Questions to Ask Yourself Before the Year Ends: 10 Journal Prompts to Close the Year with Intention

As the year winds down and we tiptoe toward a fresh start, it’s the perfect moment for a little intentional pause. I love that cozy in-between stretch from Christmas to New Year’s, the days feel slow, the pressure melts a bit, and there’s finally space to breathe. It’s the perfect time to curl up with your journal, light a candle, and check in with yourself. Not in a “new year, new me” kind of way, but more of a “how am I really doing, and what do I want my life to feel like?” moment.

If you’re craving that same pause, these journal prompts are here to support you.

These 10 journal prompts will help you reflect on 2025 and set aligned, meaningful intentions for 2026. Grab something warm to sip, settle into a comfy spot, and let’s dive in.

Taking a Glance at Your Year

Before we try to make sense of everything the year held, it helps to simply step back and look at it as a whole. These prompts will help you notice what stood out, what stayed with you, and what shaped you along the way.

1. If you had to describe this past year in one word, what would it be and why?

2. What moments from this year stand out most to you right now? What made them feel meaningful, challenging, or impactful?

3. When you think back on this year, what emotions come up most strongly for you?

Acknowledging your Growth

Growth doesn’t always look loud or obvious, sometimes it’s quiet, internal, and unseen. These prompts are about recognizing your growth, not perfection, not productivity, just progress.

1. What are you most proud of yourself for this year, even if no one else noticed?

2. What did this year teach you about yourself, your needs, or your boundaries?

Questions to Ask Yourself Before the Year Ends: 10 Prompts to Close the Year with Intention

Assessing your Alignment

Alignment often shows up as ease, clarity, or a quiet sense of “this feels right.” Misalignment, on the other hand, shows us where something no longer fits. These prompts invite you to notice where your life felt aligned this year, and where it didn’t, so you can move forward with greater awareness.

1. Where did you feel most aligned this year? Think about moments, environments, relationships, or routines that supported your energy and well-being.

2. Where did you feel most out of alignment this year? What might these moments be trying to show you?

3. What did this year reveal about what truly matters most to you right now?

Releasing and Making Space

Before moving forward, we make space. Realignment begins by releasing what no longer supports who you are becoming. These prompts are an invitation to lighten your load and intentionally choose what you want to carry forward.

1. What are you ready to leave behind from this year? Think about beliefs, habits, expectations, patterns, or pressures.

2. What feels important to carry forward with you? Think about lessons, values, ways of being, or practices that support you.

As you close out this year, I hope these reflections help you feel a little more grounded, clear, and connected to yourself. Download the Annual Reflection Guide to get all these prompts in one place.

If you loved this process and want a more guided, intentional way to reflect and plan for the year ahead, the New Year Alignment Bundle was created to support you through that exact journey.

Inside the bundle, you’ll move through a gentle flow, reflecting on the year you’ve lived, realigning with what truly matters in your life, and setting goals that feel supportive, intentional, and true to you. It’s designed for this quiet, hopeful season between years, when clarity feels possible and intention feels meaningful.

You can think of it as a deeper continuation of the work you started here.

Happy journaling!

P.S. If you're ready to setting goals that align with2 026, check out the Setting Aligned Goals Digital Workbook guide to help you create intentions that actually feel good to follow.

P.S. Ready for a deeper reset? The Realigning Your Life Digital Workbook offers a full life audit to help you start the new year with clarity and purpose.