New Obsession: Bullet Journals, For Nature
In recent years adult coloring books have gained momentum in the wellness sphere for their ability to reduce stress and anxiety, but a new class of paper-bound books are taking stationary aficionados by storm: bullet journals.
Bullet Journals, endearingly known as bujos, offer a systematic way to organize one’s To Do List in an aesthetically-pleasing manner. Bullet Journals are sort of like a hybrid between a coloring book and a moleskin; they’re a place in which to doodle and to write lists. Any notebook can be a bullet journal– pros will use sketchbooks, and novices will use grid paper– and they are very popular on study tumblrs. Instead of simply listing out your daily tasks on lined paper, why not stretch those ambitions across the page in visually-appealing letters accompanied by a small doodle? Studies suggest that idle doodling can keep a busy mind at ease, and so bullet journaling offers the perfect combination of functional utility and meditative calm.
Given the rise of the hard-bound journal trend, it seems inevitable that bullet journals would expand to include nature journals, like Maggie Enterrios’s [easyazon_link identifier=”1604698241″ locale=”US” tag=”gardcoll03-20″]Nature Observer: A Guided Journal[/easyazon_link] (Timber Press, 2017).
As an inscription in the journal’s opening pages explains:
“This journal was created with the idea of helping you experience nature in new and meaningful ways– in every season. Maggie Enterrios’s dynamic art will inspire and delight as you note important dates on the monthly calendars, chart your daily successes and goals in the trackers, and jot down to-do items on the weekly lists. These productivity features are interwoven with dozens of guided journaling prompts to help you plan your year of exploration and find intensely personal connections with nature.
At year’s end, you’ll have a keepsake of your favorite adventures and places.”
With the intent of engaging users with the natural world through seasonal creative prompts, productivity features, and mindful inspiration, Nature Observer is the kind of mindful journaling we can get behind. (As if we needed an excuse to purchase another notebook!)
