Getting organized: why is it so hard? The house, the kids, the deadlines. Life gets complicated fast and it’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the tiny details that go into every day. While there are planners and apps that can help you organize your time, there are very few options for organizing everything else. This is where starting a journaling practice can be a lifesaver.

Maybe when you think of keeping a journal, you picture an artsy loner sitting in the park, wiling away their free time, sketching flowers and exploring their feelings. While there’s nothing wrong with those activities, it doesn’t fit into the schedule of most busy adults.

I avoided the idea of keeping a journal until I realized it could be so much more. A journal has the potential to organize your entire life — all in one place. Armed with a notebook and a pen, you can take control and have fun doing it.

Here are some examples of ways people are using their journals to organize every aspect of their own busy lives. I hope you find some inspiration for starting your own life-changing journaling practice!

Using a Journal to Organize Your Home

Productive & Pretty's house projects Bullet Journal spread
Keep track of all the projects for your home in one place! Learn more at  productiveandpretty.com.
Page Flutter's spring cleaning journal spread
I love how Megan from Page Flutter used her Bullet Journal to organize spring cleaning. Check out the rest of her work, too.
Moving Insider's moving expense journal spread
Got a big move coming up? Track the expense in your journal! From Moving Insider.

Journaling for Your Business

Here’re some great ideas from @hiphomeschooling for organizing your small business.
Shelby at littlecoffeefox.com uses her bullet journal to plan for a big presentation.

Physical Fitness & Health

This beautiful spread is from Kara at bohoberry.com. Here she’s using her bullet journal to track her fitness goals and stay motivated.
Plan your meals ahead of time and take control of your diet — from productiveandpretty.com.
Workout Tracker Bullet Journal
This is from yours truly. I created this fitness tracker to chart my progress over a month of workouts.

Want More Health Trackers?

  • To see more inspiration for fitness trackers, click here!
  • To see more inspiration for meal planning, click here!

Tracking Your Emotional State in Your Journal

Sheena of the Journal's February mood tracker
I love making these mood trackers with a different theme every month. Click here to get my latest mood tracker as an instant download.
Paper & Ink's self-care journal spread
Practicing regular self-care will keep you in tip-top emotional shape. Check out this self-care spread from Paper and Ink Co. on Instagram.
Page Flutter's self-care journal spread
Megan at Page Flutter created this whimsical self-care spread.
This is a great way to handle triggers and pull yourself out of a slump. From bujo.casio on Instagram.

Journaling Your Family Matters

Candace has a big family and uses her journal to keep up a laundry schedule. read more about how Candace keeps her family organized here!
This is a spread I made to plan how we would spend the kids winter break from school. Remember, Leo: always wear pants.
Sheena of the Journal's back-to-school planning journal spread
Here’s a spread I made to organize the stressful back-to-school season. For more info on planning for back-to-school, click here.

Are You Ready to Start Your Own Journal?

I hope this inspired you to organize your own life through journaling! If you want to get started, click here for a step by step guide to starting your first journal.

Author

2 Comments

  1. Ravi Vadher Reply

    Thanks for the awesome article, Sheena, and the lovely examples!

    I am a working mom and the idea of taking more control of my schedule and balancing my life between work, personal time, and family is something that I really want to have. Ever since reading this article about how to comprehensively write a bullet journal: https://www.process.st/bullet-journal/ I have been on the hunt for more ideas on what to include before I finally sit down and start my own.

    Thanks to the examples you have shared, I have now new ideas on what to write down. 🙂

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