Hi guys! I’m back again for another post which is long overdue! It’s supposedly to be up 2nd week of this month but I just had an unplanned and extended hiatus again. Lol the cycle never breaks. This is the first post for the year 2022 and I don’t even know what to write anymore! I thought to myself I would just disappear completely as I can’t figure out what I really want in life. I got really overwhelmed.
Now that I had a break to carefully think through of the reasons of why I should continue this blog, I decided to start small. I really find it hard to talk about things I’m not familiar with. I’m not a good speaker nor a writer. I’ve changed niches and writing styles from time to time and I still can’t figurate it out to date. I want to establish perfection and consistency but I think that ain’t working for me too.
After brainstorming and confronting myself, I’ve had clear goals in mind and I can’t just get rid of the hobby I used to love. I know it’s just a matter of time and habit, I’m still working with myself though. So here it is, I decided to share another thing I want to continue this year and it’s journaling. I decided to officially start my year on Chinese New Year, which happened to be the first day of February. And yes, I know, I’m too late for this post. Lol.
STORYTIME
Before I proceed with my journaling system, I wanted to share my first experience on journaling. I started bullet journaling on the verge of the pandemic, halfway through the year 2020. It’s my very first time to try it out and since then, I really have a problem in consistency. I always feel burnt out or I’m just lazy. I don’t know. So I skipped lots of months and just completed it “for the sake,” and I know bullet journaling doesn’t really work for me. I don’t follow schedules, I had it all listed in my mind. I mean I don’t really use it for productivity and organization, I mainly just like to design and spill art that I wanted to try as I’ve seen on Youtube journaling accounts.
By year 2021, I decided to give it another try but now I wanted it to be consistent, organized and follow the “standard spreads” on each pages. What I mean by standard spreads are the spreads I see often on Youtube which is for me requires much artistic talents for an unartistic person like me and time to layout spreads such as cover, calendar, trackers, etc. I forced myself to learn calligraphy more, doodle some things and copy some styles. I’m not an artistic person, I can even barely draw so who am I kidding!? In the end, it exhausted me and I just don’t like the style. I mean I felt like I’m just following the “standard” and not really show who I am, what I want, my personality and style on my journal. So I stopped “that” and tried new things.
MY JOURNALING SYSTEM
By December of 2021, I was already contemplating if I wanted to continue the same style I did. I decided to continue journaling on January 2022 but now breaking free from that “standard.” I want to free-style my journal, pour in my personality and not be restricted of my thoughts to somebody else’s tastes.
I wanted to keep things simple and still organized even if I’m freestyling this year. So I will be doing 2 journals at a time, the first journal are for my daily and important scheds, reminders, and expenses log which I think won’t require art. I got myself this finance journal book and I really liked its simple concept. I can easily track and manage my schedules and expenses. So I just jot down everything that comes to mind without worrying of ruining “the art”
Second is a journal for my art, visuals, and blabs in life, basically a diary with designs and my personality. I wanted to keep this hobby, continue writing, learn and discover my art style because I believe learning never stops after graduating at school. So I thought, I don’t want to live a boring and plain life and live in a world of just working and adulting, I still wanted to surround myself with art and stuff that makes me happy. I did a set-up video of my diary journal to relax and heal. It’s my first time to break with the standard and try out new things and art styles and I really liked the output. I had fun making it!
With regards to my spreads, you might be wondering. Well, in my finance bujo, it already is premade so all I get to do is fill in the blank spaces. It already has a yearly view, a monthly calendar, and a weekly spread plus notes. I really don’t need tracker spreads that much in my life so it’s fine. What I really liked on this planner is it highlights more on finance, it specifically has spreads for expenses/savings/due date trackers and reminders. Not sponsored by the way (because I never had sponsorships. Haha) but it really helped. With the nature of the journal, it always reminds me to be mindful towards my spending since I really want to be serious with my financial goals this year.
About my diary journal, the first few pages are spreads I think would be beneficial. I made a spread for goals though it’s not SMART, it worked as a vision board and a future log for events and things I need to do and to be reminded of. I do have SMART goals but I’ll just keep it to myself but this spread is ambitious. I know I can’t achieve it but at least I had it listed which can connect to my “main” goals. The spreads in my diary journal are so few but takes the longest to finish because it requires my creativity and brain juices. Ooops, I’m aware that it’s raising a red flag so I just do this diary every weekend or if I have time to avoid pressure and burn out again.
Sooo, I think that’s just my bullet journal system for this year. I know, it’s so simple and short and what made this blog long to read and finish are the lowkey rants in my introduction. Lol. But anyway, I wanted to know if you also do journaling and what style worked for you?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this blog! Follow for more posts like these.
Puffo Catto ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ 
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