly Reflection
These prompts take you through a transition. You’ll start by getting a clear picture of your mindset. Then you’ll identify your biggest challenges. Lastly, you’ll set your intentions and goals for the next month.
To easily guide you through, I have broken these prompts into 5 sections:
- Evaluate Your Mindset
- Acknowledge Big and Small Wins
- Your Biggest Challenges
- Letting Go of What Didn’t Work
- Setting Intentions and Goals for Next Month
Evaluate Your Mindset
Let’s tackle your mindset. It’s the greatest influencer in how you show up, what you avoid, and how you interpret your progress. Before you start setting new goals or making plans, you need clarity and insight into where you are mentally.
1. How would you describe your overall mindset this month? What thoughts or beliefs felt the loudest in your day-to-day life?
2. Did you ever feel mentally clear or confident this month? What was happening in your life or during those moments?
3. In what ways did self-doubt, overthinking, or hesitation show up for you? What do you think triggered and how did you deal with it?
4. How did your mindset affect the way you approached your tasks, goals, and other responsibilities? Did your mindset support your efforts or slow you down?
5. Were there any emotions you tried to avoid feeling this month? What do you think those emotions were trying to tell you?
6. If things felt overwhelming, what was your first reaction? Did you distract yourself, avoid it, or come up with a way to deal with those feelings?
Answer From Me: Prompt #6
When I felt overwhelmed my first reaction was to ask myself, why? I narrowed down the reasons for feeling the way I felt, and then I came up with a way to deal with those feelings. Sometimes that looked like turning to my spirituality. Other times it looked like blasting my favorite songs. My only goal was to bring myself back to calm.
7. What patterns do you tend to notice when responding to feelings of stress or pressure? Are these new patterns, or have they been with you for a long time?
8. List 2-3 things that helped you stay grounded or emotionally steady this month. What steps can you take to create more or similar things for next month?
9. Moving forward, what mindset shift would make the biggest difference for you? How would making this shift change or improve your life?
Acknowledge Big and Small Wins
Small wins? Big wins? It doesn’t matter! Celebrating them all moves you closer to your goals. Overlooking your progress is easy to do when you’re only focused on what’s left to be done. All your efforts deserve recognition.
10. What is one win from this month that genuinely makes you proud? Why does it matter to you? Have you shared this win with anyone close to you?
11. Make a list of small actions and habits you showed up for consistently. How did they move you closer to your goals?
12. Did you follow through on a task or plan even when your motivation was low? What does that say about your personal growth?
13. Is there some type of progress you made that isn’t obvious or measurable? What impact did it have on you internally?
14. Did your wins align with the goals you set for yourself? How do you know this? Were there any surprises?
15. What are some efforts you made that deserve more credit than you gave them? Why have you been minimizing your efforts?
16. In what ways did you show up differently this month than you would have in the past? What motivated or inspired you to do so?
17. How does acknowledging your wins change your view of this month overall? Does it make you feel differently mentally? Emotionally?
18. List 3 wins, big or small, that you want to build on next month? As you think about building on these wins, what do you think made them possible?
Your Biggest Challenges
It’s great to know what went well, but it’s also important to understand what didn’t. Knowing your challenges allows you to go into the next month without repeating the same struggles.
19. What did you find the most challenging this month? Why did you find it difficult or heavy? How did you handle it?
20. Where did you struggle to stay consistent? What got it the way? Is struggling with consistency a common theme in your life?
21. What were your most common challenges? Which challenges kept repeating themselves? Do you notice any patterns?
Answer From Me: Prompt #21
My most common challenge was consistency with this blog. I kind of neglected my pinning strategy and didn’t publish blog posts as planned. This is a pattern that repeats it self at least every other month. I’m finding that life usually gets in the way, so I need to do a better job at prioritizing and grouping similar tasks.
22. If things didn’t go as you planned, how did you respond? Did you criticize yourself or show compassion?
23. What did you avoid instead of addressing it directly? Why were you afraid of facing it head-on?
24. As you reflect, were your challenges more internal or external things? If external, how can you remove them? If internal, what inner work do you need to do?
25. Were there any moments that made you question your progress or abilities? What about these moments made you feel unsure of yourself?
26. What do the challenges you faced this month say about your needs or limits? What do you need more of? What do you need less of?
27. If you encounter similar challenges next month, how do you plan to approach them? What type of support or adjustments would help?
Letting Go of What Didn’t Work
You don’t take things that didn’t work for you in the past into your next phase – whatever that phase may be. You leave it behind or release it. Whether that’s old habits, unrealistic expectations, or even a flawed mindset. You want to free up your energy to focus on what’s next.
28. Which habits, routines, or expectations didn’t support you this month? Do they typically support you, or is it time to just let these go?
29. Did you push yourself in ways that felt forced or misaligned? Why did you feel the need to do it? Where did that pressure come from?
30. Identify a mindset or belief that kept you stuck. When did you first notice it? Are you actively trying to shift your mindset or release that belief?
31. What patterns do you keep repeating even though you know they don’t work for you? If you chose to stop, what would that look like for you?
32. Did you place any unrealistic expectations on yourself? Did you know the expectation was unrealistic beforehand? Who were you really doing this for?
33. Is there anything that you are holding onto out of guilt or obligation? How is it affecting your energy? How will it feel to let this go?
34. What would you like to forgive yourself for this month? Are you ready to take the actual step of forgiveness? What does self-compassion look like for you here?
35. Define what “letting go” actually means for you right now. What does it feel like? How does it show up in your actions and mindset?
36. What are you consciously choosing not to bring into next month? Why do you need to release it? How will it get you closer to your goals?
Setting Intentions and Goals for the Next Month
You know where you’ve been. You know what you need to let go. Now it’s up to you to intentionally choose what you plan to work towards next month. And these prompts will equip you to do it with purpose and clarity.
Need additional help clarifying your goals? Start with my writing prompts on goal setting.
37. How do you want to feel mentally, physically, and emotionally next month? Why is this important to you? What role will it play in your long-term success?
38. What’s your main focus or priority for the next month? Why is this at the top of your list? What makes it worth your energy?
39. What’s one goal you are adamant about accomplishing next month? Why does this goal matter? Why is it important to you?
40. Is your main focus/priority something that can realistically be completed within one month? How will you know you have completed this goal?
41. What smaller steps will help you move toward this goal? Which steps will feel easy and supportive? Which steps will be difficult?
42. How do you want to show up for yourself as you work towards your goal? What will your days look like? What routines will you follow? What type of mindset will you have?
43. What’s the most important habit or routine that will effortlessly support your intention? How can you keep it simple?
44. Identify 1-2 things that may get in your way next month. What can you do to prepare without overplanning?
45. What would make next month feel successful to you? How will you honor your success?
Your Reflections Don’t Require Perfection
If you get stuck while working through these monthly reflections journal prompts, it’s okay.
Reflection takes honesty. It takes time. So allow yourself to pause for a day or two and then pick up where you left off.
We’re not focused on perfection. We’re focused on clarity, consistency, and awareness.
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