Guided Journaling :: A BuJo Lite+Busy Mom Love Affair

A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across the concept of bullet journaling (I know, I know. I’m about 58926490 years behind the curve on this one), and my little creative heart went *THUMP*. If I could marry bullet journaling, I would. It is a whole entire MOOD. If you aren’t familiar with BuJo, it is a flexible journaling system that is a mix of planner, doodle space, list management, note catcher, and personal reflection that is mindfulness magic.

bullet journaling

Hours and hours of time spent in the time-suck-that-is-Pinterest later, I realized that my bullet journaling dreams were probably (READ: definitely) a bit too lofty. The sheer amount of choice in a bullet journal’s format was overwhelming – so much so that my brain rejected that it was even possible with a resounding #NOPE. I so terribly wanted to be a bullet journaling badass, to create those gorgeously decorated spreads, but I know my limits, y’all. If I was going to bullet journal, I’d need time I didn’t have to suss it all out and to figure out how I wanted my BuJo to function for me. After all, I was not looking to add one more unmanageable thing to my already too busy life.

Enter Miracle of Miracles – Guided Journals

The angels sang as the trumpets played when I came across the most gorgeous, and (EVEN BETTER) simple, guided journals one day in Five Below. Yep. I shop the budget-friendly stores when I can, which might come as a surprise to some people who think I live on a champagne budget. Even seemingly bougie gals love a good deal.

guided bullet journalsI won’t pretend that guided journals are even close to on-level with bullet journaling but to this busy mom / wife / teacher / entrepreneur / absolute basket case, they were the next best thing. And sometimes, Mamas, that is all we can ask for. I found one for creatives, for mindset, for poetry, for happiness … you get the idea. Hell, I even bought Big Life Journals for my kids to practice mindfulness.

I am nothing if not self-aware.

Trying to juggle BuJo right now isn’t in my energy budget. A mom working full time in education during a global pandemic can only do so much. Ultimately, the goal is to use bullet journaling FOR REAL, so that I can really and truly prioritize my life because my family (and my kids especially) DESERVES it. I know that, realistically, that day is NOT today. I turn 39 (*gasp* THE HORROR) in a few weeks, and that means I’ve got roughly a year to figure out how to do this whole middle-aged thing. Just kidding, I’m already essentially dust.

But maybe I can squeeze in a few minutes over the next year to level up my BuJo life. Maybe. Probably not. But maybe. Until then, I will gladly and enthusiastically use the crap out of my perfectly acceptable and definitely adorable guided journals.

Do you BuJo? Drop a line and spill your secrets. A tired mom wants to know…

 

Julie Lee
Julie is a mama, wife, teacher, writer, photographer, designer, and basket case—jack of all trades, master of none. She lives in Ascension Parish with her husband, her two hooligans, and her quarankitties, Stella and Luna. She’s an English teacher by day, and a lover of words by destiny. Her favorite word is schadenfreude. When she’s pretending she isn’t too busy to breathe, you can find her curled up in her hammock with a book.

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