A journal prompt can be a lot like Mary Poppins' carpet bag: on first inspection, it seems pretty ordinary, but when you rummage around inside, you can pull out all sorts of things, like hat stands, potted plants, and magic measuring tapes.

Within every journal prompt, even the most ordinary ones, there are untold possibilities! I'd like to take you on a guided tour of one of my all-time favourites and show you all the good stuff you can find inside.

Here's the prompt:

Three things you can do to turn a bad day into a good day.

Let's start with three neat features within the structure of the prompt:

1. A list. Why three things?

Lists of three are lovely. Not too long, not too short. We can usually come up with three things on most subjects reasonably easily and quickly, which makes for a fun and rewarding journal session.
And once you have your list, it's a sweet reminder that there's more than one way to turn your day around.
You've got backups! If your first attempt doesn't work, you have two more ideas already teed up and ready to go.

2. A mid-prompt confidence booster: “… you can do …”

This is another sweet reminder within the prompt: you can turn your day around.
Put another way, you can make a difference in your own day.

3. Your vision: turning a bad day into a good day

What does a good day look like to you? This is your chance to take a moment and picture what you want from your day. Because the more clearly you can envision it, the more likely you are to get there.

And that's just the wording! There's still more to this prompt.

There are several ways to get your thoughts onto the page.

You can keep it super simple and use one big, meaningful word per item in your list of three. For example, my three words would be "walk, bake, and journal."
Alternatively, you can use an oodles-of-words approach and fill your journal with lengthy paragraphs describing step-by-step how each of the things on your list can be accomplished.
Or, you can forego words altogether and doodle or draw your answers onto the page. You can tape in photos or inspiration pics. Anything that illustrates your vision of a good day.

They all count.

And here's why:

When you commit your ideas to the page, in whichever form you choose, they become an action plan for turning your day around (with backups!). It's right there, in your journal, not just for today, but whenever you need it going forward.
And it's not just any action plan for any person experiencing a rough patch. It's your plan, based on the things you know work best for you and your vision of a good day. It's tailor-made just for you.
Your list of three also creates a record of your good-day strategies for this moment in your life. You can repeat this page every so often and see how your answers develop and change over time. You can celebrate all the ways you're getting better and better at turning bad days into good days.

All of this – your list, your vision, your way – comes from one tiny prompt.

Imagine what you can do with a journal full of thoughtful questions and heartfelt responses!

I hope this quick tour inspires you to see your journal as a tool for meaningful action that makes a difference in your days – and your life.

P.S. I first wrote about this fun little prompt in my newsletter. If you’d like more journal inspiration and new printables before they’re available anywhere else, sign up right here!