I've been really taking my time in reflecting on my intentions for this year (reflection never really stops!), and my chosen companion for this endeavor is my trusty Bullet journal. Allow me to show you through a few of my pages so far, and to share with you how I prompted myself to set goals for this year.

My Bullet Journal for 2021

I'm attempting to do bullet journaling again this year simply because... I was unable to drop by my nearest Muji store to purchase their 2021 planner. Every year the pattern seems to be that I alternate between using a Muji planner and a plain notebook, so since 2020 had me using Muji, this year I'm going with a clean minimal grid notebook. 

To put simply in my own words, a bullet journal is a method of journaling in which we organize our thoughts, to-do's, and goals in bullet form. Bullet journals are also creative outlets because we have the freedom to design them freely as we like. As an individual who easily forgets, I always want to remember what it is that I did yesterday, what I need to do today, and what I need to do for tomorrow. Writing it all down helps me remember in a more organized manner, and having the option to craft it the way I want it to look like is also the thrilling part. 

I spent a whole afternoon setting up my entire journal for the whole year. My bullet journal this year is simple: I decided to just have monthly and weekly spreads. I love the freedom we have with bullet journaling, because it's really all about structuring it in a way that works well for us, and so for me having it simple works best. The challenge though, was that the notebook I worked on was already used. I tore out the used pages (and filed them away safely), so I anticipated that I might run out of them. And my anticipation was right! Due to a couple of mismeasurements, I've had to adjust the design a bit to make it all fit. 

I know most would do their spreads monthly, but for ease and uniformity, I decided to prepare them all in one go. The only thing missing would be the extra designs like stickers, tapes, and the occasional doodles here and there, which I will be incorporating as I go through the year.  

If there's one thing that has gotten me excited about bullet journaling again, it would be that it has rekindled my love for stationery. I personally don't think it's absolutely necessary to thoroughly fill my journal with designs, but I took this opportunity to at least decorate it a bit because I do honestly enjoy it. 

Since I haven't been going out a lot, I decided to browse through online shops that sell stationery kits. I chose to purchase a stationery kit because these have been curated and intentionally arranged by fellow local stationery lovers. It's also a great way to support local small businesses, and at the same time connect with a like-minded human being, albeit virtually. 

I bought my first kit from Frans Journal, and I chose the one with green designs. Receiving the kit felt like a gift has arrived from a friend; the package itself felt like it was thoughtfully wrapped and arranged. I'm very much excited to use these stationeries throughout this year and I plan to share my favorite pages monthly in my Recent Loves series, so you can see how I've used them. Please do look forward to it : - ) Be sure to check out Fran's shop on Shopee and also her Instagram page! 

These kits have lots of clippings from vintage articles and books which are meant to be used and made into a collage. I think the term for this nowadays is called "junk journaling", which I've been fascinated about and wanted to try out for myself. To be honest, I wouldn't consider myself to be good at making collages; I somehow feel there's supposed to be an element of spontaneity mixed into the whole activity. I find myself thinking, what do I cut out from here, where do I place this, how will it look like in the end?? But I just take it as an exercise of creativity, a moment to just freely be and do. 

In addition to bullet journaling, I wanted to share a bit about goal-setting and how I went through it for these couple of weeks.

Goal-setting Ideas for 2021

These questions allowed me to revisit the past year, and I started thinking of different aspects in life: 

How could I be better as a daughter, sister, friend, work colleague even during this pandemic time? 

How could I be better in ways of coping and taking care of myself? How could I be kinder, how could I extend that kindness to others?

How could I be more consistent with my faith, with my hobbies, and with my writings?

Another way to put this would be tied to our question for the day on Monday this week with my work colleagues, which was: what would you do differently this 2021? Most of our responses referenced back to the previous year, and somehow hinted on which aspects of our lives we wanted to improve. 

Maybe we don't really have to pressure ourselves to have a long list of brand new shiny goals we've never thought of before, and they most certainly don't have to be out of this world. I think even with just that simple purpose, awareness, and intention of wanting to be better is good enough, and perhaps we can start from there.  

Then the last question to ourselves could probably go like: how can I build the daily habits that would lead me to this goal? It takes time to achieve goals, which is why we give ourselves the year, or sometimes even carry them over to the next year. I find that intentional and consistent habits can help us get there eventually.

I'm also not going to withhold myself from trying out new things. I believe it still is possible! I just made sure they are within the comforts of my own home. It could be anything like bringing back an old hobby, or attending a virtual class. I guess one of the things I'm carrying over from 2020 is creativity in how I'm going to make the most out of the year in this pandemic time. 

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Are you keeping a bullet journal or planner and did you set yourself any goals for the year? I'd love to know. : - )

This week has been all about easing into work (from home) once again and falling back into my groove. I definitely feel well rested and recharged; I'm grateful to have been able to take a break from my full-time job and have lots of free time for my family, friends, and hobbies. I feel ready for another year's worth of good work. 

Write to you again soon, have a wonderful rest of your week!