BULLET JOURNAL PROMPTS AND TIPS

With 2019 fast approaching, it feels like the whole world is laying down plans for the New Year, and a common goal is to get organised and start a planner or bullet journal. I've gone in and out of bullet journalling for the past few years, often falling off the wagon just when I start to get really busy - which is, of course, the time when I need it most - but I'm determined to make 2019 the year that I stick with it.

The original bullet journal system is somewhat dry, and very much focused on function over form. Like a lot of people I took the general premise of the bullet journal method and expanded it to suit my own needs and tastes, not only using the notebook for planning, but also to store ideas and information. My own bullet journal contains recipes, doodles, trackers, wishlists, and a whole host of other stuff that makes the notebook a very important part of my daily life. Today I'm sharing a few pages from my own bullet journal, as well as some advice for getting started, and of course a few prompts that might inspire some creativity.

ON WINNING NANOWRIMO | ADVICE AND PLANS

The year of our lord 2018 marks my fourth attempt at the Legendary task of NaNoWriMo. The difference this year is that I fucking won. 

I didn't start out this years challenge with high hopes. I expected myself to fizzle out around the 20,000 word mark as I usually did - blaming myself for not preparing enough, and blaming the fact that I was busy and tired and that my novel idea was terrible anyway. Honestly winning has come as such a huge surprise to me that I couldn't really muster up any feeling of pride or accomplishment when I verified my word count and the website flashed up the winner's page. I'm still more surprised than anything else.

MY 2019 TOOLKIT FOR POSITIVE CHANGES

I generally hold fairly tightly to the idea that buying material objects, with the idea that they'll somehow improve things in your life, is bollocks. I can't count the amount of times younger-Isabelle would convince herself that this designer bag, beautiful bedding, or luxury skincare product would kickstart some kind of change, and transition me into being a better, more 'adult' version of myself. What a load of nonsense. Needless to say, I remained the same person, with the same positive traits and flaws, but with a new bag, duvet cover or eye cream.

However, I do believe that certain things can facilitate us in making positive changes in our lives, and sometimes creating new habits and healthy patterns can be made easier when we have basic tools for the job. So I'm sharing a few things I'm planning to buy early in the next year, and the changes they will reflect in my 2019 plans.

COSY WINTER READING RECOMMENDATIONS

The nights are getting longer, and the evenings are getting colder. There are a lot of downsides to the changing seasons, but one upside is that it's the perfect weather to snuggle up with a thick blanket, a warm beverage of choice, and a pile of books. So I've compiled a list of my favourite cosy reads for the colder weather to share with you.