Thirty money journal prompts, and how to use them

1. 1

   Pick by symptom, not by order

   Choose the group that matches what is actually happening: avoidance, undercharging, guilt, fear, or planning. Working through the list in sequence produces neat pages and little insight.

2. 2

   Write past the first answer

   The first response is the rehearsed one. Keep going for two or three more lines after you think you are finished — that is where the unrehearsed material lives.

3. 3

   Underline one sentence

   At the end, underline the line that surprised you. That sentence becomes either your affirmation for the week or the thing you take to a conversation.

4. 4

   Convert to one action

   Every session ends with a single, specific, small action. A journal that never produces an action is a diary, which is fine, but it is not this practice.

When you cannot look at the numbers

1. 01What am I afraid I will see if I open the app?
2. 02When did I last look properly, and what happened afterwards?
3. 03What is the worst realistic version of my situation, written in full?
4. 04Who would I have to tell, and what do I imagine they would say?
5. 05What is the smallest part of this I could look at for sixty seconds?
6. 06What have I been calling laziness that is actually dread?

When the number comes out smaller than intended

1. 01What do I actually charge, and what did I intend to charge?
2. 02What happens in my body between deciding a price and saying it?
3. 03Who taught me that asking for more risks the relationship?
4. 04What would I charge if I knew three more clients were coming?
5. 05Whose rates do I use as my ceiling, and why theirs?
6. 06What would I say if someone I respected offered me half my rate?

When having more feels wrong

1. 01What did my family believe about people with money?
2. 02Who would I be betraying by earning significantly more?
3. 03What do I think money says about a person?
4. 04What would I do with more that would make me proud rather than guilty?
5. 05Where does my generosity come from — abundance or apology?
6. 06What is the difference between enough and too much, in my own definition?

When the memory of going without is still loud

1. 01When was I last genuinely short, and what did I learn that week?
2. 02What does my body do when the balance drops below a certain number?
3. 03What would safety actually look like in figures?
4. 04What have I survived financially that I never give myself credit for?
5. 05What am I protecting by keeping my income small enough to be invisible?
6. 06What would I tell someone I love who was in my exact situation?

When you are ready to aim at something

1. 01What is the number, and what does it make possible?
2. 02What are ten plausible routes it could arrive by?
3. 03Which route is shortest, and what is the first move on it?
4. 04What price have I not revisited in over a year?
5. 05What would I stop doing if money were not the reason I do it?
6. 06What is my definition of enough, written as a figure and a date?

Questions people ask

How often should I do this?

Twice a week is plenty. Money journalling is intense, and daily sessions tend to become performance rather than inquiry.

What do I do with what comes up?

One underlined sentence and one small action per session. Over a month that is eight actions, which is more than most people take in a year of worrying.

Should I keep the pages?

Keep them for a cycle, then reread before you start the next one. Rereading your own handwriting from six weeks ago is the fastest way to see what has actually shifted.