Believe it or not, the final month of the year is here — and while most people wait for the clean, round number, fresh start of the New Year to reflect and set 2026 goals, getting a month jump start can set you up for success so you roll into January with confidence and self-awareness.
Journaling can be anything you want it to be — profound personal insights, wild rambling, or a lens to discover the things we actually want to be focusing on. Even if you don't believe in divine acts of the sky, just like reading horoscopes, journaling allows you to uncover repeating thought patterns, areas of doubt, and makes crystal clear what we should be funneling our time and energy into.
Today I'm here with a handful of thought-provoking journal prompts for December 2025 so you can make the most of the final month of the year.
Pssst... Here's a few printable planners I thought you might like!
But first things first, what do I mean about reading horoscopes even if you don't believe in them? Let me explain.
Say you're a Gemini like me — and in my particular case, a cusp baby that has never quite identified with the double-personality and social-chameleon attributes Geminis are know for, so I've always been a spiritual skeptic.
According to Cosmopolitan, my monthly horoscope for December 2025 tells me that I may need to "assert some boundaries and standing up for myself" — a somewhat vague, universally applicable statement that only becomes helpful when you follow your initial gut reaction. Who came to mind when I read that sentence? My boss? A family member? A good friend? Whoever it was, it's a sign that micro-problems may already be beginning to bubble up, and I should put energy into squashing those problems before they get any bigger.
Journaling works in a similar way. If a journal prompt asks you, for example, to "imagine what your life could look like if you choose courage over your comfort zone."
Again, another basic question that could be applied to a million different areas of our lives — relationships, work, personal growth, fitness.
But the scenario that immediately pops into your mind upon reading it is the thread you should pull on. Don't try to answer the prompts based on what you "think" you should say, answer with your gut and let yourself brain dump onto the page. This will help surface the areas of your life that are subconsciously clamoring for your attention.
Another great tip for journaling — which you can actually apply to horoscopes, personality tests, or any other self-reflection advice, too — is that if a prompt doesn't trigger any meaningful gut reactions, or you have to mentally dig for what to write about, skip it!
Pssst: That's a big reason that our 2026 Vision Board Workbook is so big — 63 pages! Not every single page will resonate as strongly as others, and some may not even apply at all. You don't need to complete the workbook in order. In fact, you might be better served to jump around, filling in the pages that call your attention first and skipping any that don't.
It's a much better use of your time to dig into the areas of your mind that elicit strong emotions. If a journal prompt asks you to reflect on your career ambitions, but things are going just fine at the moment at your job, don't try to look for problems that don't exist. Instead, you can apply that same question to another area of your life that might have more pressing concerns.
In fact, give that flexible approach a try below!
One last quick tip to get the most out of a morning journaling habit: Sometimes self-reflection is uncomfortable, and we may even find that we tell ourselves little white lies when putting the pen to paper — the paragraph you end up writing down might be a bit sugarcoated, or it contains a simplified version of your complex emotions.
As soon as you recognize yourself doing this, stop for a moment. Are you really allowing yourself to brain dump your most raw, unfiltered thoughts? Or are you softening the blow of a touchy topic? This is yet another sign that whatever you are watering down might be an area of concern for you to focus on.
Anyway, I wish you a productive yet relaxing December as you wind down while gearing up — the paradox of this month will never cease to amaze me. I hope these journal prompts help bring you clarity, comfort and closure to 2025 so that you can ring in 2026 charging full speed ahead.
Happy journaling!
