Before I get into the October prompts, I’d also like to say a huge thank you to all my readers, but especially the people who pay to support my work. I’ve mentioned this before, but my goal was to make writing on Substack my full-time gig by 2026, so your support truly means the world to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for helping me inch closer to that goal!
Hello again, friends—
I don’t know about you, but after a summer of logistical chaos and emotional cleanup, I’m ready to take on fall by slowing down and paying closer attention. I’ve felt pretty burnt out these past couple of months, so I’m ready to find my way back to my calm, and to myself. For me, that starts with being honest enough to stop pretending I’m fine when I’m not. Or simply allowing myself to rest and recover without feeling like I need to be productive every second of every day. Taking note of the way things make me feel—or how I let things make me feel. And so on…
This is why journaling continues to be the one practice I return to, no matter how off-track I get. I don’t treat it like a productivity tool or a morning routine checkbox. I think of it more like having a private line open to myself, especially when the outside world feels overstimulating or flattened by noise. And during October—when everything outside begins to cool and contract—it becomes even more valuable to hold a mirror up and ask, what’s shifting inside me too?
So I made another set of prompts—this time, 31 of them. One for every day of October.
They’re written in the same spirit as last month’s: gentle, honest, and nonlinear. Little invitations to sit quietly with yourself for a few minutes each week. You can use them every day, or dip in randomly when you want to slow down and reorient. I still use THE DAILY 5 framework as a baseline, but these prompts are great as complimentary, seasonal nudges. As such, I’ll likely be doing a set for every month moving forward.
This month’s theme is tending. As in tending to the things that don’t shout. Tending to the parts of you that don’t get posted. Tending to your thoughts before they harden into beliefs. Tending to the ordinary messes and the soft miracles that make up a life.
As always, take what serves you, leave what doesn’t. And most importantly, write like nobody’s watching. x
Looking for more journaling ideas?
Prompts for building a journaling foundation
Prompts for exploring your own contradictions
Prompts for identifying relationship patterns
Prompts for personal system building
Week 1 — Recalibrating
The slow exhale after summer. Begin again, gently.
What feels different now than it did one month ago?
Which routines are working for you, and which ones might need to be retired?
Where do you feel out of sync with yourself lately?
What’s one small adjustment that could make your days run smoother?
What’s one thing you need more of this season?
When do you feel most regulated or clear-headed during the day?
What are you pretending is fine that actually isn’t?
Week 2 — Making Space
Remove what doesn’t belong.