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21 Bullet Journal Ideas for Self-Improvement and Growth

Published: Jan 25, 2022
Updated: Sep 16, 2024
21 Bullet Journal Ideas for Self-Improvement and Growth
In this article
    Reading time
    7 min

    Journal Ideas for self improvement and explosive growth in your personal development, productivity, mental clarity, and self-awareness. Journaling helps you become a better thinker, a more productive result-maker and generally a happier person. If you have already understood how to start a bullet journal, then this article will give you 5 journal ideas for self improvement:

    • Be more productive on a daily basis
    • Manage your progress in personal development
    • Develop your mental clarity
    • Deepen self-awareness
    • Instill positivity and gratitude

    How Can I Build My Self-Improvement?

    Are you someone who likes to grow? Do you constantly seek self-improvement through any means necessary? There is always something about ourselves we can improve on. The human potential is limitless, so it’s impossible to reach a point of no growth.

    Here’s a look at some ways to build self-improvement into your daily routine and let go of negative thoughts about yourself.

    • Cultivate gratitude. You’ve probably heard it a million times, but keeping a gratitude journal of what you’re thankful for can have a big effect on your mindset.
    • Greet everyone you meet. Whether you nod or smile to strangers passing by or say “good morning” to everyone who enters the office, make an effort to acknowledge those around you when you see them.
    • Try a digital detox. Unplugging for even a small amount of time can be beneficial to your well-being. The next time you find yourself with nothing to do, step away from your phone for a few hours.
    • Use a positive self-talk. It’s easy to get caught up in being overly harsh and critical of your perceived failings. This negative, unproductive self-talk can lower our overall motivation.
    • Practice random acts of kindness. Being kind to others can help give you a sense of purpose and make you feel less isolated.
    • Eat at least one meal mindfully. When you’re caught up in the middle of a hectic day, it’s tempting to rush through your meal without listening to your body.
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    How Do I Start A Self-Improvement Journal?

    With the new year starting, everyone is in the mindset to improve. Whether it’s by setting new health goals, starting on that project you’ve been meaning to get to for so long, or focusing on more time for yourself, it’s a time to change for the better.

    Try out some of these ideas as you start your New Year’s resolutions and let them help you reach your goals.

    1. Write down your goals. It’s been said time and time again that putting your goals on paper will help you achieve them, but it couldn’t be more true. When you write them down, you’re bringing them to life, and making a promise to yourself (and your journal) that you’ll work on them.
    2. Make journaling one of your goals. In addition to helping you attain goals, journaling has many benefits, including boosting creativity, strengthening self-discipline, and improving your overall health. Set a goal to start writing your thoughts down every day.
    3. Expand your creativity. Use your journal as a place to sketch things out, to test out those new watercolors, to visually remember that amazing trip. We all need a creative outlet once in a while, and if writing your experiences isn’t your style, find another way to express them.
    4. Track your progress. Each month, or week, check in with your goals and write down how you’re doing on them. Create an action plan of smaller steps that you need to complete to reach your bigger goals – a checklist, a graph, or whatever works for you.
    5. Start a gratitude journal. Writing down something you’re grateful for every day can improve your life in so many ways. Among those are lower stress levels, calmness at night, improved focus, and enhanced self-awareness.

    What Do You Write In A Journal For Self-improvement?

    Daily log

    The daily log is when you journal about your day-to-day: what you did, what you ate, who you saw and spoke with. Whatever you want. It’s a working way to log your life. The best part about this journaling habit is that you literally have a hand-written record of what you’ve done on any given day.

    Here’s how this journaling idea works:

    • Get a journal that’s comfortable enough to carry with you wherever you go.
    • As various things happen throughout your day, simply log them.
    • You can jot stuff down, draw pictures, or record them as detailed notes—it’s totally up to you. 

    Journaling for problem solving

    Should you move to a bigger house? Should you quit your job? These are examples of life challenges – and found solutions to – in the past. The reason it’s great to journal about your problems is because our brains tend to enlarge problems, making them seem bigger than they really are. But when we write our problems down, we minimize them.

    Here’s how this journaling idea works:

    • Whenever you’re faced with a challenge of some kind, open up to fresh page in your journal, and write out your problem as a question at the top of the page.
    • Now, start a list of potential solutions. Or, start a Pros and Cons list to help you decide what to do about the problem.
    • Unless you decide otherwise, this is for your eyes only; so don’t worry about being organized here.

    Journaling for stress

    When we’re stressed out about something, it’s usually because our thinking is scattered. Or because we’re really pissed off. Or because we’re being bombarded with more stuff to do or to think about than we can handle right now.

    Here’s how this journaling idea works:

    • When you feel stressed, grab your journal and open to a fresh page.
    • Start writing down everything that you feel stressed or tense or anxious about.
    • There aren’t any time restraints or page targets here—write for as long as you want, and fill as many pages as you want.

    What’s the best thing that happened today?

    At the end of the night, right before bed, grab your journal and write down the single best thing that happened to you today. And yes, you’ve got to choose just one thing. The reason this specific question – “What’s the best thing that happened today?” – is so powerful is because it forces you to shift your focus onto something positive prior to dozing off to sleep.

    Here’s how this journaling idea works:

    • Open up to a fresh page in your journal, or, if possible, have a small journal dedicated specifically for this purpose to keep next to your bed.
    • Every night, before bed, take out your journal and answer this question: “What’s the best thing that happened today?” Then simple begin to write out the single best thing that you experienced today.
    • Your answer can be a single sentence or several sentences. But the key to doing this consistently is to keep it simple. Write it down and get your ass to bed.

    It’s normal to get caught up in trying to become the best version of yourself. But being a better person starts with treating yourself with the same loving kindness as you do others. This means not judging yourself harshly when your fall short of your goals and showing yourself patience and compassion on your bad days. Keep in mind that there are many ways to become a better person, and those offered here are just a few. Find what feels most joyous and nurturing and try to build them into your daily life.

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    About authors
    Jessica Brown, a 29-year-old freelance copywriter passionate about human nature and deeply committed to promoting sleep and mental health awareness. Jessica holds a Master of Arts in Literary Studies from the National University of Singapore and a Bachelor's in Biology from the University of Cambridge.
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