Started a bullet journal to live intentionally 

I scheduled my blog posts for sometime in January around three months ago. Usually, this is a really good idea. In fact, I suggest it to other bloggers so that they can post four or five times in a short period of time and not worry about their blogs for a long time. It is a smart idea. The only issue is that occasionally, once you start drafting a post concept, you discover it is no longer relevant. One of those was the post from today. I was expected to provide an update on the progress of the Chalkboard Method.

Do you recall when I first began utilizing the Chalkboard Method? Do you recall how much I enjoyed it and how it had helped me in some way? Yes, it ceased functioning in the middle of November. This was mostly due to the fact that I stopped tracking my progress and, perhaps more importantly, stopped looking at it. I was no longer utilizing it; therefore, it stopped working. A tool or technique is ineffective for you if you do not use it. It must be discarded. This is what I mean when I say that spiritual and living practices should be abandoned if they no longer work. Take a different action. Letting go of an unsuccessful practice and attempting something different is not a sign of weakness.

What kind of exercise should I do, though? What kind of exercise would enable me to achieve my goals?

The New Practice 

I am a huge notepad fan. Really. I have a number of journals, which are more difficult for me to organize because they document my ideas and thoughts by stage of life. To be honest, I adore stationery. I adore the scent of new paper, ink, pencils, and crayons. I adore the way a pen scratches the paper and the sound of turning pages of a certain weight. I adore how ideas are added to the plain surface as the ink flows over it. The planning and shaping of reality that takes place when the pen meets the page is something I like. I was prepared to begin keeping a bullet journal.

What is a bullet journal?

This notebook serves as a life planner for the majority of people. Ryder Carroll initiated the practice, which has since changed (for the fundamentals of bullet journaling, visit this website). While some people use this notebook to record only a few items, others use it to record every element of their lives. They can range from straightforward lists with a few indicator symbols to intricate charts, doodling, and store-bought embellishments like washi tape and stickers.

Many people's bullet journals have the following basic pages:

Index pages—just as the name suggests Calendar page for the year The monthly layout page is usually in the form of a list, but it might also be done in a grid. One page or a weekly layout spread with a grid similar to what you would find in a store-bought planner Daily layout:Depending on how much content you include (such as quotes, thoughts, doodles, etc.), there are different numbers of days per page (or pages per day). Lists of concepts or assignments pertaining to a particular theme are called collections; examples include "100 goals to fulfill in 10 years," "Books to read," and so on. To make particular tasks easier to understand, project layouts divide them into manageable portions. Things like "home restoration," "launching a new e-course," etc., benefit from this. Habit trackers, which include repetitive activities like writing, exercise, affirmations, and so on, can be standalone pages or part of your daily schedules.

Starting My Journal 

I made the decision to create my own calendar because I did not want to pay more than fifty dollars on one that was based on someone else's vision of what life should be like. The first choice was whether the diary would be done as I go (either looseleaf for a binder or a basic notebook) or printed (created on my computer, printed, hole-punched, and fastened with rings or a binder).

There are justifications for and against printing. The benefit of printing every page is that I do not have to worry about page migration when I add something to a binder. Additionally, I do not experience hand cramps from doing a lot of precision work, which can get out of control, let us face it. Additionally, I can customize it in many ways, such as the dividers, the type of paper I use (archival, recycled, etc.), and more.

However, printing uses a lot of ink and paper, and as my home printer does not support double-sided printing (living purposefully encourages me to utilize both sides of the paper!), I would have to go somewhere to get that done if I wanted to print on both sides. A notebook is simple to use. Any store that sells notebooks is open to the public. Numerous variations are available, including various sizes, paper types, colors, and bindings. There are blank pages, ordinary ruled pages, graph grids, and dot grids. I could acquire something as basic as a Five Star single-subject spiral, or I could get sophisticated like a Moleskine. I can fill the notebook anyway I like, but it does require mechanisms to locate the information I entered earlier. I can not keep lists with lists unless I leave a number of blank pages in a list section, and I would not know how many pages to leave.

I could get a pack of loose-leaf paper and use it with a binder in place of a notepad. This would enable me to create pages as I went along and offer the possibility of parts that are customisable. I could even put loose leaf and printed materials in a binder. Usability is, of course, the problem. Which is the most practical? Which layouts am I going to use? How many special layouts and list collections will I have? Should I simply get a tiny spiral notebook with multiple subjects and see the results? As a Christmas gift, I asked for certain things for my bullet journal. I got several tabbed post-it notes, six metal stencil plates, and a handful of gel pens. These are fantastic products for people who like stationery; for those who don't, try to understand and feel as excited as I do.

What Really Happened 

Ultimately, I hurried to the nearby office supply store and discovered a $5 college-ruled book in bright pink with a pocket, bookmark, and elastic band. In contrast to Moleskines' ridiculous prices (really? I thought this was a fantastic compromise—$20 for a friggin notepad that cost peanuts to make? Moreover, I think deep pink is a powerful color, so WIN! I started organizing my new bullet journal right away that day.

So far, I have observed: Bullet journaling does not work well with gel pens. They smear really readily, therefore I would not suggest them to someone just starting out. In any case, I adore them since they provide me with a level of variety that other tools do not (I enjoy glitter ink, and who knows!). I could have a bullet journaling addiction. In just two days, I produced fifteen pages, and I am eager to utilize it again. I could put this on my list of things that make me happy (oops, one of my pages). It feels a little cluttered because the writing from one side bleeds through a little to the other, though I am not sure if that is because the pages are thin or the gel ink is too thick. However, since I mostly use gel for grids, titles, and special lists, I do not mind it too much, and other types of ink do not seem to bleed through. In the long run, I think it will work perfectly