17 Best Guided Journals with Prompts in 2024

Guided journals offer a structured way for self-reflection. It’s a powerful tool for personal growth, self-discovery, and improving mental health.

But which one should you choose?

You might feel lost in the ocean of guided journals online. After all, there are over 50K results for journals with prompts on Amazon alone…

But don’t worry.

In this article, we’ll cover the best guided journals in 17 categories. So, you’ll only have to choose the topic that suits your goals and needs.

Let’s dive in!

• Verdict
• Why should you get a guided journal?
• What to look for in a guided journal?
• 17 Best guided journals with daily prompts

Verdict: Best guided journals in 2024

	Name	Best in category	Price
	The Five Minute Journal	Beginners & Busy individuals	See latest
	Ultimate Achievers Planner	Self-improvement & Goal achievement	See latest
	3X Happier Journal	Mental health	See latest
	Self Care Journal	Self-care	See latest
	Gratitude Journal Pro	Gratitude	See latest
	Self-Love Journal	Self-love	See latest
	Let That Sh*t Go	Self-help	See latest
	The Daily Stoic Journal	Stoicism	See latest
	LIFE&Style Planner	Daily scheduling	See latest
	The Reboot Journal	Building and tracking habits	See latest
	Best Year Journal	Best for a weekly journaling practice	See latest
	Positivity Journal	Mindset	See latest
	Start Where You Are	Self-discovery	See latest
	Weekly Pro Planner	Work-life balance	Se/e latest
	Artist’s Way Journal	Morning Pages	See latest
	Couples Journal	Fun option for couples	See latest
	Dotted Journal	Best unguided bullet-based journal	See latest

Why should you get a guided journal?

Choosing a guided journal over a traditional blank journal has several benefits, especially if you seek a structured approach or are trying a journaling practice for the first time.

Here’s why:

1. Direction and focus: Guided journals provide prompts and questions that direct your attention and focus your reflection.
2. Greater self-discovery: You’ll face journaling prompts that encourage you to delve deeper into various aspects of yourself.
3. Motivation: Journals with prompts reduce friction since you’ll only have to fill out the questions, encouraging you to develop a journaling habit.
4. Therapeutic benefits: Prompts in guided journals can be therapeutic, helping you work through emotions, stress, or mental blocks.
5. Habit building: Guided journals often help in building various habits such as gratitude, mindfulness, goal-setting, and self-discipline.
6. Reduces overwhelm: Instead of facing a blank page, you’re guided through a purposefully designed journaling process.
7. Quality of reflection: Journals with prompts are often designed by experts in psychology or related fields and based on scientific evidence.

In essence, a guided journal offers structure, increases motivation, and can generate deeper insights through thought-provoking prompts.

What to look for in a guided journal?

There’s no one best guided journal for everyone.

Instead, you should search for a guided journal that suits your goals and needs. That’s why I’ve tailored this article to cover various categories.

Here’s what to consider before buying a guided journal:

• Purpose: Determine what you want to achieve with your journal. Is it for self-discovery, mental health, mindfulness, growth, or productivity?
• Prompt style: Look at the type of prompts and activities. Are they open-ended, thought-provoking, inspiring, or encouraging creativity? I’ve considered this factor in determining the best guided journal for each theme.
• Layout: Do you want a journal with flexibility, like additional space for free writing, doodling, and other ways of personal expression? Or do you prefer journals that are packed with well-structured prompts?
• Frequency of use: How often do you intend to use the journal? Daily, weekly, or as needed? We’ll cover several options in this list.
• Duration: Is the journal meant to be used over a specific period or is it more open-ended? Ensure the duration matches your commitment level and the goals you’re looking to achieve.
• Expertise behind the journal: Journals designed by psychologists, life coaches, or experts in a particular field might offer more insights and effective prompts. I’ve considered the expertise in this review.

Considering these factors will help you find a guided journal that suits your needs, lifestyle, and goals.

17 Best guided journals with daily prompts

Since there’s no one best guided journal for everyone, I’ve looked at various themes instead. 

Per theme, I’ve considered the specific goals and common needs. And I’ve matched the best journal to each of the categories we’ll cover below. 

So, if you find the right theme for you, I’m confident you’ll enjoy the selected journal too.

Let’s start with…

#1: Best journal for beginners: The 5-Minute Journal

The Five Minute Journal is one of the most popular and highest-rated journals on the market. 

And for good reason: it’s designed for efficiency and helps you to start and end your day with gratitude and focus.

Its design makes it perfect for beginners who want to get started with self-reflection and build a journaling habit. In addition, it’s one of the best options for busy people who still want to enjoy the benefits of journaling.

I really liked the simplicity and effectiveness of this journal.

Benefits of this time-efficient option:

• Undated journal that lasts for 6 months if you reflect every day.
• Simple morning and evening reflections to build the journaling habit.
• One of the most time-efficient yet complete journals on the market.
• Emphasis on positive psychology, with a structured format that’s proven to increase happiness in just 5 minutes.

Get yours here

#2: Best journal for self-improvement: Ultimate Achievers Planner

Ultimate Achievers Planner is a comprehensive personal growth planner to manage your day and achieve your long-term goals. 

It’s perfect if you’re looking for an all-in-one, goal-setting and journaling option.

Every day consists of 2 pages with morning and evening reflections, to-do lists, daily goals and priorities, and a scheduler. And there are several prompts to reflect on your week. 

The benefits of this complete self-improvement journal:

• Undated comprehensive quarterly goal planner.
• Combines long-term goal planning with daily productivity tools, perfect for ambitious individuals focusing on self-improvement.
• Provides a comprehensive goal-setting and review system, ensuring alignment of your daily actions with your overarching goals.
• Contains monthly, weekly, and daily sections for self-reflection, planning and task management, and habit tracking.

Get yours here

#3: Best mental health journal: 3x Happier journal

Do you want to infuse your day with positivity?

The 3x Happier Journal is perfect for improving your mental health. Its prompts focus your attention towards the positives of life, increasing happiness.

While it’s not an official therapeutic journal, its focus is perfect if you want to unlock a more positive outlook on life.

The benefits of this positivity journal include:

• Undated, designed for a 60-day transformation.
• Incorporates research-backed happiness strategies to rewire your mind to look at the brighter side of life.
• One page with prompts to set positive intentions in the morning, followed by another page for thoughtful evening reflections.
• Specific focus on enhancing mental health through positive habits, mood tracking, and unique exercises to increase happiness.

Get yours here

#4: Best self-care journal: Self-Care Journal

The Self-Care Journal from Clever Fox does exactly what its name suggests: helping you build better self-care habits. 

It’s the perfect journal for optimizing your personal well-being.

So if you’re neglecting self-care, you’ll love this journal to reset your priorities and reconsider your daily habits.

Benefits of this self-care journal include:

• Undated 3-month journal to prioritize your well-being.
• Dedicated space for self-care routines, reflections, and habit tracking.
• Prioritizes holistic self-care, with dedicated daily sections for physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being.
• Unique weekly exercises and sections such as a life-balance wheel and self-care bucket list to encourage continuous self-improvement.

Get yours here

#5: Best gratitude journal: Gratitude Journal Pro

If you’re looking for a gratitude journal that contains daily and weekly prompts to create a more contentful life, look no further.

Gratitude Journal Pro is a simple, yet powerful tool to shift your attention to positivity and appreciation. Acknowledging the good in your life is a proven way to enhance positive thinking, reduce stress, and lead to inner calm and happiness.

The benefits of this gratitude journal:

• Undated comprehensive quarterly journal.
• Morning reflections to set your intentions, including 2 unique daily prompts to develop a more positive mindset.
• Evening self-reflections to look at the positive aspects of your day for a more optimistic outlook on life.
• Monthly and weekly review section, including habit trackers, unique exercises, and wellness check-ins.

Get yours here

#6: Best self-love journal: Self-Love Journal

Looking for a structured way to build a better relationship with yourself?

Then Self-Love Journal is for you. 

It’s entirely centered around building self-esteem and self-compassion through guided exercises and positive and affirmative reflections.

Benefits of the self-love journal include:

• Undated 180-day journal.
• Focuses on self-acceptance and developing a positive self-image through various daily reflections, affirmations, and prompts.
• Unique sections that serve as a workbook, including various exercises for self-discovery and self-love.
• Daily pages for gratitude, affirmations, and self-reflections, including 2 unique daily questions to keep journaling fun and thought-provoking.

Get yours here

#7: Best self-help journal: Let That Sh*t Go

Let That Sh*t Go is a popular journal for stress management. It’s made by the same creator of Zen as F*ck, another popular journal for mindfulness.

This journal offers a lighthearted approach to self-help and reflection, combining humor with insightful prompts. 

So look no further if you’re looking for a humorous journal that uses curse words to explore yourself, overcome anxiety, and learn to let go.

Benefits of this self-help journal:

• Self-paced 128-page guided journal.
• Unique in its approach and top-rated for stress management.
• Offers a humorous take on traditional journaling, making self-help accessible and entertaining whilst encouraging honest self-reflection.
• Offers creative exercises for self-expression to help you relax and stimulate different parts of the brain to be more creative.

Get yours here

#8: Best journal for Stoicism: The Daily Stoic Journal

The Daily Stoic Journal offers daily insights and exercises to build resilience, wisdom, and virtue. This journal is based on Ryan Holiday’s book, The Daily Stoic – which I recommend giving a read.

This journal is perfect if you align with the Stoic life philosophy. 

If you’re new to the topic, Stoicism is about the development of self-control and overcoming destructive emotions. You’ll learn how to focus on what you can control, accept what you can’t, and understand the difference between the two. 

The benefits of this Stoic journal:

• Dated 1-year journal (you can start on any date).
• Offers daily meditations and reflections based on the practical application of Stoic principles to – you guessed it – become more Stoic.
• Contains philosophical insights to build resilience and mental clarity.
• Encourages you to develop discipline, perspective, and resilience.

Get yours here

#9: Best journal for daily scheduling: LIFE&Style Planner

Are you looking for a powerful combination between a planner and a journal?

Then you’ll love the LIFE&Style Planner.

It’s a daily journal designed to balance productivity with self-improvement. And it hits the sweet spot when it comes to the mix of planning, lifestyle optimization, and nurturing well-being.

The benefits of this combined journal include:

• Undated quarterly planner.
• Combines daily scheduling with lifestyle planning and journaling to enhance your career, encourage self-development, and optimize your well-being.
• Start and end your day with intentional self-reflection and gratitude.
• Weekly review and planning tools to craft a well-balanced week.

Get yours here

#10: Best habit journal: The Reboot Journal

Looking to develop better habits and build self-discipline?

The Reboot Journal is your best option.

This comprehensive journal helps you stay on track and build habits like no other journal I’ve seen on the market. It also helps you to adopt a more empowering identity and mindset.

Benefits of this habit-oriented journal:

• Undated quarterly journal to build better habits.
• Comprehensive morning and evening sections to plan your habits, set your intentions, and reflect on your day.
• Weekly review and planning sections to track and reflect on your progress to enhance self-awareness and continuous self-improvement.
• Personal habit templates to customize your goals and create a plan to overcome potential setbacks.

Get yours here

#11: Best weekly journal: Best Year Journal

Are you looking for a weekly journaling habit to achieve your goals?

Then you’ll enjoy the Best Year Journal.

This journal aims to create your best year by setting clear goals, tracking your progress, and reflecting on your achievements and lessons. It’s perfect if you want to journal once a week, specifically related to goal success.

Benefits of this yearly goal-setting journal:

• One-year guided planning system to achieve your goals.
• This planner contains 6 different sections: Reflections and gratitude, knowledge gained, vision and clarity, your personal action plan, weekly reviews, and finally, monthly reviews.
• Monthly and weekly self-reflection pages to review your week, track the progress on your goals, and journal about any lessons you’ve learned.

Get yours here

#12: Best mindset journal: Positivity Journal

Positivity Journal is designed to help you cultivate a positive mindset and develop a more optimistic attitude. 

This journal features structured sections that encourage reflection on the things you’re thankful for, the positive aspects of your day, and exercises to turn negative thoughts into positive thinking.

The benefits of this positivity journal:

• Undated 6-month journal.
• A unique blend of daily self-reflection, goal-setting, and positivity exercises to cultivate a positive mindset and attitude.
• Includes free space to journal about whatever is on your mind.
• Monthly habit tracker to develop good habits and stay on track.

Get yours here

#13: Best creative journal for self-discovery: Start Where You Are

Start Where You Are: A Journal for Self-Exploration is an interactive journal designed to nurture creativity, mindfulness, and self-motivation. 

It’s the perfect tool for self-discovery.

The creator Meera Lee Patel is also a best-selling author of several books on self-discovery and mindfulness, including Create Your Own Calm. 

The journal offers a mix of inspirational quotes, prompts, and exercises to spark reflection, uncover your inner desires, and encourage personal growth.

The benefits of this self-discovery journal include:

• Undated self-paced 128-page journal.
• Many self-reflection activities such as writing, drawing, list-making, and other creative exercises to discover where you want to go next.
• Offers a visually and emotionally engaging journaling experience.
• Diverse prompts for deep self-exploration and motivation.

Get yours here

#14: Best for work-life balance: Weekly Pro Planner

Weekly Pro Planner is more a productivity planner than a dedicated journal. However, it contains various free sections that you can either use for planning or journaling.

The flexibility and the way this planner is structured make it the perfect option to create a better work-life balance.

Benefits of this planner include:

• Undated 12-month weekly planner.
• Detailed sections for weekly and monthly planning, including free space to plan your days or use for gratitude and short-form journaling.
• The journal offers structured life balance to-do lists to ensure you avoid neglecting the most important areas in life, such as your relationships.
• Includes a variety of tools for goal-setting, self-reflection, and habit tracking, aimed at achieving a harmonious work-life balance.

Get yours here

#15: Best Morning Pages journal: Artist’s Way Journal

Morning Pages is a concept popularized in Julia’s book: The Artist’s Way. 

The basic idea is to write 2 or 3 pages in the morning about a specific topic or theme – or just about anything that comes to mind. 

While Artist’s Way Journal is a companion to the Artist’s Way program, there’s no need to buy the book. The journal comes with prompts to encourage creativity and personal growth through daily writing.

But if you really want to try out Morning Pages, why not get the bundle? 

The benefits of this journal:

• 12-Week workbook program to discover your inner artist.
• Unique approach to creativity, self-discovery, and personal growth.
• Encourages daily writing for creative self-expression, overcoming creative blocks, and eliminating self-doubt.

Get yours here

#16: Fun one for couples: Couples Journal

Are you looking for a structured way to plan and reflect on dates together?

Then you’ll love this guided Couples Journal.

This journal is designed to enhance your connection with your partner. It’s a helpful tool to stay active in dating to prevent your relationship from becoming dull and boring.

The benefits of this couples journal:

• Space to plan 100 different dates, providing one page to plan your date and another to reflect on how it went.
• Includes prompts and activities that focus on relationship growth, making it a unique tool for couples looking to deepen their bond.
• Includes 100 unique date ideas for inspiration.

Get yours here

#17: Best bullet journal: Dotted Journal

Dotted Journal is a popular choice among those who prefer a flexible and creative approach to journaling, planning, or note-taking. 

However, this top-rated bullet journal is also the only unguided journal in this list.

And here’s why I included this option:

While guided journals are helpful tools, dotted journals offer a more creative approach. It’s perfect if you struggle to find exactly what you need and seek more customization for habit-tracking, planning, self-expression, and more.

So if you’re more of a creative person, you might enjoy this option. You can always use this journal in combination with this extensive list of self-reflection questions.

Here are the benefits of this specific dotted journal:

• Undated 160-page bullet journal.
• Open and customizable layout for bullet journaling, planning, goal-setting, habit-tracking, drawing, writing, and much more.
• Encourages creativity and personalization, making this kind of journal suitable for a wide range of use cases.

Get yours here

What’s next?

Guided journals are helpful tools for self-discovery and self-improvement. They provide structured prompts and exercises to encourage personal growth, improve focus, and feel better about yourself.

Each journal offers unique features tailored to specific needs—whether it’s cultivating gratitude, exploring yourself, or setting and achieving your goals.

Key takeaways:

• Guided journals provide structured reflection for deeper self-discovery.
• Various types cater to specific goals, including ones tailored for personal growth, mental health, productivity, positivity, self-discovery, and more.
• Consider your needs to choose the right journal.

You may also enjoy the following resources:

• The best self-help journals for growth and self-care
• The best strengths tests to find your superpowers
• The best personality tests to uncover your true self

Challenge: Purchase the guided journal that you most resonate with from the list above. Once you receive your journal, start your practice immediately and aim for a 7-day streak, even if you only journal a few minutes per day.

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