Hello Lifestyle Community -- This is my first time contributing to this section of Hive! Though the prompt was suggested many months ago, I wanted to respond to #JournalingOnHive and share about a key element to keeping organized despite my busy lifestyle -- Bullet Journaling!

As you can see I have several different bullet journals each with their own subject. One is an agenda where I keep track of tasks relating to my work in the garden and landscaping activities. Another is more of a diary where I jot down thoughts, feelings, and dreams as well as the occasional tarot card reading session. Then there is a tiny journal which I keep with me for random thoughts and ideas. The blue notebook is my bullet journal for all ideas related to writing. In this last notebook I keep track of current and future articles for Hive Blog.

How to Begin ~

I have been keeping a journal most of my life. At my parent's home there are boxes and boxes of my childhood journals. When I began college in 2010 I was really struggling with attention defect and mental health issues. Despite my interest in the subjects of my classes, I had a really hard time paying attention and keeping up with the course work due to my constant day dreaming.

That was when I began to turn boring class notes into fun and interactive bullet journals. From then on my notebooks and journal multiplied and I began the practice of keeping different notebooks for diverse subjects.

Whether you have one or multiple bullet journals is up to you. I personally recommend keeping several, one for each subject OR keeping one with different sections in order to keep yourself organized and compartmentalize chores vs schoolwork or creative projects vs money-making endeavors. For me, an aesthetically pleasing notebook will automatically add fun into even the most boring to-do lists, so starting out with a simple, but pretty notebook is great!

Tools of the Trade ~

Besides a notebook that you like you really only need a pencil and pen to get started. But, like with any creative work, more tools will give you more options. Personally I recommend having a couple of really good pens that you love to write with, a collection of colored markers to make eye-catching titles with, a small pair of scissors, and a glue stick. All of these items can be kept in a pencil case and carried with you wherever your bullet journal goes.

Besides my personal essentials mentioned above, I also really appreciate the new addition of a portable printer (the PoooliPrinter, found here.) Letter and number stamps, an alphabet stencil, bits & pieces of magazines to make impromptu collages are just a few of the tools that can take your monthly planning into something more akin to creating a vision board for the life you hope to lead in the month ahead.

Tips and Suggestions ~

It can be a bit intimidating to stare at a blank page in a brand new notebook - it can be hard to know how to start. Luckily, there is no right way to create a bullet journal -- this is your personal agenda and the design and layout are totally your decision to make. To help you get orientation here are a few suggestions for the first few pages of a bullet journal:

• Leave the first few pages blank ; if you aren't totally clear on the subject of your bullet journal - whether this will be a creative place to brainstorm or monthly planner, give yourself space to experiment for a while. You can always go back and create the title pages later when you have more clarity.

• Start with lists ; a few pages into the journal make a section for lists. Some good lists to include are: goals for the month ahead, goals for the year ahead, skills I would like to acquire, books I would like to read, even a general to-do list for the day or week ...

• Cut and paste ; not every pages needs to be a utilitarian spread of lists and to-dos. Between the goal setting pages be sure to include some fun sections too, making a collage of your favorite things in life, or the things you wish will someday be in your life, is a great way to keep the bullet journal lighthearted.

• Create monthly calendars ; if your bullet journal serves as your creative agenda, it can be very helpful to set up fun calendars. Set aside a section of the bullet journal for the next twelve month, each month can have a page or two with a few inches for each day and a section for notes or goals for the month.

After years of creating journals and interactive agendas I have learned a lot about my creative process and my work flow. As an artist, seamstress, herbalist, homesteader, stay at home pet mom, and small business owner it can be very overwhelming to keep so many different tasks from slipping through the cracks. Ultimately I have come to the conclusion that if I don't write it down, it won't get done and so, the bullet journaling continues!!