Bullet Journaling vs. Traditional Journaling

How many teenage girls have started an angry sentence with the words ‘Dear Diary’? How cathartic was it to sit down and spill your guts to a traditional journal? Pretty incredible, wasn’t it? See, paper is patient. When comparing bullet journaling to traditional journaling, it’s important to understand that each can serve a valuable purpose. When we are younger, we fill our journals and diaries with the things we feel and the things we hope to attain as we enter into adulthood. When we are adults, we think about all that we are thankful for and all of the things we still want from life.
It’s no wonder that medical professionals have found that there are serious health benefits associated with journaling. Not only can it decrease the symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis and asthma, but it can increase the functionality of your immune system. Several presidents have famously journaled and many popular novelists and playwrights are known to have been in the habit as well.

You see, writing accesses the left side of your brain, which is the more analytical side. While the left side of your brain is occupied, the right side- the creative side – is opened up to its true artistic nature. Not only are you able to fully understand the creativity inside yourself, but you’re also able to get to know yourself better. The right side of your brain is also responsible for your feelings as well as your intuition. A hobby that can reduce your stress, make you more creative, and help to heal your body from diseases and illness? Sign yourself up today.

Traditional Journaling

In a traditional journaling scenario, there is no specific formula. You simply put pen to paper and scrawl down what you’re thinking or feeling at that time. You can write down what you want from your life, lists of ideas or things you want to remember, or how specific people in your life make you feel. It can be a single page in a fancy notebook or just some thoughts written on a napkin. There are no rules. Everything is up to you.

There is nothing that binds you in journaling and there’s no dictated formula to follow in order to attain the health benefits. Simply writing for a twenty minutes per day can help you to attain better peace of mind as well as mental clarity. If you’re unsure about certain situations in your life, write about it. You’ll find that your uncertainty will start to fade away and you figure out the best course of action as you journal.

The Bullet Journal

Bullet journaling is newer to the journaling scene and while it rings too that there are still no rules, it’s set up a little bit differently. Bullet journals are used mostly for tracking things; books you want to read, your sleep patterns, or films you want to see. There are downloadable templates for this one or you create your own and typically a blank page without lines will work best. You are also free to use a notebook made up of graph paper as many of the selections will include charts or graphs.

The best part of a bullet journal is that you’re able to delve into the deepest pools of your creativity as you create your pages. There is no limit to what you can do with this type of journal; anything you want to write down, track, or remember is fair game. The only limitations are those which you create for yourself.

If we’re not focusing solely on the health benefits and the mental benefits of journaling, focus on what it can do for your grasp on the English language, what you’re leaving behind for future generations, and the time you’re taking for yourself every day. We may not think of scribbling our thoughts down as a pampering technique, but go ahead and take a journal day and see how it feels.