Bullet journaling is a helpful tool that goes beyond organization and aesthetics. It is meant for planning, reflecting, tracking—whatever you want it to be, so long as it is effective for you. Bullet journal creator, Ryder Carroll, describes it as a streamlined system to boost productivity towards personal and professional goals.
"It's about how it makes you feel and how effective it is in moving
you towards the things that matter to you." -Ryder Carroll.
Having a bullet journal for the last three years, I have tried several different layouts and prompts. The following three prompts are what have worked best towards my personal growth.
Habit Tracker: For someone who advocates for self-care, I sometimes forget to take care of myself! Implementing a habit tracker has helped me to accomplish those daily tasks, like drinking enough water and exercising. More importantly, it reminds me to focus on my well-being. Often, we are bombarded with work and school, that we forget about our health. By prioritizing ourselves first, we can produce and perform better later.
Mood Tracker: Unlike our habits, our mood is not something that we can always control. Therefore, keeping track of them is imperative to understanding and bettering ourselves. For example, seeing your moods over time helps to understand when and why you may be feeling that way. If you can identify the sources of your feelings, you can better navigate your future experiences.
Gratitude Log: No matter how I might have felt throughout the day, writing down one thing I was grateful for always put me back into a positive state. Furthermore, it led to me becoming more present throughout the day; I became more attentive and understanding of every little detail. Consequently, I felt more connected with everyone and more at peace with myself. Seeing every log at the end of the month brings me nothing but pure joy.
By following these journal prompts, I have learned more than I ever could about myself, and every day, I am moving further down the path into becoming the person I want to be. I hope the same goes for you.