The daily examen is a short evening prayer that walks back through your day with God. You notice where you felt grateful, where you struggled, and what you want to carry into tomorrow. An examen prayer journal means you do that review on paper, a few lines for each step, so the prayer has somewhere to land.
By the end of this guide you will know the five steps, what each one can look like written down, how to do the whole thing in about 10 minutes, and what to do on nights when you feel tired, distracted or far from God.
What the examen is
The examen comes from Ignatius Loyola, who described it in his Spiritual Exercises. IgnatianSpirituality.com (Loyola Press) calls the daily version a technique of prayerful reflection on the events of the day. The same page says Ignatius asked Jesuits to pray it twice a day, at noon and at the end of the day.
Many Christians from many churches use it today. You do not need to belong to any particular tradition to try it. At heart it is a simple question asked in prayer: where was God in today, and how did I respond?
A journal suits the examen well. Writing slows you down enough to notice small things you would skip past in your head. Over weeks, the pages also show you patterns, like the same worry coming back every Tuesday or a kindness you keep overlooking.
The five steps, written down
The steps below follow the five that IgnatianSpirituality.com lists. Under each one is a sample of what you might write. These are only examples; your lines will sound like you.
- Become aware of God’s presence. Before you write about the day, pause and remember that you are not praying alone. You might write a single line to begin: “Lord, I’m here. I’m tired, but I’m here.”
- Review the day with gratitude. Walk through the day from morning to now and jot down what you are thankful for. Keep it concrete: “The warm bread at lunch. My sister calling back. Ten quiet minutes in the car.”
- Pay attention to your emotions. Notice what you felt and when. You might write: “I felt small in the meeting. I felt light walking the dog. I was short with my son after dinner and felt sorry right away.”
- Choose one feature of the day and pray from it. Pick one moment that stands out, good or hard, and write a short prayer about it. “I keep thinking about how I snapped at him. Help me understand why I was so on edge, and help me apologize well.”
- Look toward tomorrow. Write what you are bringing into the next day: a hope, a worry, a request. “Tomorrow is the appointment. I’m nervous. Please give me a steady heart.”
That is the whole practice. Some nights each step will be one line. Other nights step four might fill a page.
A 10-minute version for weeknights
A long examen is lovely, but a short one you actually keep is better. Here is a version that fits a busy evening:
- 1 minute: sit, breathe, and write one opening line to God.
- 3 minutes: list three things from the day you are grateful for.
- 2 minutes: name one or two feelings and the moments they came from.
- 3 minutes: write a short prayer about the moment that stands out most.
- 1 minute: write one sentence about tomorrow.
If you want more structure for the evening itself, our guide to evening journaling and sleep has ideas for a gentle wind-down routine. You can also browse our evening prompts for nights when you want a different angle.
Setting up your examen journal
You do not need anything special. A plain notebook works, and so does a notes app if that is what you will actually open at night. Some people like a small heading for each step so the page has a shape; others write in one flowing paragraph.
A few options people often find helpful:
- One page per night. Date it at the top and write the five steps down the page.
- Two columns. Gratitude on the left, struggles and feelings on the right, then a short prayer underneath.
- A noon check-in. Since Ignatius suggested praying at midday as well, you might add a two-line note at lunch and finish the review at night.
- A weekly look back. On Sunday, read the past seven entries and notice what keeps coming up.
If you already keep a prayer journal, the examen can sit inside it as your evening entry. Our guide on how to keep a prayer journal covers the wider practice.
When the day was hard or prayer feels dry
Some evenings you will not want to look back at all. The day may have been painful, or you may feel nothing when you pray. That is a normal part of a life of faith, and the examen can hold it.
On a hard day, it is fine to make the gratitude step very small: “I’m grateful the day is over.” It is fine to write honestly in step three: “I felt angry most of the day, and some of it was at you, God.” Prayer is honest conversation, and honesty includes the parts we would rather tidy up.
On a dry night, you might skip to one step only. Write a single line of thanks, or simply “I don’t know what to say tonight,” and close the notebook. Missing a night, or a week, does not undo anything. You can start again tomorrow with the first step.
The examen is also not a scorecard. The point of noticing your mistakes is not to grade yourself but to bring them to God and ask for help. If you find the review turning into harsh self-criticism, slow down and spend longer on gratitude.
Building it into a habit
Habits stick better when they are tied to something you already do. You might keep the journal on your nightstand, or open it right after you brush your teeth. A pen left inside the notebook removes one small excuse.
Start smaller than you think you need to. Three nights a week is a real practice. If you want ideas for other kinds of prayer writing on nights when the examen feels stale, our prayer prompts offer a change without dropping the habit.
Three prompts to try
- Where did you sense God near you today, even for a moment, and what were you doing then?
- Which feeling from today surprised you most, and what would you like to say to God about it?
- What is one thing you want to carry into tomorrow, and what will you ask for as you go?