Planning and journaling – Page 6

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

Monday Matters: A guide to creating your own seasonal bucket list for Spring 2024

Posted on Mar 4, 2024Mar 6, 2024 by Laura

For Autumn 2023 and Winter 23/24, I have thoroughly enjoyed and benefitted from creating my own personalised bucket lists and adding my seasonal ideas to a two page spread in my bullet journal for inspiration and reference. For each of the seasons, I also handmade and stitched a pretty TN wide size notebook to go in my TN journal where I added photographs, text, a variety of stickers, ephemera and tip ins to record my achievements over the months. I’ve found the bucket lists a great way to plan in some interesting and exciting activities, set some goals and ensure my husband and I make the most of each season of the year. So, today, I’m sharing my bucket list for Spring 2024, in the hope that you will be inspired to create your own and live your life to the full.

What is a bucket list?

A bucket list is a number of items that a person would like to achieve, experience or bring into fruition over a given time frame. This could be over a lifetime, a year, or, as with mine, during a specific season. There are many benefits of creating and working towards things on your bucket list including:

Helping you to reflect on what is important to you as an individual and what you really want from life
Offers you a number of things to look forward to over the chosen time frame, increases your excitement levels
Providing you with a visual reminder and the focus and motivation you need to move towards your goals
Creating a sense of accomplishment
Pushes you out of your comfort zone which is really good for your personal growth

You can create one which is just for you, or you could make plans with your partner, a close friend or even sit down as a family to come up with some ideas together.

My Spring 2024 Bucket List

Here’s my bucket list for this season in my bullet journal. The words and images were all made into stickers using Cricut Design Space and I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I’ve included a little ceramic bunny I purchased, the wooden egg which I got in the Hobbycraft sale last year and the jigsaw I picked out which I can’t wait to get started with. I’m yet to make the handstitched notebook but I have lots of floral papers which will be suitable for the cover.

Photo credit: Laura Jones for Keeping It Creative

So, how do I get started with my Spring seasonal bucket list?

There’s plenty of seasonal bucket list inspiration online but I like to spend some time in quiet contemplation first. That way, what I add to my list is all about what I want rather than what others believe would make a good Springtime.

Consider your core values and what really matters – Spend some time thinking about what is most important to you in your life or what you wish to focus on more. You might want more fun and adventure, better balance between work, rest and play, opportunities to develop your creativity, new experiences or the chance to learn a new skill. You might want to experiment more in the kitchen, spend lots of time in nature or plan some different day trips to places in your local area. Living in alignment with your personal values is key to improved psychological wellbeing which includes your general happiness levels and outlook.

Think about the particular season you are making plans for – consider the weather associated with Springtime and any particular holidays or events which take place during the season. So, for example, in Spring, the temperature is starting to rise during the day but the evenings are still pretty cool. In Britain, the weather can be calm and dry, but, showers are also pretty common and it can often be a bit breezy. Buds and blossom begin to appear and early blooms such as snowdrops, crocuses, iris and daffodils begin to pop up in the flower beds. Spring is also the time for observing and listening to wildlife too. Bumblebees and butterflies start to make an appearance and hibernating animals such as bats and hedgehogs can be seen from dusk into the night. You might find frogspawn in ponds and watch tiny froglets appear in a matter of weeks. Birds are noisier and livelier as they pair off and start to nest and spring visitors such as swifts, swallows and house martins begin to arrive.

Mother’s Day and Easter both fall in the Springtime and there are, of course, a few Bank Holidays to look forward to. And if you want to find out about events specific to your town or city this website is a great source of information.

Write down every idea that comes to mind – Make a list of potential ideas, big and small, inexpensive and more costly, time consuming and quick. This could include a visit to Pinterest and other sites to look at bucket list ideas and inspirational images.

Refine your list – Having written a long list, it’s time to decide which items are the best fit for your values and priorities. Try to choose some activities which you enjoy each year and are somewhat traditional, but also make sure you include some which are completely new and will push you out of your comfort zone.

Choose a place to store your list – Having a finalised record of your bucket list is important if you want your aspirations to become a reality. Depending on your personal preferences, you might choose to put your list in your planner or journal or have a digital document in Notion of Microsoft Word. There’s even a website and online community dedicated to bucket lists! And, if you relish every opportunity to get creative, like I do, you can make a physical copy of your list with fancy lettering, motivational phrases, sketches, stickers and inspirational images. You might even find you’re excited to share it with your friends and family too.

Remember things can change – Your finished bucket list is a set of items that you hope to experience this Spring but, it’s not a list of commitments or things that you must do or achieve over the time period. You may find that priorities or circumstances change and that some of the items become less important or need to be put on hold for another year. You might also learn of some new opportunities as the season progresses which you want to add to your list or replace an item with.

Previous Bucket Lists

I think I’ve previously shared my Autumn and Winter bucket lists but thought readers might like to see them again for examples of the kinds of thing you could add and how you might decorate a spread in your notebook or bullet journal.

I achieved everything on my Autumn one but didn’t get to play in the snow over the Winter time as it was mostly wet and often quite mild. I still included all of the items in my Traveler’s Notebook journal. but I wrote a few lines about the weather and the impact it had on the season.

Final words…

Creating a bucket list for the season is a wonderful way to plan in some interesting, fun and different activities for the coming months. I also enjoyed making stickers to go with the items on my list but if you prefer, you could have a go at drawing and colouring in some little pictures instead.

Let me know a couple of items that you want to add to your list for Spring 2024. I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas and hope you thoroughly enjoy creating some new memories.

art, bullet journal, Bullet journaling, creativity, lifestyle, Planning and journaling, watercolour painting

Setting up my Bullet Journal for February 2024: Valentine’s roses and hearts theme

Posted on Jan 25, 2024Jan 30, 2024 by Laura

For the month of February, I decided to do some more watercolour painting. There’s lots of tutorials online for loose watercolour roses, so I thought I’d give it a try and then use my new skill to create a front cover. I searched for easy and beginner tutorials but I used more than ten A5 sheets of watercolour paper developing my technique so it definately wasn’t a breeze for me and my perfectionist self!

For the rest of my spreads I made stickers using my Cricut Joy Xtra. I would love to turn my watercolour images into stickers but I’m not sure how easy it is to do, so, for now, I’m just using pictures from Cricut Design Studio which I subscribe to. I hope you like my finished pages and I look forward to seeing everyone else’s themes and approaches on WordPress, YouTube and Instagram.

Watercolour rose

My intention for the front cover was to paint three roses in different colours – pink, red and peach, and add leaves. However, every time I attempted the final piece, I would create two lovely roses that I was happy with and one which went completely wrong! In the end, I decided to do just one rose to place in the centre of my page. In a bid to save watercolour paper, I used a piece that I’d already practised on. Unfortunately, I didn’t watch where I was putting the leaves and had to fix my mistake with a carefully placed title on my cover page as you will see shortly!

Front cover

After my painting session, I scanned my artwork and printed it using my Canon Pixma printer. The colours aren’t quite the same but they look okay. I added the image to a page in MS Publisher and hid the top part of the other rose by adding a title using a text box with white background. As I eventually opted for just one rose and some leaf decoration, I had some space at the top and bottom of the page. I found a washi tape that worked perfectly. This one is from MT which are always superb quality.

The monthly calendar

When I popped to Hobbycraft the other week, they were having a 20% off Cricut consumables sale so I treated myself to some transparent sticker paper to use with my Cricut Joy Xtra. Unfortunately, when I got to the till, I discovered that the product I had chosen was one of the only items that wasn’t part of the offer – typically eh! Needless to say, I bought it anyway. I love how bright and colourful this double page turned out and it was super quick to create all of the stickers as both the roses and the hearts had a white border offset on them already!

Finances record

I absolutely loved the watercolour heart envelope so I made it into a large sticker. Of course, it means that I’ll have to try not to have too many expenses for February or I’ll run out of room to record them!

Weeklies

I opted for a Dutch door layout again this month but there was still plenty of room for the stickers I created. My daily events are recorded in the boxes on this double page and then overleaf, I have a running task list.

A Valentine’s mood board

This is another decorative spread which I think turned out really nice. I found the middle image on Cricut Design Space but when I’d printed and cut it, I had no idea what do do with it! Then I though, I know, I’ll make a kind of mood board which makes me smile every time I see it.

Final words…

Thank you for taking the time to look at my bullet journal spreads for February. The pages took me quite a while to create, but I’m pleased with how they all turned out. I hope you like them too and they’ve given you some inspiration for your own BuJo.

Wishing you a happy and healthy February and a month filled with self love and kindness,

lifestyle, mental health, Mindfulness, Planning and journaling, reflective journalling, wellbeing, wellness

Monday Matters: 4 Ways to Destress after a Busy Day

Posted on Jan 15, 2024Jan 16, 2024 by Laura

Most of us lead very busy lives and it can be incredibly difficult to switch off and relax in the evening in preparation for a good night’s sleep. Today, I’m sharing four excellent ways to wind down after a stressful or busy day. The following activities are great for your mental health and wellbeing and I’m going to be offering lots of different options to choose from depending on your preferences.

Do a journalling activity

After a busy or particularly stressful day, it can often be super difficult to calm our mind. Your head can be full of all kinds of clutter in the form of thoughts (both positive and negative), ideas or feelings. Maybe you’re busy analysing or deconstructing everything that has happened and going through things that were said. Perhaps you’re worrying about your mounting to do list and what didn’t get crossed off today because of x,y and z which took priority. Or, you might be looking towards tomorrow, thinking about the events in your diary or how you can be super productive and get more done whilst making it a calmer, less stress inducing day. If any of the above apply, you might be wondering if you will ever be able to switch off and sleep tonight. This is where getting your thoughts and feelings out of your head and onto paper can be super helpful. Just ten minutes of free flow or structured journal writing can make all the difference.

I learnt the following method for putting the day to rest when I was teaching, when every day was a busy day and I was really struggling to relax and sleep.

Putting the day to rest activity

Set aside 20 minutes in the early evening (I used to do this at 7.30pm)
Sit down somewhere quiet
Think about your day today and how it has gone, what you did and how you feel about it
Write it down in bullet points or free writing if you prefer
Write down anything you didn’t get done off your to-do list
Think about tomorrow – do you have any particular events coming up? what are looking forward to? are there any worries you have about what’s happening?
Write down a loose or structured plan for your day depending on your own needs (you can always modify this as you learn what works best for you.
When it comes to later evening and bedtime, if thoughts about today or tomorrow pop into your head, remind yourself that you’ve already evaluated your day and planned for tomorrow, so you don’t need to think about it any more.
If new thoughts come into your head at bedtime, jot them down on a piece of paper or on a notepad.

Other types of prompt based journalling might also work for you and there are some lovely ones on the market which can be used before bed. I’m a big fan of The Five Minute Journal but there are plenty of much cheaper options if this doesn’t fit with your budget. How much you want to write is up to you but it’s good to develop a consistent practice which becomes a positive habit to end your work time or day with.

Try a Mindful or Meditative Practice

Any type of activity that requires a high level of concentration and uses different senses is great for helping you to forget about the busyness of your day. Here’s some ideas for mindful and meditative activities which you might like to try:

Meditation – this can simply be sitting quietly and focusing on your breathing or using a guided practice. I recently found this account on YouTube that has some lovely ones with different foci that you mind find helpful. When choosing a guided session, it’s important to find someone who’s voice you find soothing and relaxing so you might like to try out a few to establish your preferences.
Crafting – there are so many different crafting options such as papercrafting, watercolour painting, knitting, sewing, crochet, model making and so on – why not give a few beginner projects a go to see which you prefer.
Some kind of puzzle e.g. a jigsaw, wordsearch, crossword etc. – great for keeping your mind active
Games – this could be something on your computer that you play by yourself such as Angry Birds, Candy Crush, Word Cookies or Patience, or one you play with others such as Boggle, Yahtzee, Gin Rummy, Scrabble or Jenga.
Enjoy a scented bubble bath and use your senses to fully appreciate the experience.
Cook a meal from scratch – measure out your ingredients with care, fully engaged with chopping / dicing / peeling etc, smell the different flavours as the dish cooks, taste the mixture to check the seasoning and so on. Mindfully enjoy the results at your dining table. Share your experience with others.
Watch something engaging on TV – comedy, drama, nature, historical interest or reality. Whatever you enjoy, give it your full attention and leave your phone or tablet in another room so you don’t get distracted. If you’re anything like me at this time of year, you’ll want to get your PJs on and snuggle under a warm blanket with your feet up for this one!

Read a book or magazine

Spending time reading a novel, information book, or favourite magazine is a great way to unwind and get yourself all relaxed and ready for bed. I love Psychologies magazine, as it’s full of positive ideas, and I can learn new ways of managing mental health and wellbeing at the same time.

Some people argue that you shouldn’t read in bed, but I find reading a few chapters of my Kindle novel (or for about 30 minutes) helps me to drift off really quickly. Try reading just before bed and reading in bed to see which works best for you.

Spend quality time with a loved one

Arranging an after work activity to do with a co-worker, friend, family member or partner can also help us destress. This could involve going out for an after-work drink, doing an evening class, watching a film at the cinema, seeing a comedy show or visiting a new or favourite restaurant. Alternatively, you might plan something fun to do together at home such as making popcorn to eat whilst watching a film, playing a board game or learning something new such as massage or reflexology.

Spending time with a pet is also great way to destress and calm the mind. This could include something you know they enjoy such as throwing a ball for your dog to catch at your local park (depending on the time of year), stroking your cat as they sit curled up on your knee, or watching your hamster as they zip around the house in their exercise ball.

Final words…

So there you have it, four ways to take yourself out of work/busy mode and into a relaxed state for the evening. I hope today’s post has given you food for thought and you’ll try one or two of the activities listed to see how they help. If you have any other preferences for your wind down routine, let me know in the comments.

art, bullet journal, Bullet journaling, creativity, lifestyle, Planning and journaling, watercolour painting

Setting up my Bullet Journal for January 2024: Watercolour winter scene and snowflakes theme

Posted on Jan 5, 2024Jan 5, 2024 by Laura

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you’re all having a good 2024 so far. I’m very late sharing my bullet journal spreads for this month for several reasons – one, we were away for Christmas and so I didn’t get out my paints until NYE, and two, the print and cut hack for making stickers using the Cricut Joy doesn’t work anymore and so I’ve resorted to purchasing the Cricut Xtra which is due to arrive today, the 4th January, with a view to creating some text stickers for my spreads.

Anyway, I hope you like the theme and the watercolour bits and pieces which I had great fun creating. On to the pages…

Front cover

Having chosen the theme, I did a bit of Googling, looking for winter scene watercolour painting and I found this gorgeous design on a blog post from way back in 2014. This inspired my front cover but I changed the colours up a bit. The trees were painted first using Intense Green (AKA phthalo green) mixed with a small amount of Payne’s Grey and Vandyke brown and a tiny bit of grey. When that was completely dry, I created the snowy ground using very watered down grey. Then, after drying, I mixed a range of blues for the sky. Whilst still wet, I used coarse salt sprinkles to create the snowy effect. Finally, I used white gouache for the snow on the trees and then paint flicks to give the idea of falling snow.

The original watercolour was then scanned in using my printer and I pasted it into an MS Publisher A5 page and added the January 2024 title. The colours never look the same as the original, but I’m still happy with how it turned out.

The calendar

My husband and I had a go at creating a blue background with salt sprinkles on New Years Eve! We enjoyed experimenting, and it was a great, relaxing activity to do in the evening and helped us to stay awake to see in the new year. Again, the piece was scanned in and this time, it was used to cover the whole page. I then cut out the calendar shape using some dot grid paper which I then positioned in a location on the pages which was close to where it would have been if I could see the dot grid. The titles were created using Cricut Design Space and printed when my machine eventually arrived!

When I’d finished it, I felt like something was missing so I used Design Space again to make lots of snowflake stickers in different sizes. I’ve done a snowflake theme in January previously, but this one looks very different so I don’t feel like I’m repeating designs.

Finances spread

My finances record is still working really well so I’ve kept to the same layout but changed the decor to go with my theme for January. I love the little watercolour scene I found on Design Space to make into a sticker!

TV watched record

I create one of these every quarter or so to record the series that I’ve watched on TV. This time, I’ve added a date column so I can see, at a glance, when we started watching each series. There’s already some great stuff on TV for January and we’re loving the black comedy / drama of season 2 of The Tourist. The genres are taken from IMDB.

Weekly Plans

I went for another Dutch door layout this month and used a second print out of my watercolour background to create page borders to either side. I couldn’t resist adding some more snowflake stickers.

Veganuary meal planning

My husband and I have been doing Veganuary, where you go vegan for the month of January for quite a few years now. We try to create a meal plan each week as this helps when we go shopping. We also try to do more homemade meals which are packed with nutritious veggies.

Final words…

I hope you’ve enjoyed looking at my spreads for this month. At the moment, January is proving to be more wet than snowy and our little garden is looking a bit soggy and flooded. I must say, I love pretty winter scenes with snow and sparkling frost but it’s not so much fun trying to drive in such conditions so I have mixed feelings about the weather at this time of year.

Wishing you a fantastic 2024,

fitness, goal setting, lifestyle, mindset, Planning and journaling, wellbeing

Monday Matters: 4 tips for getting started on your fitness journey and staying motivated

Posted on Dec 18, 2023Dec 17, 2023 by Laura

Many of us, as part of our new year’s resolutions each year, set goals to get fit. We start off with good intentions, joining the gym or attending exercise classes but oftentimes, our motivation isn’t maintained and by February, our workouts have dwindled and other priorities have come to the fore. As someone who has been a member of a local gym for over a year and a half, with a routine that includes at least seven workouts per week, I thought I’d share a small number of tips to help you get started with your fitness journey and maintain the motivation to keep going. So, let’s get started…

Set clear goals

Some people set the vague goal ‘get fit’ without considering what that statement means to them, how they’re going to do it and why. A much better approach is to use the S.M.A.R.T. goals system. I wrote a really comprehensive blog post on this quite a while ago which includes some useful questions to consider to get you thinking about why the goal is important, what your life will look like when you reach your goal and how you will go about working towards it. I also provide an example, which, whilst not fitness related, should help you with goal setting and goal getting.

Using your bullet journal or a dedicated notebook for the particular goal or goal getting in general can provide a useful record of your intentions, how far you’ve come so far or a space to record your experiences, successes and difficulties along the way. It can also help with accountability.

Creating a vision board which focuses on your fitness goals and includes motivational images and positive phrases or quotes can also help towards manifesting the fitness lifestyle you desire. This can be created digitally and used as your screensaver on your computer or can be paper-based and maybe created using images and words cut out of health, fitness and wellbeing magazines.

Consider any clothing and equipment required

If you’re serious about increasing your fitness levels, purchasing some dedicated workout gear and some basic equipment can really help in terms of motivation. I got a number of outfits for my gym sessions and my weekend walks and I spent quite a while choosing items in my favourite colours which fit beautifully and make me feel confident and well supported. This included sports bras for my aerobic sessions, moisture wicking tops which don’t expose my skin during downward facing dog and leggings which are fitted but not too tight as to feel uncomfortable or roll down during my exercise routines. I also got several pairs of hiking shoes for winter walks and lots of layers for warmth whilst out in the countryside. I didn’t get everything straightaway but have built up my collection based on my changing needs as I try and love different forms of exercise.

As I practise Iyengar yoga, I’ve invested in a mat, blocks, bricks and a belt for my practice. I also use some of this equipment in my Pilates and legs, bums and tums classes too so figured it was a good investment. Although the gym provides bits and pieces for the sessions, I find having my own things beneficial and it also means, if I miss a class, I can find a workout on YouTube to do some exercise at home.

Create an active lifestyle

If getting fit and staying fit are important to you, you’ll need to create an active lifestyle where exercise becomes a key part of your daily routine and something which you enjoy and thrive on. Yes, there will be days when you don’t feel like it and have to push yourself to get your exercise gear on and do a session, or times when you recognise the need to have a rest if you feel under the weather or think you might have over-exerted yourself, but on the whole, you’ll feel motivated and ready to go. A huge part of this involves choosing forms of exercise that you love and make you feel good. For example, when I started exercising, I would go to the gym at least 3 times a week to work on the cardio machines and the resistance training machines. My routine gave me a good full body workout, but I much preferred the social element of going to classes, getting chatting to various others who enjoyed exercise and fitness and developing friendships over the weeks. I now go to at least one class everyday and use the gym occasionally. I still do activities which work my whole body and I have maintained my motivation for different forms of exercise over several years now.

Sometimes, on busy days, when I’m working at the university or I have other plans, I have to cancel one or more of my classes. However, I will always make time to fit in exercise, even if it’s just 20 minutes of stretching at home or a face paced walk in nature or around the block.

Having a back-up plan for when you haven’t got time to do an hour long class or your usual hour and a half in the gym can really help and writing it down in the aforementioned notebook or journal can keep you consistent. This could include having a bank of videos saved on YouTube that you dip into or a selection of infographics showing stretch routines on Pinterest. You might also schedule in an early morning walk as part of your routine for that day or plan a long hike for the weekend when you don’t have so many other commitments.

Cultivate a positive mindset

A positive mindset can help you celebrate your progress and achievements, assess and overcome any setbacks and maintain motivation. Rather than focusing on what you didn’t achieve in a given week, celebrate the workouts you did do and how you felt afterwards. Look for signs of improved strength, flexibility and stamina and write down these wins in your notebook or journal. Draw up a list of rewards such as new fitness gear, a fun activity that you haven’t done for ages or have been meaning to try e.g. canoeing, surfing, bowling, kite flying, frisbee etc. or a pretty decorative item for your home.

“Studies have shown that if you have a ‘growth mindset’ – the belief that your abilities and skills can be improved – then you will have more effective workouts.

Put simply – it’s positive thinking. Believe you can, and you will.” (Why your mindset matters article on Metro.co.uk.)

Final words…

I hope you’ve found today’s blog post beneficial and it has given you some beginner friendly ideas for starting out on your fitness journey and keeping up the good work. When you begin, you might like to try out lots of different exercise options and then modify your routine based on your preferences. I’ve found I love dance based aerobic classes like zumba and clubbercise, but also enjoy more mindful practices like yoga and Pilates too. In the future, I would like to include more targeted upper body exercises to increase my strength in this area, but for now, I’m happy with the way things are progressing in terms of my general fitness and core strength.

Let me know in the comments if you plan on working on fitness and exercise related goals for 2024 and what you’ve taken away from today’s article to help you on your journey. Alongside your plans, you might like to consider dietary tweaks too in a way which compliments your fitness lifestyle and ensures better physical and mental health overall, for now and in the future.