A year ago I came across the organizational phenomenon that has taken the planner world by storm: the bullet journal. Unlike your traditional planner, the bullet journal is a simple concept in which users get to create and personalize their planners any way they want. What started as simple bullets and lists scribbled in notebooks has now expanded into a form of art where creators tediously design their calendars and lists with intricate artistic details. As a proud member of the bullet journaling community, I thought I'd offer a peek into what my bullet journal looks like, and hopefully spark some ideas so you can start a journal of your own!
1. Monthly calendar
Every organizational planner needs a calendar, so I decided to create my own. I use these pages to write down obligations I have each day, and this helps me keep track of everyday events in a simple yet effective way.
2. Monthly overview
Unlike the calendar that holds all my daily events, this monthly spread is a simple list where I write major events going on such as football games and vacations. peek gives me a simple overview of the month so I can look ahead and see what big events I have coming up.
3. Monthly lists
In addition to a monthly spread that contains my schedule, I also like to include a page for goals, birthday trackers, and lists to record the things I'm think about or interact with during that month. In this spread I included a to-do list with tasks I wanted to complete before the month ended as well as a box with goals for that month. I also recommend adding a list for something fun like a playlist because it's fun to look back later and see what songs you were listening to during that time!
4. Bucket list
I'm all about setting goals, and this summer bucket list helped me take part in a lot of the activities I wanted to do during the three months before college. Summer can be a crazy time filled with lots of events, but my bucket list prioritized the things I wanted to do the most, so I made sure I got to do them before the season ended.
5. Reading log
As a major book worm, I love to track the books I have read and want to read. In this spread, I drew up a bookcase with a bunch of blank spines. Whenever I come across a book I'm interested in reading, I write the title on a blank book spine and then once I finish it, I color it in. This is a great way for me to track my reading progress and motivate myself to keep up with my reading because coloring in the blank spaces is so satisfying!
6. Running tracker
A year ago I ran my first half marathon, and training for such an event required careful planning and a detailed training schedule. I found this spread on Pinterest and decided to use the idea as my training schedule format. I wrote out all the workouts and runs I needed to complete for each week leading up to the race; this helped me stay on track with my training and motivated me to do all the workouts on time.
7. Gratitude log
With all the stress and chaos I encounter on a day-to-day basis, it's nice to end the day by reflecting on the good parts of my life. Taking a minute to jot down something I am feeling grateful for boosts my mood and helps put things into perspective when I'm being dragged down by the unfavorable things that sometimes overshadow the things I'm blessed with.
8. Writing inspiration list
Finding ideas to write for Odyssey is often harder than writing the article itself, so I created this simple list for article ideas that I can jot down when I find some inspiration. This has greatly sped up my writing process since it gives me inspiration to work with --- all I have to do is write!
Going to the cinema alone is good for your mental health, says science
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