Manifestation journaling is a mindset writing technique that can help you intentionally create your reality. Here’s how to get started.
You may already know about the concept of manifestation and that, when used correctly, it has an ability to bring forth what you most desire in your life, from wealth to improved relationships, better health, career success, the ability to overcome challenges, and more. But if your expertise stops there, perhaps it’s time to try manifestation journaling. Why? Because using manifestation journals can help you reach your dream life even faster — and with greater clarity.
DailyOM chatted with experts to provide guidance on what manifestation journaling is, how it’s different from regular journaling, and five manifestation journal prompts to get you started.
What Is Manifestation Journaling?
If manifestation is the transition from thought to reality, then a manifestation journal is a practice used to speed up the process. In essence, it’s visualization that is put onto paper.
When you believe that you already have what you want, it makes it that much easier for you to attract it.
“Manifestation journaling is usually focused on scripting a future day in your life as if it’s already happened or writing your goals as if you’ve already achieved them,” Jaclyn Gallo, a life coach based in Philadelphia, tells DailyOM.
Interested in learning more? Check out Positive Affirmations to Start Your Day
The Difference Between Manifestation Journaling and Traditional Journaling
There are similarities between keeping a manifestation journal and writing in a traditional journal. Both help you reflect on your emotions, process the day, and find clarity around what you want, explains Gallo. “These are all important factors in manifestation, so the two really go hand in hand.”
The main difference is that manifestation journaling asks you to write about things in your journal that you’d like to happen as if they’ve already occurred, keeping a positive mindset. Taylor Carr, a clinical hypnotherapist and manifestation coach based in Los Angeles, explains to DailyOM that this concept is the most important part of manifestation. “So much of manifestation is about feeling the feeling now, being the person now, vibrating in that frequency now,” she says.
The reason? Through the manifestation process, when you believe that you already have what you want, it makes it that much easier for you to attract it. That positive view of your life can make you work harder for what you desire and be more open to possibilities when they come your way.
How Manifestation Journaling Changes Your Life
Actually feeling the emotions of having what you want is the basis of manifestation. So how might writing out these desires in a manifestation journal be more effective than, say, a simple visualization session?
Gallo notes that some people find the physical act of writing to be more impactful as it increases the imprinting on their brain. In fact, research shows that brain activity is stronger and memory is more retentive when writing with pen and paper than using a phone or tablet, which is why keeping a manifestation journal helps so much.
She also notes that manifestation journaling can change the way you show up in your day-to-day life — which may present more opportunities. “Let’s say you journaled about an imaginary day where you landed a big promotion at work,” she says. “Today, when your boss asks if anyone on your team can handle a situation that popped up, you jump on it quickly because you’re feeling extra confident as a result of your journaling.” Thus, a daily manifestation journal practice where you write as if you already have what you most wish for can not only energetically attract your desire to you (after all, like attracts like!), but it can also make you more inclined to put yourself in situations where the desire can be manifested.
How to Journal for Manifestation
The Medium Matters
While using a phone or a computer to create manifestation journals can definitely work, Carr notes that because those methods are not as personal, the results can waver. She recommends using “good old-fashioned pen and paper.”
Start Small
Both Carr and Gallo note that the best way to begin your journey is to start with writing out smaller goals in your manifestation journal. These intentions are easier to attract simply because they’re easier to believe in. For someone less experienced in manifestation, trusting that you can manifest a brand-new job offer, for example, can sound downright impossible. But journaling that you’ve been asked to go on a job interview may be a better place to start, and that will prevent you from losing faith.
For Carr, her small goal was a matcha latte. “My brain could really believe that someone at work would walk in and surprise me with a latte, so I let that be my first test,” she explains. In her manifestation journal, “I journaled how grateful I was for my free matcha latte each day [and] on whether it was hot or iced, and how it made me feel to be gifted in that way.”
Without fail, Carr received her latte every single day, “with the occasional matcha ice cream in its place,” she jokes. She notes that if your small manifestation isn’t working right away (and you truly want it), you should continue working with it in your manifestation journal until you receive it — in other words, hang in there! “The manifestation is always working,” she says. “We just have to drop the assumption that it should work on our timeline.”
Recognize Your Manifestor “Type”
According to Carr, you are either a “specific manifestor” (able to manifest minor things) or a “nonspecific manifestor” (best working with more general goals). She notes that the only way to identify which type of manifestor you are is simply to practice. Be patient as you find the right path for you.
To get started, try a manifestation journal prompt that resonates with you to reach your truly meaningful goals.
5 Best Manifestation Journal Prompts
Your journaling methods should be up to you. There is no right or wrong way to practice these journal exercises and no one method. So, unless otherwise stated, there isn’t a specific frequency, word length, or cadence that you need to follow. Do what feels right and trust your instincts on your own manifestation journey. You know yourself best, after all.
1. Your Perfect Day
This simple exercise is exactly as it seems. Write out what the perfect, most idyllic day in your dream life looks like for you. Carr offers some questions to start with:
- How do you wake up?
- Where are you?
- What do you eat?
- Who are you with?
- What do you wear?
- What do you smell?
2. Gratitude Journaling
In this gratitude journal exercise, Carr asks you to sit down and write 10 things that you’re grateful for (that you actually do already have). Then, write down 10 things that you’re grateful for that you do not already have — but as you write these, do so in present tense. For example, “I’m so grateful for the happy and healthy relationship I have with my son.”
3. Manifest Something Small
Like Carr’s matcha latte example, write down a very small thing that you want to manifest. Do this every day until you receive it — and recognize you’re on the universe’s time, so be patient. When you journal, be specific, be detailed about how receiving your manifestation makes you feel, and be grateful in the present.
This exercise is to help you gain trust in this manifestation method and to investigate whether you are a specific manifestor. Once you reach your small goal, attempt to manifest another … and another! Each time, make your “small goal” just a little bigger. For example, Carr’s next goal after a free latte might be to manifest a free lunch or dinner. As you do so, you’ll gain trust in the method, but also trust in your ability to bring about anything you want.
4. Write a Letter to the Universe
Unlike the other manifestation journal prompts on this list, this one doesn’t ask you to write future things as if you have them already. Instead, its purpose is to connect you to the force that is the universe. The more trust you have for and connection you feel to the universe, the faster your manifestations will arrive.
In your manifestation journal, write a love letter to the universe, thanking it for all the love and abundance it has bestowed upon you. “Let the universe know you trust it fully,” says Carr, “that you have surrendered to its process and that you know that you are a match for miracles.”
5. Feelings Exercise
Gallo offers an exercise to get in touch with your emotions — the key to manifestation.
Imagine that what you desire has just come true, then write about it in your manifestation journal. “Describe, in as much detail as possible, the moment: how it felt, what it looked like, who you were with, etc.,” she says. Next, think about the same dream or goal. This time, consider the character traits of the “you” who already has these things. Gallo offers some question prompts to start with:
- Am I more confident?
- More committed?
- More open?
Finally, ask yourself and write the answer to this question: How can I show up as that version of myself today?
The Bottom Line
You can practice manifestation in various ways, with journaling being only one of many manifestation techniques. Test out one of these exercises and write, write, write in your manifestation journal. If you find this method is not for you, there are numerous others to try. Whatever you do, keep on manifesting and believing in yourself, and trust your own abilities.
