Try Something New Bullet Journal

So I have discovered something new. Well, new to me anyway. The reality is I am probably extremely late in discovering bullet journaling but better late than never, right?

What is Bullet Journaling and how is it different from normal journaling? Bullet Journaling is a way to organize the many different thoughts we have and put them together in one place so that we can use them to be productive. It is a place to bring mindfulness and productivity together to be intentional about life. (I will post the video below by Ryder Carol which explains Bullet Journalling)

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May was the first month that I tried bullet journaling. I found this great YouTube video from Becca Davis and it just inspired me to start bullet journaling (see her YouTube video below). Looking at her example, I could see that bullet journaling could be a way for me to plan my time so that I could be productive in my business. It was great to develop a visual platform which laid out my plan. This meant that I could get my business tasks scheduled around my shift work and family responsibilities. I enjoyed using the journal with a bit of colour because I am yet to develop my artistic skills further! (Did you notice that growth mindset word yet?)

In the past, I have been quite resistant to spending a lot of time planning. On reflection as to why I might feel like this, I think it was a way of managing what felt like an overwhelming amount of things that I needed to get done. Even just the thought of sitting for hours to make a plan was not at all attractive to me. It meant that I could avoid thinking of somethings that were anxiety-provoking or that I just didn’t want to worry about until I had to. Perhaps it is also a product of my easy-going nature that I did not mind thinking about what I had to do until the day or night before. I see some of my colleges at work memorizing their rosters and checking who they will be on the night shift with before the final roster is released! This does not bother me at all as I don’t feel the need to have everything in place to feel secure.

So during May I really enjoyed using my journal and found that it helped me to stay focused and have a plan to get my work done! It was also really good to see at a quick glance what I had achieved. It did not take hours to set this up and I was able to add to and adjust the plan through the month. Having space to write thoughts that popped into my head was helpful because I could just jot them down and re-evaluate at a later time when or if I would act on them. The bonus was that I learnt to draw cherry blossoms so now I know how to draw two things!

Bullet Journal for June

So as you can see from the picture I have tried another design for June so let’s see how we go this month. Again, I had the goal to expand my artistic abilities. This time I did a quick google search to find easy snowflake designs and I found an example on Pinterest which I followed.

As a parent, it is ok to show your kids that you are learning something new and that even though you don’t have much skill now you are willing to be vulnerable and put yourself out there and try something. Sometimes when we are doing school work my son will try to say it’s alright for you, you are a genius. Although I like the fact that he thinks I’m a genius the truth is he is trying to express his frustration with learning and if he thought about it I may no longer fit the genius category! This comment is a good example of a fixed mindset which we have been working on for some time and I now don’t get these comments as often now.

If you want to start bullet journaling check out Shelby Abrahamsen’s “The Ultimate bullet Journal Guide for Beginners and Beyond (2020)” She has some beautiful Ideas and free journal printables, brush lettering worksheets and more! You gotta love free stuff!!

My June picture is not a perfect page and I have posted this any way to make a point. Growth is not always perfect! We need to just start and have a go and then be happy to take a step further on the next try. For example, I decided that I wanted to expand my creative abilities and so I started a Teachers Pay Teachers Store. Building my store has lead me to where I am now starting my own business and finding many opportunities to expand my creative abilities.

Both my kids can already draw better than me so this is a great mindset example to use with them when they think that things are easy for me and they are finding things hard. Can kids do Bullet Journaling? I think this is probably best pitched to teens but you could get younger kids to do this especially if it is an activity that you do together. I went out and bought my kids a journal each and one of my teens has been able to independently run with it. The other I will be giving some assistance but I plan to keep things short and easy to do so that success can be achieved. One Step at a time. I will be encouraging both of them to use a tracking page to track their mood and be mindful of their actions.

Can a bullet journal be lined?

You can use any notebook to start a bullet journal the important thing is to just start! Make it individual to you. Some people prefer the minimalist method and others like to be creative and artistic. So what is your style are you artistic and like to express your self on the page to keep your self engaged with the organization process? Or are you someone who likes to just engage with the process and get the thing done! Do you see decoration as completely pointless or does a beautiful page make you want to use your journal? You need to make your bullet journal personal so that you will use it and achieve your goals. If you are new to this like me you may first want to copy what others have done and then put your own twist on it. The important thing is that you own your journal so that it is an effective tool to help you get organized.