I heard about bullet journals a few years back and had a fun Pinterest binge with all the dreamy journals full of gorgeous doodles, Washi tape and the kind of handwriting that would make a teacher swoon. It didn’t take me a minute to know this was NOT the fad for me with my messy penmanship and lack of artsy talent. I’ll stick to my planner with straight lines, thank you.
Fast forward to 2018. A friend started doing it and showed me hers. It wasn’t fancy, but I still cringed at the thought of this open-ended way of organizing myself. Good luck, sister, but no thank you.
One more year passes and I had a shocking shift. It felt like the perfect timing for me to go full out with imperfection. I no longer needed the form and function created by someone else. Something about creating my own method of planning sounded appealing. I wanted to create my week on paper, literally. I cancelled my Full Focus Planner subscription (which I loved, by the way) and bought a Leuchtturm1917 notebook with dots. I stocked up on some colored pens, highlighters and a small box of Washi tape. Oh and some cute stickers from Michael’s and I was off.
It’s been a beautiful mess. I use it for a planner, a place to take notes, jot ideas, brainstorm, journal and track habits. It’s a regular reminder of all the things I’ve got going on, but moreover it’s a reminder that the process is the thing that matters most. I’m having fun picking what color pen to use and which sticker I want to embellish the page with. I’m looking at my messy handwriting day after day and know that what I’m creating in my life is the beautiful part and this notebook suits me well. And Washi tape is just so fun!
What if you could look at a mess on paper and feel so organized and put together?
