There are so many great reasons to have a bullet journal. As well as being a great tool for organizing your life, managing your time, and becoming more productive, it can also inspire your creativity.
But, one of the best reasons for using a bullet journal, is that it will help you to live intentionally.
By incorporating a bullet journal practice into your daily routine you’ll live a more intentional life, and be organized to take action towards reaching your goals.
What’s does it mean to live intentionally?
When you live intentionally you choose to spend your time in a way that aligns with your values.
You do things on purpose and make conscious decisions about how you spend your time. You don’t just drift through your day, your week, or your month.
When you live intentionally you are present and engaged with your life.
Living intentionally gives you the confidence to say “no” more so that you can open up time, space and energy to say “yes” to the things that really matter to you.
Intentional living is the art of making our own choices before others’ choices make us
– Ritchie Norton
You can read more about intentional living at:
Here’s how a bullet journal will help you to live intentionally
1. A bullet journal helps you focus on how you spend your time
Bullet journaling involves writing down your tasks, planning, and organizing your time.
At the end of each month, you transfer the things didn’t get done that month, over to next month. (In the bullet journal world, this is called migration).
Yes, this means that you’ll sometimes need to rewrite content. Rewriting may seem like a waste of time at first but it is actually a big part of the magic behind the bullet journal system.
Migration forces you to focus on what you really need, or want to do. It makes you think about whether you are being intentional with your time.
If something is not important enough to write again, is it important enough to keep in your life?
2. A bullet journal helps you to become more self-aware
Through reflection and introspection, bullet journaling helps you to get to know yourself better.
You become clearer about what is important to you.
This helps you to define:
- what is important in your life,
- why it’s important and
- what action to take to ensure the important things happen.
Through Reflection, we cultivate the habit of checking in with ourselves to examine our progress, our responsibilities, our circumstances and our state of mind. It helps us see if we’re solving the right problems, answering the right questions.
– Ryder Carroll, The Bullet Journal Method
3. A bullet journal empowers you to take action
A bullet journal helps you to design the life you want to live, and then go out and get it!
This means you aren’t just watching your life but steering your life in the direction you want it to go.
In the words of Ryder Carroll, the creator of the bullet journal method:
The Bullet Journal method acts as a bridge between your beliefs and your actions by integrating into the nitty-gritty of your life
– Ryder Carroll, The Bullet Journal Method
Live intentionally by setting goals
An important part of living intentionally is setting goals. Not just thinking about what you want to achieve, but committing to them by writing them down.
Writing down your goals is crucial if you want to achieve them – and a bullet journal is a perfect place to do so!
Read more:
Take a look at these 5 bullet journal goal pages for inspiration:
2020 cover page and goals by @rosehasajournal on Instagram
2020 goals page by @wordzofwhimzy on Instagram
Goals page by @_bareencreates_ on Instagram
Goals page by @journal_with_inspiration on Instagram
Goals for healthy habits by @cynthiabujo on Instagram
Live intentionally by taking action
Once you have set your goals you then need to take action.
You need to take steps, no matter how small or how slowly, towards your goal. One of the most effective ways to do this is by building habits.
Habit trackers are a great way to help you build the habits that will take you closer to your goals.
Take a look at these 10 bullet journal habit trackers for inspiration:
Bullet journal habit & goal tracker by @simplebujos
Bullet journal habit tracker by @bujo_with_ruby
Bullet journal habit tracker by @marianeofcysn
Bullet journal habit tracker by @bulletjournal_44
Bullet journal habit tracker by @font.snob
Bullet journal habit tracker by @bullet_jules
Bullet journal habit tracker by @bujotrulla
Bullet journal habit tracker by @linasplanner
Bullet journal habit tracker by @handletteredjournal
Bullet journal habit tracker by @bujobylisa
Bullet Journal Habit Tracker by @bujobyworld
Bullet journal habit tracker by @jessishih.journal
Bullet journal habit tracker by @bujowithcolour
Bullet journal habit tracker by @bujoandcookies
Don’t have a bullet journal?
The great news is, you don’t need to have a bullet journal to feel the benefit of organizing your life, documenting your goals and planning your time.
Any type of planner where you take time for reflection, make decisions about how you spend your time, and plan out your goals, will help you to live more intentionally.
However, if you are inspired to create your own bullet journal take a look at:
You can start a bullet journal at any time of year, and because the bullet journal system is so flexible, you can customize it especially to your needs.
Read more:
Like a little something for your bullet journal?
Subscribe to the latest news and updates from A Lovely Year and receive these free mini trackers to print and customize in your bullet journal or planner.
You can use them as calendars, or habit trackers, or anything else you like.
Want to learn more about bullet journaling?
This is the book I recommend:
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