Journals

Reflective Journal Template and Reflection Examples

A reflection describes what happened, works out why, and commits to one thing you will do differently. The examples below show that move in five different settings, and the template keeps each entry honest by checking last time's action first.

Updated 2026-10-27

Copy and adapt

The template

Reflective journal entryTemplate

Reflection: [event or experience], {{date}}

Context: [course, placement, project, or part of life] Last reflection's action: [what I said I would try. Did I? What happened?]

What happened

[Facts only: where, who, what I did, what happened next]

What I thought and felt

[At the time, and now, looking back]

So what

[Why it went the way it did: what worked, what did not, and the reason]
[What it connects to: a course concept, earlier feedback, a past situation]
[What I understand now that I did not before]

Now what

[One specific thing I will do differently, at the next real chance] @due(YYYY-MM-DD)

Questions I still have

[What I could not answer, and who or what could]

5 examples

Examples for different situations

The same structure, filled in for the situations people actually bring to it. Copy the one closest to yours.

1.Nursing student reflection on a clinical shift (Gibbs cycle)

When it fits: Use this when a placement requires a structured reflection, you made a mistake that was caught, and the point is to show what you learned rather than to defend yourself.

Nursing student reflection on a clinical shift (Gibbs cycle)Example 1

Reflection: pain reassessment on Ward 4B, 2026-11-04

Context: Year 2 adult nursing placement, week 5. Reflection written with the Gibbs cycle for my portfolio. Last reflection's action: write handover notes during the shift, not at the end. Done on three of four shifts.

Description

I gave prescribed oral analgesia to Mr. K, 71, day 1 after a bowel resection, at 10:15. His pain score was 7 of 10. I documented the dose but did not reassess. At 12:00 my preceptor, Hana, asked for his current score. I did not know. She reassessed: still 6 of 10. The ward's guidance is to reassess within an hour of giving analgesia.

Feelings

Embarrassed in front of Hana and worried that Mr. K had been in pain for nearly two hours because of me.

Evaluation

Good: the first assessment and the documentation were correct. Bad: no reassessment, so the analgesia was not working and nobody knew.

Analysis

I treated giving the medication as the end of the task. Two other patients needed me at 10:30 and I had no reminder. This connects to the pain management lecture: assessment is a cycle, not a single step.

Conclusion

Without reassessment, the first intervention is a guess that nobody checks.

Action plan

Write the reassessment time on my handover sheet when I give analgesia, every time @due(2026-11-06)
Ask Hana to check my reassessments on Thursday's shift @due(2026-11-06)

2.Student teacher's lesson reflection

When it fits: Use this when a lesson did not go as planned, your mentor teacher has already given feedback, and you have to teach the same class again in two days.

Student teacher's lesson reflectionExample 2

Reflection: group work on cell transport, period 3, 2026-11-10

Context: Student teaching, 10th grade biology, 28 students. Mentor: Ms. Alvarez. Last reflection's action: use a timer visible to the class. Did it today. It helped the warm-up, not the group work.

What happened

Planned 25 minutes of group work: groups of four build a diffusion and osmosis poster from a data set. After 15 minutes, 2 of 7 groups were on task. Three groups had one student doing everything. Only 6 students finished the exit ticket.

What I thought and felt

During the lesson I kept circulating and re-explaining, and felt it slipping. Afterwards, frustrated, mostly with myself, because I knew this class struggles with open tasks.

So what

Ms. Alvarez pointed out that the instructions were all spoken, once, at the start. The groups that worked had a student who wrote them down.
No roles, so the fastest student took over and the others checked out. This is the "free rider" problem from my methods course, and I planned for it in theory, not in the lesson plan.
Open tasks need more structure for this class, not less time.

Now what

Thursday: printed task card per group with four roles (reader, recorder, data lead, presenter) and two checkpoints at 8 and 16 minutes @due(2026-11-12)

Questions I still have

How do I assess individual understanding in group work without a test? Ask Ms. Alvarez Thursday.

3.Team lead's reflection after a missed launch

When it fits: Use this when a project at work slipped, the post-mortem covered the process, and you need your own honest account of the part you played.

Team lead's reflection after a missed launchExample 3

Reflection: billing page launch slipped three weeks, 2026-11-18

Context: I lead a team of five. The launch was planned for 10-27 and shipped 11-17. Last reflection's action: say "let me check with the team" before agreeing to scope. Did not do it, which is part of this story.

What happened

On 10-06, sales asked for invoice downloads to be added to the launch. I agreed in the meeting without asking the team. The estimate was "a few days." It took 11 working days, mostly because PDF generation needed a new service. Two engineers worked weekends in the last week.

What I thought and felt

At the time: pleased to say yes, it felt like supporting sales. Now: uncomfortable that two people gave up weekends for a commitment I made alone.

So what

I said yes because saying no in front of the VP felt like a cost to me. The cost actually landed on the team.
The "few days" estimate was mine, not theirs. Nobody who would build it was in the room.
The post-mortem listed "late scope change." That is accurate and lets me off too easily.

Now what

Tell the team directly that the scope call was mine and what I will do differently, at Monday's standup @due(2026-11-23)
For the next six weeks, answer any new scope request with a date by which the team will estimate, never an estimate @due(2026-12-31)

Questions I still have

How do I push back on the VP without it reading as unhelpful? Ask my manager in our next 1:1.

4.Learning journal for a language course

When it fits: Use this when you are learning a skill over weeks, progress is hard to see day to day, and a weekly entry needs to show what changed and what is stuck.

Learning journal for a language courseExample 4

Learning journal: Spanish B1, week 7, 2026-11-22

Context: Evening class twice a week plus self-study. Goal: hold a 20-minute conversation with my partner's family in Valencia at Christmas. Last reflection's action: speak for 10 minutes a day, not just do app lessons. Managed 4 of 7 days.

What happened

Study time this week: 4.5 hours (class 3, app 1, speaking 0.5).
In Thursday's conversation practice, Marta asked what I hoped would happen at Christmas. I froze. I know the subjunctive rule on paper and could not produce "espero que" plus a verb in real time.
The app streak is at 61 days. My speaking is not 61 days better.

What I thought and felt

Annoyed. The app makes me feel productive and the conversation shows I am not, at least not at speaking.

So what

Recognition is not production. The app trains me to pick the right answer from four, which is not what a conversation asks for.
The days I spoke for 10 minutes, Thursday's class felt easier. Small sample, but it points one way.

Now what

Swap the app for 15 minutes of speaking aloud on weekdays, using the subjunctive prompts from unit 6 @due(2026-11-29)
Record one 2-minute voice memo per week and compare week 8 with week 11 @due(2026-11-29)

Questions I still have

Is 4.5 hours a week enough for the Christmas goal? Ask Marta for an honest estimate.

5.Personal reflection on saying yes again

When it fits: Use this when something keeps happening in your personal life, you are annoyed with someone else, and you suspect part of the pattern is yours.

Personal reflection on saying yes againExample 5

Reflection: hosting Thanksgiving again, 2026-11-28

Context: Personal. Third year in a row hosting 14 people. Last reflection's action: none, first reflection on this.

What happened

On 10-12 my brother Dev asked if I could host "since you have the big table." I said yes immediately. Cooking started 11-24. On the day, Dev arrived 2 hours late with nothing he had promised to bring. I snapped at him in the kitchen in front of his kids.

What I thought and felt

On the day: resentful and tired. Now: embarrassed about snapping, and still resentful.

So what

I agreed in under ten seconds, before thinking about the four days of work. That is the same pattern as volunteering for the school auction in September.
I never told Dev the hosting was a burden, so from his side nothing was wrong until I snapped.
The resentment is about the work being invisible, not about Dev being late.

Now what

Apologize to Dev for snapping, separately from the hosting question @due(2026-11-30)
Next request of this size: "let me check and tell you tomorrow," then decide with the calendar open @due(2026-12-31)

Questions I still have

Do I actually want to stop hosting, or do I want it shared? Answer before anyone asks about next year.

What makes a reflection reflective

Most reflection examples online fall into two piles: academic samples from university writing guides, and lists of prompts. Both are useful. Neither says clearly what separates a reflection that gets marked down from one that does not. It is one move: going from what happened to why it happened, and from why to what changes.

University guides often describe three levels:

Descriptive. "I gave the medication and documented it. Later my preceptor asked for the pain score." Accurate, and not yet reflection.
Analytical. "I treated giving the medication as the end of the task, because two other patients needed me." Now there is a reason.
Critical, or transformative. "Assessment is a cycle, not a step. From Thursday I write the reassessment time on my handover sheet." Now there is a change, tied to a concept and a date.

Every example on this page reaches the third level. If you are revising your own reflection, find the line where you explain why, and the line where you say what you will do. If either is missing, that is the edit.

How to write a reflective journal entry

Write soon. Same day if you can. Details fade within a day, and feelings get rewritten.
Facts first. What happened, who was there, what you did. Keep judgement out of this part.
Feelings, then and now. Short, honest, and separate from the facts.
Ask why, twice. The first answer is usually the obvious one ("I was busy"). The second is where the learning is ("I had no reminder because I treat medication as one step").
Connect it. To a course concept, to earlier feedback, to a pattern in your own past entries.
One action with a date. Small enough to actually do at the next chance.

Learning journals

A learning journal is a reflective journal pointed at a skill: a language, a course, an instrument, a new job. The structure is the same, with two additions. Add a consistent number (hours, scores, problems solved), and write weekly rather than after every session. The Spanish example shows the shape. Week to week the entries look small; read eight of them in a row and the progress, or the plateau, is obvious.

Closing the loop

The question most reflection guides leave open is what happens after you write. A reflective journal where each entry starts fresh is a set of good intentions. Two habits fix that:

Start each entry by checking the last action. Did you do it? What happened? That single line is evidence of learning, which is what assessors and your own future self both want.
Read back once a month. Look for the same "why" appearing in different situations. In the personal example, saying yes in under ten seconds shows up twice. A pattern across entries is worth more than any single reflection.

Common mistakes

All description. Three paragraphs of what happened and one line of "I learned a lot." Flip the ratio.
Defending yourself. A reflection is not an appeal. Name your part plainly, the way the team lead example does.
Vague actions. "Communicate better" cannot be checked. "Say 'let me check with the team' before agreeing to scope" can.
Theory without the situation. Name-dropping a model without tying it to what happened reads as filler.
Identifying details. In clinical, teaching or client reflections, use initials or roles, never full names.

If the reflection is about a team project rather than your own part in it, a lessons learned template or a sprint retrospective gives the group a shared structure.

Customization tips

Start with last time's action
The line at the top of the template is the one most reflective journals skip. Checking whether you did what you said turns separate entries into a loop, and it is the fastest way to see whether your reflections change anything.
Match the framework to the reader
If a course or a professional body asks for a named model, use its headings (the nursing example uses the six Gibbs stages). For a personal journal, What, So What, Now What is enough. The thinking is the same; the headings are for the reader.
Keep feelings, but give them a time
Write what you felt at the time and what you feel now, separately. The gap between the two is often where the learning is, and it stops the entry from being only a vent.
One action, not five
A reflection that ends with five resolutions ends with none. Pick the single change you will make at the next real opportunity and put a date on it. If it works, next entry can add another.
For a learning journal, add a number
Hours studied, problems solved, pages read, a score. Learning is slow to see day to day, and one consistent number per entry makes a month of progress visible.
Write facts before you write about yourself
The What happened section should read like something a colleague could confirm. It keeps the rest honest and, for clinical or professional reflection, it is the part assessors check first. Remove identifying details about patients, students or clients.

In the app

How to do this in Scribelet

Save the template in Desk Settings > Templates > Add Template, set the category to Journal, and add a default tag like #reflection. {{date}} in the title dates every entry.
Link each reflection to its context, such as [[Ward 4B placement]] or [[Spanish B1]]. The context note's backlinks panel then lists every reflection on it in one place, which is what a portfolio or an end-of-term review needs.
Write the Now what line as a task: - [ ] Use role cards on Thursday @due(2026-11-12). It shows up in the Tasks view and on that day's daily note, so the action is in front of you when the chance comes.
Ask the AI chat "what patterns show up in my reflections on group work?" or "which Now what actions did I actually follow through on?" It answers from your own entries with citations.
Reflect on the walk home by recording a voice note (Pro). Scribelet transcribes it and structures it into a note you can tidy into the template.
Photograph written feedback from a mentor or preceptor and attach it to the entry. The text is extracted so it is searchable alongside your reflection.

Templates, template variables and AI generation are documented in Note templates.

Frequently asked questions

What is a reflection?

A reflection is writing (or thinking) that looks back at an experience, works out why it went the way it did, and decides what you will do differently. The test is the second and third steps: a piece that only describes what happened is a summary, not a reflection.

What is the difference between a reflective journal and a reflective essay?

A reflective journal is a series of short, dated entries written close to the events, usually informal. A reflective essay is one polished piece, often assessed, that draws on several experiences and connects them to theory. Many courses ask for the journal first and the essay at the end, built from the journal.

What are the 5 C's of reflection?

One widely used version, from service-learning research, says good reflection is continuous, connected, challenging and contextualized; some versions add coached or communicated as a fifth C. Versions vary by source. The template supports the first four: it is regular, it connects to concepts, it asks why, and it is tied to a specific situation.

Which reflection framework should I use?

What, So What, Now What (Rolfe) is the simplest and works for most journals. Gibbs' reflective cycle has six stages (description, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion, action plan) and is common in nursing and healthcare. DIEP (describe, interpret, evaluate, plan) is common in university writing guides. Kolb's cycle is about learning from experience over repeated attempts. Use the one your course names; otherwise start with the simplest.

How long should a reflection be?

A journal entry is usually 200 to 400 words. An assessed reflection is set by the brief, often 500 to 1,500 words. Length matters less than balance: if most of it is description, cut the description and expand the So what.

How do I write a reflection paper?

Pick one experience, describe it briefly, spend most of the words on why it happened and what it connects to, and end with what you will do differently. If you kept a journal, start from its entries; the paper is the journal with the best evidence and a clear argument.

Reflections that change what you do next week

Keep your reflective journal in Scribelet, turn every Now what into a dated task, and ask your entries which actions you followed through on. Free to start, encrypted at rest.

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Journals

Journal Entry Examples

Five personal journal entries written by different people on very different days, from a five-line note after a double shift to an unsent letter. Use the short format below to write yours; if you came for accounting journal entries with debits and credits, this page is about personal journals, not bookkeeping.

Journals

Daily Journal Template

Seven minutes a day: two in the morning to name what matters, five in the evening to write what happened and what you noticed. Copy the daily journal template, or read the five entries below to see it filled in on very different days.

Projects

Lessons Learned Template

Most lessons learned documents are written once and never read again. This template compares plan to actual, writes each lesson as an instruction for next time with its evidence, and ends by naming the checklist, template or estimate each lesson should change.

Study

Class Notes Template

One note per class session, linked to one note per course. The template captures what the lecture was trying to answer, the key points in your words, the questions you still have, and what is due next. Copy it, or start from the example closest to your class.

Planning

Weekly Review Template

A weekly review is 45 minutes that stops small things from going stale: clear the inboxes, look back honestly, check every project has a next step, then choose three priorities for next week. Copy the template, or start from the weekly review example closest to your week.

Meetings

Sprint Retrospective Template

A retrospective is only as good as what changes afterwards. This template opens by checking whether last retro's actions worked, grounds the discussion in sprint facts, and ends with at most two actions, each with an owner, a date and a sign that it worked.