In the last week, I heard another pre-determined set of questions that take a different approach to reflective journaling. They came from chapter three, “Hello To the Imagination,” in Padraig O Tauma’s In the Shelter.

• How would you describe today?
• Have you seen anything interesting on the way?
• Is it working?

What I like about this set of questions is their openness. They create reflection that is deeper and broader, not solely focused on what happened after the alarm sounded.

Asking yourself to think about what you saw interesting is a different way of remembering. It’s not asking you to judge. Basically, what caught your attention, what made you curious. Feels like neuroplasticity in action.

Yes, the vagueness of “it” in question three is intentional. You get to decide what “it” is. You might need more than a page for that one occasionally.

Personally, I don’t see myself using this set of questions regularly. But they make a great tool, one I’ve chosen to add to the box.

Photo by Ahmet Yüksek ✪ on Unsplash