Bullet Journalling

In a digital world, Bullet Journalling allows you to organise your life in an analog way. What started as a tool to get organised by Ryder Carroll, it has evolved and gone viral on social media. From those who work, students, to even children, Bullet Journals are being embraced by many around the world. From minimalistic monochrome journals to beautifully colourful journals, the Bullet Journal has the potential to consolidate your life into the one book.

I was introduced to the concept of Bullet Journalling by my partner, a manager. He uses his Bullet Journal at work, documenting his to-do lists, appointments and meeting notes. A quick search on Pinterest and Instagram however lead me to discover a different facet to Bullet Journalling – I found amazing spreads of tracking not only day to day activities and appointments, but also trackers where you can document how you’re travelling; whether it be towards a goal or how you feel.

I consider myself to be quite artistic and enjoyed creating my journal spreads as an outlet to get creative. This wasn’t always the case however; initially I felt overwhelmed and felt like I had to compete with those amazing spreads I had discovered. After attending the Bullet Journal course I learnt that it’s not about having the best journal spread; it’s about creating a functional journal that worked for me. This is the beauty about Bullet Journalling; it can be as simple or as elaborate as you would like it to be. It just has to be functional for you.

I now carry my journal with me everywhere. Gone are the days of loose post it notes and scribbled on envelopes to important take notes. I use my journal to track my family’s appointments, financial commitments, remember important birthdays / events as well as do a weekly meal plan for my family. Even my children are getting into it; they have each started a Bullet Journal where they are tracking the types of Pokemon they have caught!

Personally, I love nothing more than setting aside some ‘me time’ at the end of each week to reflect on the week that was, note down my achievements and what I can improve on, then create a new spread for the next week. I’m not confined in using the same weekly spread either, I can redesign it according to how I feel. Science says there’s a reason why I enjoy doing this - creative expression (whether it be journalling, art, photography, painting, music, dance) can benefit your brain to make you a happier and healthier person:

• https://bebrainfit.com/the-health-benefits-of-art-are-for-everyone/

• https://www.ccpa-accp.ca/psychological-benefits-of-art-therapy/

• http://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/A_E/Art-therapy-for-mental-health-recovery

As mentioned earlier, Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services offers a Bullet Journal course. Facilitated by WHWS’ CEO Emma Basc, it offers an introduction to what a Bullet Journal is for beginners, as well as be a space to bounce ideas off more seasoned ‘journallers’ who wanted to share their passion of Bullet Journalling with others.

Women’s Health and Wellbeing services can also help you get creative in other ways. Currently we offer weekly yoga classes (where you can use your body as the creative outlet) however in the near future we hope to offer more artistic based classes and courses. In addition, WHWS also sells a variety of adult colouring books for you to enjoy with a cuppa at home.