goal setting – Keeping it creative

goal setting, journalling, lifestyle, Planning and journaling, reflective journalling, Setting goals and intentions

Monday Matters: Using my new Five Minute Journal to promote happiness and personal growth

Posted on Mar 6, 2023Mar 6, 2023 by Laura

I first came across The Five Minute Journal when watching YouTube vloggers sharing their relaxing yet productive morning routines. I was interested to find out more about the journal, so I checked out a few video walkthroughs and found that many people were saying it was a life changing practise for them and one which really helped improve their mental health.

As someone who will try anything to improve my health and wellbeing, I decided to give it a go (even though I felt that the journal was quite expensive). I’ve been using it for nearly two weeks now, and I’m really enjoying it and benefitting from the quiet thinking time it provides first thing in the morning and last thing at night. So, today, I thought I’d share my thoughts on The Five Minute Journal, my experiences of using it and ways in which it’s helping me.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

What is The Five Minute Journal?

The Five Minute Journal is a product created by Intelligent Change and is one of a small number of tools which promises to positively change your life in just five minutes a day. The company claim that you will love the journal for five very particular reasons:

It’s the simplest thing you can do to be happier – due its focus on positivity, structured approach whilst keeping it simple and easy to stay consistent
It’s built on proven psychology – it’s better to focus on positive behaviour traits and creating simple but effective routines
It’s a journal for people who don’t write journals – it takes just five minutes a day and so is ideal for time pressed individuals who have always loved the idea of keeping a journal but have, in the past, tended to make excuses for not doing so.
It’s a snapshot of your positive experiences – it’s a wonderful record of all things positive in your life and just flipping back to a certain day should help evoke the feelings that accompanied the memories.
It’s a commitment you can stick to – as well as the five minute promise, the book is also full of tips and ideas at the beginning which help you to get started and stay committed to the process

Key features of the book

The Five Minute Journal is a hard back book with a linen cover and comes in an original natural linen covered or a choice of five other colours namely royal blue, earth green, blush pink, bold black and sunshine yellow. I opted for the pink colour but from my research, it looks like the original colour is the most popular choice.

The book consists of over 260 pages, with approximately 30 pages explaining how the journal works at the beginning, 6 months worth of daily journalling pages and 11 ruled pages for notes at the back. The pages are a cream colour and feel like good quality. Having used a ball point pen and not being happy with my handwriting, I have since tried a few different pens out on the note pages at the back with no bleed through so I will be converting to a finer nibbed liquid ink which I use in my bullet journal.

As part of the introductory pages, you are invited to create a written commitment which encourages you to think about your reasons for wanting to keep the journal, a reward which you could give yourself if you stick with writing for 5 days, a promise to yourself if you don’t manage 5 consecutive days and your own ideas of how you can ensure you practise daily. In addition to this, you identify one of your biggest current challenges in life, an identity statement that remedies the challenge, major obstacles to writing on a daily basis and actions you can take to overcome these obstacles.

Each page in the daily journalling section of the book consists of a space to write the date, followed by a motivational quote or a weekly challenge (once every seven days or so) and then a section for morning and night time entries. In the morning, you are advised to write as soon as you wake up as it is the perfect opportunity to set a positive tone for the day. The day time section prompts you to write 3 things you are grateful for, 3 things that would make the day great and one daily affirmation

My thoughts on the process so far

I found the introductory pages to be really useful and made sure I read them all before starting to fill in the daily entries. As well as an explanation of how the journal should be used, it gave tips including:

write your morning entry as soon as you wake up, even if you can think of excuses not to (e.g. feeling sleepy, might make you late for work etc)
write your evening entry just before you go to sleep (even if you’re feeling super tired, have a headache or need to get up really early in the morning and should be having an early night etc)
write things that you are grateful for, even if you don’t yet have them in your life (e.g. I’m grateful to be in a loving and healthy relationship with my perfect partner – law of attraction style)
try choosing different areas of your life to focus on each day or week if you get stuck e.g. relationships, an opportunity that you have, something great that happened or you saw yesterday, something simple nearby you e.g. the pen you’re holding, your comfortable bed, your cosy pajamas etc.
get specific with your gratitudes e.g. I’m grateful for my friend x as she encourages me to eat healthily and take some daily exercise etc.
when writing about things that would make your day great, choose things you have control over, e.g. rather than writing ‘a warm and sunny day’ you could write ‘wearing warm clothes and taking a walk in nature’ or ‘finding time to exercise’
use the daily affirmation to re-affirm something you already know or repeat something you really want for yourself e.g. I listen to my body and give it what it needs, I take time for rest and relaxation after a busy day, I have the power to create the life I want, I hold the key to my own happiness etc
use the highlights of the day section to find the positives and special moments you experienced e.g. listening to the birds sing in the garden, coffee, cake and catch up with a good friend, enjoying a brisk walk on the beach, trying out a recipe you found in your magazine and really enjoying the dish etc
use the ‘What did I learn today?’ section as an opportunity for reflection e.g. ‘taking five minutes to do some stretches first thing helps to wake up my body’ ‘I sleep much better if I avoid social media after 8pm’, ‘I get so much more work done if I keep my desk neat and tidy’ etc

When I first started the journal, I did exactly what it said in the guidance and filled in the morning section whilst still in bed. However, now, I like to take my journal downstairs sometimes (usually during the week) so I can look in my bullet journal to see what commitments I have that day. This makes it easier for me to fill in the ‘What would make my day great?’ section. For example, I might put ‘taking some time to rest and recharge after working on a blog post all morning’ or ‘keeping myself hydrated throughout the day whilst talking to the students’ etc. Things I might not have thought of if I hadn’t taken some time to think.

In terms of my night time entries, where it suggests completion just before going to sleep, I find it better if write mine in bed prior to reading my Kindle. This is because quiet reading whilst lying down often makes me feel incredibly tired (even to the point of dropping off and whacking myself in the face with my Kindle), so I’d rather fill it in when I’m still properly awake. This is working really well for me and I still drift off with a mind relatively empty of thoughts.

At the beginning of the journal, it invites you reward yourself if you manage to write for 5 consecutive days. I really wanted a sunrise alarm clock/lamp so I researched them online and picked one out on Amazon that was relatively inexpensive but had really good reviews. I’m pleased to say I now have the item on my bedside cabinet and I absolutely love it. Plus, it stops me needing to use my phone as my alarm (or as a light if I get up to pop to the loo) which, in turn, means I don’t get tempted to check the various notifications which have appeared overnight before even getting out of bed.

Although I managed to keep up the practice for 5 full days, I’m now on Day 13 and I’ve forgotten to fill in my night time entry a couple of times already. Once, I was drifting off to sleep and remembered and filled it in straightaway but last night, when I got up, I realised I hadn’t done yesterday’s night time section. Rather than chastising myself for forgetting, I simply filled last night’s in first thing this morning and reflected on possible reasons why I’d not remembered to do it – it was on my bedside cabinet under my Kindle but we went to bed quite late and I was very tired (and feeling a little under the weather).

I’m so far really enjoying using my journal but I have found parts of it more challenging to fill in. For me, the gratitude part is easy as I’ve previously done a daily gratitude pages in my bullet journal. I’m also used to identifying activities to fit in to my day that are focused on ‘me time’ so I always have plenty of ideas for this. Creating a daily affirmation is often quite difficult so I’m in the process of creating a page full of encouraging mantras which I’ve found on Pinterest to help me. Writing three highlights for the day is my favourite part of the journalling progress and I always have plenty to write – sometimes I find there’s not enough room here! Finally, jotting down something I’ve learnt that day (the original journal had the question ‘How could I have made today better?’) is probably the hardest part as I’m not used to doing this kind of reflection. I do get something written each time but it takes me quite a while.

Although it’s known as ‘The Five Minute Journal’, I reckon it currently takes me a lot longer to complete – probably at least 10 minutes in the morning and another 10 just before bed. I’m sure as I continue with the process, ideas will pop into my head during the day which I could incorporate into my entries and this will things quicker and easier. If not, I think the process is still really beneficial and well worth persevering with.

I also found that it was a good idea to refer back to my journal throughout the day to re-check my daily affirmation and to remind myself of my three ideas for what would make my day great. I might try making a quick note of these in my BuJo in future to see if that helps further.

The Main Benefits of keeping The Five Minute Journal for me so far

Having used The Five Minute Journal for nearly two weeks now, I can really see how beneficial it is for my health and wellbeing. Here’s what I’ve found so far:

it helps me set the tone for the day and encourages me to end it on a high note
it allows me to think about ways in which I can bring more joy to my day rather than focusing wholly on my ever expanding to-do list
it helps me to set some intentions for the day and then check back in with myself to see how I got on with them
it helps me find the good in every day, even if I have a super busy (and exhausting) or particularly stressful day, there are plenty of positives if you dig deep to find them
it’s great for personal development as I spend time reflecting on what I’ve learnt and how this can help me live an even better life
the ‘what have I learnt today?’ section has helped me reflect on good and bad habits – for example, doing a mindful activity such as my jigsaw helps me to relax and unwind after a busy day (plus it helps me to rest my voice after talking to different groups of students), whereas ruminating over the feedback I gave and ways in which I could have made it even better is pointless and unhelpful
the daily emails that I signed up for have help me learn different ways to approach filling in the pages so that it doesn’t become a repetitive process
some of the daily quotes really resonate with me and they all make you think or are a good reminder of things you can do to control your own happiness levels
the weekly challenge was a really great way of trying something new and exploring how it made me feel – I’ve only completed one so far but I enjoyed it and it made me feel really good afterwards. I’ve flicked forward to see what’s next and I can’t wait to try it!
daily affirmations are helping me to feel better about myself as a person and also increase my confidence, resilience and motivation to take on new challenges
although it takes me a bit longer than 5 minutes to fill it in, I do find that it is an incredibly worthwhile practice and that my entries will get better and faster with time

Final words…

I hope you’ve enjoyed finding out about The Five Minute Journal and reading my initial experiences of using it to promote happiness and personal growth. Let me know in the comments if it sounds appealing of if you’ve given a similar style of journalling a go before.

art, bird spotting, bullet journal, Bullet journaling, goal setting, lifestyle, Planning and journaling, watercolour painting

Setting up my Bullet Journal for March 2023: woodland songbirds theme

Posted on Feb 26, 2023Feb 26, 2023 by Laura

My idea for my March theme came from a walk my husband and I took at Rainton Meadows which is a stunning nature reserve situated in Houghton-Le-Spring in Sunderland. Whilst heading down the path next to one of the many ponds, we heard the unmistakable twittering of a group of long tailed tits. It was easy to spot them amongst the bare branches of a nearby tree and we stood watching them flitting around, presumably collecting tiny insects. As one of my favourite little woodland birds, I enjoyed observing their busy behaviour and I commented to my husband that I would love to have a go at drawing and painting one. When we got home, I searched for photographs of these cute birds and was excited to give it a go. I decided that if I was pleased with the result, I would incorporate my painting in my March set up. Needless to say, I’m over the moon with how my watercolour turned out so it became the image for my cover page.

Front cover

My painting was based on a reference image I found online (thanks for sharing Andy Bright) and the photograph features a long tailed tit gripping on to a single branch. I’m surprised the bird stayed still enough for such a stunning portrait as I’ve never managed to take a decent photo of this sweet but flighty bird!

For my art piece, I used a combination of Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolours, a cheap white gouache, a bright white Sakura gelly roll pen and a couple of coloured pencils to sharpen a few details. I worked on a small piece of Daler Rowney Aquafine smooth watercolour paper using the wet on dry technique. It took me a while to get the two pinky colours the way I wanted them but I’m developing my colour mixing skills as I experiment. Overall, it took me about three hours to complete my work and I think it was time well spent!

As the watercolour paper is very thick, I didn’t want to paste it directly into my bullet journal so I scanned it on my printer and printed it out. The results weren’t as good as I would have liked (my printer was relatively cheap), so I experimented a bit to see if I could get something that showed the colours in their true form. In the end, I printed the painting on a 4×6 inch glossy photograph paper which I could stick into my bullet journal. I’ve now got my painting underneath a large and heavy book hoping to flatten it out a bit as it’s started to curl!

Monthly Calendar

I wanted to continue with the woodland birds theme but knew that I would struggle to draw quick and simple birds and get my pages completed in good time, so I decided to search Google images for some watercolour paintings that I liked and then printed out mini versions on photo paper. I wish I could credit all of the original artists here but as I couldn’t always find them I will encourage my readers to search for the works online should they wish to find out who they were painted by.

Finances

I’m still benefitting from keeping a record of my income and expenses so I’ve done another financial tracker this month. I also found some little piggy bank stickers in my stash so I decided to add one as decoration to go with some new watercolour washi I got from Amazon.

Habits trackers

I’ve been tracking some of my habits as part of my rolling weekly but decided I want to keep a better record, so I created a whole spread for them. The plan is to add a dot or a cross each day I complete my habit. I knew I had some little bird stamps in my stamping supplies so I added these as some quick decoration.

Final words…

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at my spreads for the month of March. I’m so pleased with how my watercolour painting turned out and I’m enjoying mixing different colours and trying out a range of techniques. I think I should also celebrate getting my pages done before the end of February, photographing and uploading my images as well as typing up a quick blog post to share them.

Wishing you all a wonderful March,

goal setting, life hacks, lifestyle, Planning and journaling, productivity, Setting goals and intentions

Monday Matters: A guide to the Pomodoro Technique and how it’s helping me to increase my productivity

Posted on Jan 23, 2023Jan 23, 2023 by Laura

It’s been over two months now since I bought a countdown timer from Amazon to use for the Pomodoro Technique which aims to increase productivity. I already felt that I got plenty done each day but I loved the idea of breaking down work into intervals, having regular breaks and knowing how long I’d been hard at it for. I’ve been consistently using the time management method, apart from a week off for Christmas and I thought I’d share what it is and how I feel it’s helping me.

Those of you who have never heard of this technique may be wondering if it is named after a particular person, but you might be surprised to know that pomodoro is actually Italian for tomato. What does a tomato have to do with productivity? Read on and you’ll find out!

What is The Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method which was developed by Italian Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. At this time, Cirillo was a university student and was struggling to stay focused on his studies. He challenged himself and posed the question ‘Can you stay focused for two minutes without distraction?’. To check if he could, he grabbed his countdown timer from the kitchen which was red and shaped like a pomodoro, or, in English, a tomato. He set the timer, and after two minutes of focused activity, the timer rang and he had achieved his mission. After this, he considered why the use of a timer had worked and he experimented with gradually upping the time and reducing it when it became too much. In the end, he decided that 25 minutes was perfect and that a short break (5 minutes) was required before continuing.

Cirillo carried on experimenting and came up with some basic principles. The timer was an important part but only one element of the method. He suggests the following:

Pick one task you want to work on.
Set your timer for 25 minutes and place it somewhere highly visible (so you can see how much time remains).
When the buzzer goes off, have a 5 minute break.
Repeat this with 3 more periods of 25 minutes and 5 minute breaks.
Mark each pomodoro with an X when you’ve completed it (this could be on a mini whiteboard, a post-it note or in your planner.
After 4 ‘pomodoros’ (work periods of 25 minutes and 5 minute breaks), take a longer break of 20-30 minutes.
Once your longer break is finished, go back to step 1.

But what if I have a really long project or lots of short tasks to do?

For complex projects, you should break things down into smaller actionable steps. This will help you avoid overwhelm and ensure you make good progress towards your end goal.

Any tasks which will take less than one pomodoro should be combined with other quick tasks. This might include a range of admin such as book a hairdressers appointment, reply to an email, making a shopping list for the supermarket and reviewing your bank statement.

If you finish your chosen task before the pomodoro timer rings, you should continue to use the rest of your time in a productive manner e.g. by going over what you’ve just learned, making a list of next steps, reading up on a related topic etc.

What should I do during my 5 minute breaks?

When the timer goes off, it’s sometimes tempting to continue working, especially if you’re in a flow state. However, taking breaks is really important if you want to stay productive. What you do during your short breaks is up to you but here are some suggestions that you might find helpful. For me, taking time away from screens such as my computer or my phone is super important and gives my eyes a good rest.

Do a short guided meditation
Get out in the garden and reap the benefits of fresh air
Do some stretches
Put on an upbeat track and dance about your kitchen / living room or anywhere with some space to move
Take a quick walk for a serotonin hit
Drink some water, squash or a flavoured tea
Sit in a comfy chair and read a good book
Do a mindful activity such as a spot of doodling, a word puzzle, jigsaw or some colouring in.
Listen to some music – trying closing your eyes so you really tune in.
Watch birds in your garden.

How is the Pomodoro Technique working for me so far?

So far, I’ve found the method to be incredibly effective. I bought my timer hoping that it might help in some small way but I didn’t realise how beneficial it would be as it’s such a simple idea. Here are some of the advantages I’ve experienced so far:

Makes it easy for me to get started. When you have a big project to do, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by its size and this can often lead to procrastination AKA putting things off. Contrary to popular belief, for most people, procrastinating is less about laziness and lack of self control, and more about fears of failure or feelings of self doubt. Knowing that I can do things in baby steps where I only have to do 25 minutes before being allowed a break is all the encouragement I need to get started.
Increasing my awareness of time. Using the timer makes you really aware of time going by and this encourages you to really focus in on your chosen tasks.
One thing at a time. The method encourages you to work on one specific task or a group of related tasks at one time and this helps to prevent the urge to multitask or context switching (where you jump from one task to another) which studies show is detrimental to productivity.
Great for avoiding distractions. In some ways, 25 minutes feels like plenty of time but if you don’t use it wisely, it can soon be gone. Because of this, I’ve taken steps to avoid anything which might interrupt my work flow. Depending on the type of work I’m doing, this might include putting my mobile phone in another room, adopting pen and paper methods for recording, switching off notifications and playing background music to block out other sounds.
Encourages me to plan my day. Before you start work, you’re encouraged to plan your tasks in advance. This helps you to decide what you want to get done, at what time and how long you think an activity is likely to take. At the end of your working day, you can evaluate your progress and consider if you overestimated or underestimated how much time tasks took. This can then inform your future planning.
Ensures I take regular breaks. Taking regular mental breaks from your work helps you to stay focused and remain efficient and productive during your 25 minute time blocks. If you’re working at a desk, it’s really beneficial to get up and move around as this improves your circulation and helps to combat fatigue.
Helps me maintain motivation. Seeing the time counting down on the timer in front of you is great for ensuring you work at a good pace. Also, after each session, I mark my progress in my bullet journal and this in itself makes me feel good and gives me the encouragement I need to keep going.
Encourages me to be self-evaluative. On days when I feel like I haven’t been super productive, despite using the Pomodoro Technique, I always question why. Common culprits include distractions from notifications or social media (especially if I’m researching something online), working in an untidy environment (meaning I can’t find things I needed) not taking my 5 minute break (or unconsciously extending them), deviating from my plan when I get back to work (because I found something else much more appealing, or when taking a break, engaging in something which didn’t allow me to relax and recharge (e.g. reading news articles online). When I’ve established what the issues are, I can develop strategies to combat them.

Final words…

I hope you have found today’s blog post useful, especially if you are looking for ways to beat procrastination, become more time savvy, and generally work more productively each day. If you want to know even more about the Pomodoro Technique you will find Francesco Cirillo’s book available in e-book format or paperback on Amazon. Also, feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments and if you already use the Pomodoro Technique, let me know how it’s working out for you.

goal setting, lifestyle, Planning and journaling, Setting goals and intentions

Monday Matters: An introduction to the lunar cycle and using its magic to transform yourself and your life

Posted on Oct 17, 2022Oct 15, 2022 by Laura

Last month, I mentioned that I’d started to learn about the moon cycle, the impact it can have on mind and body and how we can work with the energy of the moon to make positive changes to ourselves and our lives. I’ve now finished reading my book, the bestselling Lunar Living by Kirsty Gallagher and feel ready to share a basic introduction to this spiritual practice which makes use of some of my favourite transformative strategies such as making vision boards, setting goals and intentions, creating affirmations, shadow work, reflecting on what you are grateful for and journalling your thoughts, feelings and ideas for self-improvement.

The basic premise

Rather than setting new year’s resolutions at the beginning of the year and forgetting about them by the end of January, working with the power of the moon and her phases involves practices such as regularly reflecting on what you want, setting intentions and working on creating an action plan that helps you to manifest your desires each month. It also includes regularly assessing your progress, thinking about things that are standing in your way and what you can do about these barriers. By doing this, you become clearer about what you see as important to you and what you want to prioritise in your life (based on your values, wants and needs), whilst having a framework of guidance which teaches you what, specifically, to focus on during each phase of the moon to fully utilise her lunar magic. And, of course, by spending time thinking about and visualising your goals along with using supportive and encouraging affirmations, research has shown that these desired results are more likely to come into fruition.

Although I’ve only recently begun to use the moon and her phases as a guide, I’ve always recognised the importance of setting aside time to slow down and reflect on my life including the aspects I want to work on and changes and improvements I would like to make. I’ve regularly made vision boards for my personal life and also one for my business which I have on display in my craft room / office. I’ve also done plenty of journaling about my progress towards goals and any difficulties I’ve faced, plus written my own affirmations to repeat each day. What I found particularly interesting was how, according to ‘moon magic’, our energy levels change throughout the cycle, meaning that there are optimum times for self-care, resting and recharging, periods of great wisdom and clarity which enable us to set our intentions and make plans for working on them, higher energy times when we can celebrate our achievements and show gratitude for what we have in our lives whilst also evaluating our position with a view to recognising what is holding us back and then finally, opportunities for releasing and letting go ready to start the new cycle.

The quote below, which I’ve taken from Kirsty’s book, also emphasizes the control we have over our lives if we tune in to the cyclic and flowing nature of life.

Lunar Living brings us home to ourselves, our dreams and visions and goals, month after month. Working with the magic of the moon is a tool of immense self-awareness, self-care, nourishment, empowerment, manifestation and purpose.
Kirsty Gallagher, Lunar Living

Waxing and waning moon – the science bit

The moon is always whole in the sky but the part that we can see changes throughout each month according to the position of The Sun. When the moon is waxing, the illuminated part is getting bigger in the sky. The moon appears to grow until it becomes full – when the whole of its shape can be seen clearly. Following a full moon, the moon begins to wane, which means the visible surface area gets smaller and smaller until it can no longer been seen in the sky. When the moon is completely invisible it is referred to as a new moon.

The eight phases of the lunar cycle

The new moon marks the beginning of the lunar cycle and is often referred to as the first phase. Throughout the month, our view of the moon changes and we describe this using eight phases or shapes as follows:

new moon
waxing crescent
first quarter
waxing gibbous
full moon
waning gibbous
last quarter (also known as third quarter)
waning crescent

The New Moon

As I said earlier, this is generally considered to be the first moon phase and is a time for new beginnings and starting afresh. Energy levels will be low right now so it’s important to take time to rest and do self-care activities (I like to write a list of these in my bullet journal that I can choose from). Tune in to your inner world with some quiet meditation and reflective journalling. Set goals and intentions for the weeks ahead, visualising and imagining your inner desires, hopes and dreams. You might also like to spend a few hours creating a vision board of images and words which represent the direction you wish to take as inspiration and motivation. Another good activity is to create a small number of affirmations (3 is ideal) which are based on your intentions and use them daily during the waxing moon. Some examples could be:

I release what no longer serves me to make space for new beginnings
I am successful and fill my potential
I am grateful for everything I have in my life right now

The waxing crescent moon

Spend time looking at your vision board, visualising and contemplating what life will feel like when your hopes and dreams become a reality. Depending on how much work is involved in reaching your goals, you might just choose one or two of your intentions to focus on, writing them down clearly and succinctly. Start to make plans and points of action to work towards your intention(s) – try identifying and writing down small and achievable steps to help you on your way. Gather the necessary resources and gain the knowledge you need to enable you to make a start. Water your seeds of intention and repeat your affirmations daily.

The first quarter

Pause and take stock – are you moving in the right direction towards the intention(s) that you are currently focusing on? Do you need to tweak your plans? Recommit to your visions and dreams and continue with the strength and determination that this moon phase brings. Be open to whatever comes your way. Face adversity with a resolute mind – you can do this! Think about any challenges you are facing – what are they teaching you? Remember, the moon doesn’t do the work for you, it merely guides you on your way and gives you the energy you need to get to where you want to be.

Waxing gibbous moon

The moon is now almost full and becoming more so each night. This is a time of high energy which helps you give that final push towards your goal(s), making the last steps needed to get there. Meditate and reflect on the process so far – what is working? what isn’t? what last minute changes might you need to make? Continue documenting the process in your journal. Practice patience and trust in your ability to succeed.

Full Moon

Photo credit: Mike Petrucci for Unsplash

The moon is completely full in the sky once again – if it’s a clear night go outside and bathe in her light. This is the time of the month where your energy levels are at their peak. If you’ve been working hard towards your goal(s) you should feel a huge sense of achievement. Remember to celebrate every single one of your successes no matter how small. If some things have stood in your way and held you back, make a list of them and think about what you want to let go of or release as the moon wanes. Remember, some new moon intentions take time and lots of work, but as long as you’re heading in the right direction and are trying to increase your awareness of what needs to change then this is a huge positive. Use the full moon creative energy and vibes combined with your intuition to reflect, evaluate progress and maybe come up with new ideas and ways of working.

There are some interesting full-moon rituals in Kirty’s book which sound like they could be really helpful and I’m definitely going to try them at this point in the next cycle.

Waning gibbous moon

This is the start of the second half of the cycle, when the moon loses a little of her fullness each night. Continue to develop your understanding of what holds you back and begin the process of releasing them. Consider your experiences so far and think about what you can learn from them. Are there any difficult conversations that you need to have with particular individuals to discuss what you have learnt, how you feel about something or any changes you intend to make and why.

Last quarter

The last quarter moon falls exactly one week after the full moon. This is the time to work on things you want to release to make way for new beginnings. Think about what or who is holding you back such as illness, negative people or situations, bad habits, self-doubts, fears, procrastination, people pleasing or unclear boundaries etc. Currently, your energy levels will be getting lower so your attention should be directed inwardly so you can rest and quietly reflect on everything that has happened in the process so far.

Waning crescent

The waning crescent is considered to be the last phase of the moon. This is when a small slither of moon is visible in the sky and it is nearly time for a new moon. During this phase, you should consider if there is anything else that does not serve you which you need to release in preparation to start anew. This is a time to slow down, rest and refresh. You might also begin to contemplate what you would like to focus on next.

And then it’s back round to the new moon to continue the cycle.

This is just a small part of what I learnt from reading Kirsty’s book. I also developed my knowledge of the 12 signs of the zodiac and their impact on the moon. According to Kirsty,

Each zodiac sign brings different influences, lessons, opportunities, challenges, positive and testing aspects, traits and a different focus and life area into the moonlight. This helps us to keep flowing with the rhythm of life as we use the different energies, characteristics and symbols of each sign to help us explore, heal and delve deeper into the relevant areas in our own lives.
Kirsty Gallagher, Lunar Living, 2020.

Final words…

I must admit that life has kind of got in the way of some aspects of using the magic of the moon this month as my husband and I went away for a short holiday and I’ve had lots going on in my life. However, I have been working towards my goals and I have made progress, I just haven’t documented it or reflected on how I’m doing. I think it might be time to create a new vision board which includes the spiritual practices I hope to develop so that following the lunar cycle becomes part of my focus every day. I think I might also benefit from setting aside a small amount of time each evening to check in with myself and consider how things are going – creating a dedicated space in my bullet journal would aid this and adding the activity to my running task list for each day of the week will help to cement the habit. Kirsty includes some questions to reflect on during each phase and these would be really useful to answer as part of my journalling. I definitely think if you’re interested in learning more than the very basics of moon magic, then her book is well worth a read and a good one to regularly refer to as you develop your practice.

Previously I’ve been rather skeptical about the information contain in horoscopes and the idea of The Zodiac but I’m trying to be more open-minded with this too. I would love to hear from anyone who is involved in using the lunar cycle to good effect and also anyone who has doubts or reservations about the ideas contained in today’s post.

art, bullet journal, Bullet journaling, creativity, goal setting, lifestyle, Planning and journaling, productivity

My new slightly later than mid year BuJo and Setting up for August – birthday balloons theme

Posted on Jul 31, 2022Aug 16, 2022 by Laura

I’ve just finished my previous bullet journal and I’m excited to be moving in to a brand new notebook. This one is again from Notebook Therapy but the cover is white vegan leather with a beautiful butterfly on the front and gilded edges to the pages. I’m already wondering how long it will stay mark free for!

As we’re off on holiday shortly I’m going to keep this post picture heavy with minimal explanation. If you want to know anything about the spreads you can always ask in the comments.

Key and index pages

Future log

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative blog

Grid spacing cheat sheet

Vision board

I love how my vision board turned out. Some of the goals are ongoing from earlier in the year, some are new aspirations.

August front cover

For my theme for August, I went for birthday balloons as my niece and our share our birthdays on the 3rd August. I completed my cover page on return from our holiday to Amsterdam. To make it quicker and easier, I used a tracing paper balloon shape to create the balloons but slightly altered them when I inked them in for a hand-drawn look. I used a 0.3 Pigma micron for each balloon and a 0.1 for the strings.

August calendar pages

I haven’t managed to get chance to do the front cover page yet but it will feature lots of colourful balloons in the colour palette used for the calendar.

Reading log

A space for me to record books read in August and September and rate them out of 5 hearts.

When did I last? spread

I found this really useful in my previous bullet journal, particularly for stuff that doesn’t get done that often so I’ve created a slightly more compact version.

Packing list

I do one of these every time we go away and refer back to previous ones each time. Obviously things depend on the season where we’re going and how long for but there are some items I take on each holiday. The lists help me feel more organised and mean I don’t forget things.

Final words…

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at my new bullet journal and my spreads. I always find it exciting to start a new notebook but at the same time I worry about making mistakes (which I inevitably do!). However, then you have the opportunity to get creative with how you fix the problem(s). Wishing you all a wonderful August.