Looking for a new hobby to pick up during COVID? Bullet journaling and calligraphy is a fun, creative, and productive way to get your life organized with a dash of beauty.
Ashley Rustad ’21 has a busy schedule with being a part of Sigma Sigma Sigma and Greek Council, being the secretary of WSU Panhellenic, attending school in general, and being WSU’s Social Media Manager; she journals regularly as a way to keep her busy schedule in order.
Ashley first got into this activity when she started college. She liked to stay organized and write out her weekly activities, to-do lists, and many other things she wanted to keep track of; but, she couldn’t find a planner she liked, so she made her own.
Things to Journal
In addition to her daily schedules, Ashley says you can also keep track of healthy habits and your accomplishments and progress you make in anything. “That’s why I got into bullet journaling originally was to keep my schoolwork organized and try to make sure I was tracking my sleep and how much water I drink in a day etc. but now I have my own separate one where I just write about every day so that I can look back in a year and all the memories I’ve made,” Ashley said.
Benefits
Not only does bullet journaling help keep you on track with what your days look like, but Ashely says, “Bullet journaling is not only an amazing way to unwind and destress, but it really gives you the chance to express yourself and let your creative side flourish! There is no right or wrong when it comes to how you design it or choose your layout because it’s just for you!”
Materials Needed
Unlike a lot of hobbies, bullet journaling is fairly simple to get the materials for and very inexpensive. A pen and paper/notebook is really all that is necessary. Ashley suggests a ruler or a notebook with dotted box pages if you aim to make the journaling neat and clean looking. Ashley says to remember that “not every page is going to come out perfect and that’s okay.”
Health Benefits
Journaling every day or even whenever you find yourself doing so can make you have a healthier mental state. After a hectic day, journaling is a way to calm down and decompress. “When I journal it makes me reflect on my day and pick out the good things that happen each and every day that I normally wouldn’t do if I wasn’t going to write it down, so it’s really been a mood booster for myself personally,” Ashley said. Journaling is also a creative stimulant, challenge yourself to create new designs, but not put yourself down if some page does not turn out how you wanted it too. The activity is supposed to be uplifting and helpful, that is the biggest thing to remember.
-Ashley Rustad & Lucy LaValley
