Bullet Journaling - An Alternative Way To Journal

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

Journaling is an awesome way to express yourself. Depending on how you journal it can serve as an outlet for your feelings, a way to plan your everyday life, or both. Journaling can be as simple as putting the date at the top of a page and free writing about the day’s events or making a detailed list of to-do’s for the week to come. But if you really want to take it a step further, try bullet journaling!

It’s always a good idea to take a moment and reflect on how you’re feeling, especially if you’re feeling stressed or down. We tend to feel better when we vent to others but when what we would like to talk about doesn’t warrant a listening ear journaling makes for a great alternative. Taking out the time to write down your thoughts can help de-clutter and clear your mind . Think of a journal or planner as a dumping ground for your thoughts!

Choosing the right journal for you can be tricky. You can buy a journal in pretty much any shape and size, but the right book might just be one that you create on your own. A bullet journal is basically this. Take any style of notebook you like and decorate it using pens, markers, pencils, highlighters, stickers, you name it! They key is that you design every aspect of your book. If you want to go for a planner-style vibe for example, you can decide how the calendar will be shaped, the size of the boxes for the days of the week, or the color of urgent days compared to chill days. The possibilities are endless!

You can design as you go, so if you feel like going for a different color scheme or style, you have a blank canvas on the next page to work with. This way your journal won’t feel  confined to just one design. See the following example:

Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

If you don’t know where to start with your journal, start off with designing a calendar and note any important events. Next, take a couple of pages to write out your week from Sunday to Monday. Fill up each day with detailed tasks, appointments, and deadlines. After that, make it a point to write about your feelings at the end of each day. Even if it ends up being only a couple of sentences, write everything down,  especially about anything that may have stressed you out or left you feeling a bit low. Always try to end off on a high note, whether it be some words of encouragement to yourself, something great that happened to you, or something you’re looking forward to.

For planners and notebooks that can be used to start your very own bullet journal, check out Erin Condrin online . Her designs are vibrant and colorful,  but you can also find simple notebooks for you to customize with stickers and pens in every color imaginable. Be sure to check out the Dot Grid Journals, which are  the perfect template for creating a bullet journal. The dots on the pages make drawing your designs easy and neat. Also check out Bailey Shea Designs ( https://www.baileysheadesigns.com/) if you’d like to go for traditional, cute, and simple planners!