11 Powerful Writing Prompts to Reflect on Your Year
If there were ever a time to want to rush through the final weeks and flip to the next month, December always seems to bring that kind of energy.
Before you run full speed ahead into the rest of the month. And even before you start making plans for next year, I encourage you to go back to look at the past year and capture the lessons.
It’s so easy to race ahead, forget what we’ve actually accomplished, and keep plugging away. But chances are, you’ve probably accomplished more than you think.
For this end-of-year reflection, I suggest exploring the following journal writing prompts. Choose one a day to write on inside your morning pages, or savor an afternoon tucked under your fluffiest blanket and a hot cup of tea with your favorite notebook and pen, meandering through these prompts.
Here are 11 journal writing prompts to reflect on the year (or anytime you’re craving quiet contemplation):
Pull out your calendar, paper, or Google calendar. For each month, write down:
3 low points
3 joyful moments
3 things you’re not going to do in the coming year — feel free to write these all on a single piece of paper and toss them in your next bonfire — may I suggest the next full moon to release that shit?
What were the most important lessons from the year?
What surprised you most?
What new hobbies did you enjoy and will you take with you into next year?
What music lifted your spirits? (Make a note to make yourself a playlist).
Who are the humans that you’re thankful for? Feel free to write a little thank you note to them. You can drop it in the mail to them or simply write it and keep it for yourself.
What people did you really enjoy working with?
What practices or rituals did you enjoy?
Was there anything you’d do differently?
What was the best gift you received this year?
How do you want to feel this time next year?
I’ll do some more reflection over the final few weeks of the year.
Here are my personal lessons from 2020 in the form of a thank-you letter.
Dear 2020,
Thank you for showing me…
how much I love my family.
the lessons.
to stay out of fear.
how to grow my own food in my backyard (that we actually ate).
how to be a good neighbor.
the lessons I needed to finish writing my first book.
that I bring myself wherever I go — 11 moves into my adult life.
what matters.
surrender.
that because I know the truth, I don’t need to be afraid of lies.
if I want to find reasons to be optimistic, I’ll find them.
panicking is unproductive.
how my body reacts when I do everyone else’s emotional labor for them.
that when I hold everyone’s emotions, I’m doing them a disservice.
my kids are resilient — and they will still feel the effects of 2020 for years. This is my priority.
the kids will remember how I handled 2020 more than they’ll remember anything else from this time.
we’re all doing the best we can with the resources we have.
I can leave blank space on the calendar.
to keep using and trusting my intuition.
why I need to leave fear and chaos at the door.
to do my own research, find trusted sources of information — and still, question everything.
to think with my own brain.
that I am safe.
that small talk still isn’t for me.
to seek out expanders and more calm and rational voices.
how boundaries need constant reinforcement.
my work will expand to how much time I allow.
how much mentors and my network mean to me and my well-being.
that when I look after balancing my energy, it keeps me healthy and better able to support the people I need to support most.
surrender more.
If writing your most important lessons from the year in the form of a thank you letter feels good to you, I invite you to do it too. I specifically chose the gratitude format to continue rewiring my brain to see goodness.
If you enjoyed these prompts and this reflection, you might like these too:
15 Writing Prompts for End of Year Reflecting and Manifesting
15 simple and powerful writing prompts to help clear the gunk from your head
