Four questions for the end of the day

  1. What happened today? Run through it in order, briefly
  2. What am I glad about, even if it's small?
  3. What's still unfinished or bothering me?
  4. What can wait until tomorrow, and when will I deal with it?

Set the scene

  • Same place each night, such as the edge of the bed or the sofa
  • Lights low, notifications off
  • Right after something you always do, like brushing your teeth
  • Earlier than the moment you're falling asleep, so you finish the thought

Park tomorrow's worries

Saying tomorrow's tasks out loud gets them out of your head and into a list you can find in the morning. Be specific. "Email Jo about the invoice at nine" is easier to let go of than "work stuff". If a worry has no next step, say that too.

When the day was hard

Keep it short. Name what happened and how it felt, then one thing that helped, even a little. You don't have to make sense of it tonight. If you're thinking about harming yourself or you're in danger, contact local emergency services or a crisis line now. In the US, call or text 988.

Keep the phone from keeping you up

Record, tap save and put the phone down. Don't reread old entries or check messages afterward. A dark screen helps, and a voice entry means you can talk with your eyes half closed instead of staring at a keyboard.

An evening entry in Dawn Light

Set Dawn Light's daily reminder for your evening slot. It never shows what you said. In dark mode the Journal calendar is a night sky, with a small sun under each day you talked. With Plus, an optional follow-up question lets you add a little more by talking.

Questions about evening reflection

How long should an evening reflection take?

Five to ten minutes is plenty. On a tired night, one minute and one question still counts.

Is it okay to journal in bed?

Many people do. If you find it winds you up instead of down, move it earlier and somewhere else, such as the kitchen table after dinner.

Where can I find evening prompts?

The evening prompts page has questions written to be answered out loud.

Set the day down tonight

Talk for five minutes before bed and Dawn Light writes it down. Each day you talked gets a small sun on the calendar.

Get Dawn Light free

Unlimited entries, transcripts, search and iCloud sync. For iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. Works with iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and watchOS 26 or later.