Hey Friends! What if I told you that there is a book that could literally change your life? This book can really show you how much control you have over every single aspect of your life. Here’s the kicker: this life changing book cannot be found at any library, and it cannot be purchased at *any* store. In this book, *you* are the author, you get to write the entire story. This life altering masterpiece is called a bullet journal!
ASHLEY, WHAT THE HECK IS A BULLET JOURNAL??
From my research, I’ve noted that bullet journaling is exactly as it sounds. It is a journal for a bullet list type of task tracker to help you achieve a goal or set of goals. I came across a journal doodling pin on Pinterest and found myself on a mood tracker pin a few clicks later. I’d never heard the term bullet journal before, and didn’t think much of it until I realized I have been unknowingly bullet journaling for an entire year!
A little backstory:
I purchased a journal back in February of 2018. It’s about 150 pages, blank. It has no lines or any type of sound structure. It seems more like a sketch book than a journal, but I love the simple design. It’s made of 100% recycled material, and I write really big which means I don’t like to be confined to college ruled lines. (Rebel, much?)
I wanted my very first page to be bold, and to remind me that I have a purpose that I WILL fulfill:
And the rest just flowed. It’s amazing to look back at my first pages and see how I drastically shifted interests over the course of a few months. I can now sense the indecisiveness and insecurities of my purpose just that short time ago. I knew that I needed to change.
HOW I STARTED BULLET JOURNALING:
So I made it a habit to just start by making some small achievable goals and knock them off the list one by one. I started very small; IE: Go to bed and wake up earlier. Then I would write small reminders, short grocery lists, and other little tasks that I wanted to make a point to get done no matter what.
I did this for two months until I became determined to redecorate my room and make my very own no sew DIY tufted headboard. I began to write down every project, my budget for the project, the material and the cost. One after another, I added a new project in between other small tasks that I wished to achieve in a certain amount of time. I always gave myself practical goals with a reasonable amount of time to do them. It proves to be difficult when you’re a SAHM with three kids.
Yet, I made it so important to do these tasks that I couldn’t sleep some nights unless I got them done. As cliche as it sounds, I literally made MY journal tasks more important than any outside influence. A family member then told me that anything is possible when you don’t allow failure to be an option.
It stuck to me ever since. I literally forced myself to only allow solutions instead of excuses. I wrote in that journal every time I thought of something, every time I felt an emotional change, and everything in between. It was my gateway to observing, processing, and literally dealing with myself.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: EVERY SAHM HAS FELT THIS AT LEAST ONCE
In January, I decided to utilize this newfound self awareness to track my moods for an entire month. It’s amazing how our brains can etch a really bad (or really good) memory in our minds. Furthermore, it’s just as fascinating how fast we kind of forget about the regular days. It was an eye opening experience to visually see how genuinely happy I perceive myself to be.
And here we are, in month 4 of mood tracking and having more self control of my happiness. I’ve even added a 12 step monthly focus goal chart to keep the motivational energy flowing. It’s exhilarating! If you feel scatter brained, overwhelmed, or disheveled, try your very own bullet journal!
If you’re hesitant and need a little guidance, download my FREE bullet journal starter kit below! To help you get a feel for your style, my free kit gives you the first 6 months of calendar templates , a notes page, and a water tracker graph. Download my free templates to start organizing your life! (Hint: Print the templates, then use a three hole punch to put them in a binder for safe keeping). What is a better time to start organizing your life than now?