It’s not done yet, since I think it’s going to turn into a vision board of sorts. But I’ve started my word of the year spread for 2025. I’ve never done this before, but I’m hoping for positive results.

I skipped to page 80 to make this because I only started this journal 2 weeks ago and am already at page 60. I feel that by new years I will be very close to page 80. Either way, it’s also halfway through the journal.

Merry Christmas everyone!! 🥰✨

Hey guys,

I’ve decided to try something new (at least for me) and combine everything—bullet journaling, diary-like recaps, and junk journaling—into one journal. Honestly, it feels like a crazy idea, but here’s why I’m doing it: I’m a nurse working 8-hour shifts, 5 days a week, with rotating shifts. My personal plans often revolve around my work schedule, and I’ve always struggled to keep habits moving forward. Maintaining multiple journals just isn’t realistic for me so I just decided to have all-in-one journal. Here’s what my all-in-one journal will include:

• Reflection for 2024: “24 Good Things About 2024” and a spread for lessons learned from tough moments.
• Planning for 2025: A Year at a Glance, Resolutions, a Future Log, and Yearly Trackers for habits, mood, and reading.
• Monthly Themed Spreads:
• A monthly overview
• Weekly recaps
• Random creative spreads (favorite artist, food, or trends of the month).
• A monthly playlist

I love the idea of having everything in one place, but I’m worried it’ll get messy or overwhelming, especially with my shifts. Has anyone else done something similar? Any advice for staying consistent with such a busy schedule?

Would love to hear your thoughts or see examples if you’ve tried this!

Thanks for reading!

Update: I’ve Read All the Comments

I know the title sounded pretty dramatic 😅😅—I didn’t mean for it to come across that way!

First of all, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and suggestions. Truth be told, I only started journaling this year, so I’m still very new to all of this.

The reason I made this post is because I wanted to try journaling in a way that works for me. I wanted to incorporate some bullet journaling aspects, like trackers, but keep everything in one journal. While looking for inspiration, I noticed that most people seem to keep multiple journals for different purposes—separate ones for bullet journaling and diary-like journaling. That didn’t feel practical for me, so I was curious if anyone else had tried combining everything into one.

Honestly, I didn’t even know about things like “commonplace books” or “happy books” (seriously, how many types of journals are there? 😪). I’ve never seen anyone with an all-in-one journal, so I had no idea it’s actually quite common 🤣.

Anyway, I’ve learned a lot from your comments, and I really appreciate everyone’s insights. I hope to see more of these all-in-one journals shared in this community—thanks again for the inspiration!

I recycled old wrapping paper!

I’m new to this and have found journaling to be a relaxing activity! It helps me slow down and focus on what’s in front of me! 🫶🏻

It's time for a new years journal for keeping track of my progress next year

My goal is to love myself the way I have never been loved, to grow and thrive, and to heal the wounds that are trying to keep me sick

Take care, I absolutely love journalling and the community, hoping you guys get great new spreads and pens for Christmas

I love that I came across this community. I think the title "Journaling Is Art" couldn’t be more perfect because, honestly, journaling is my art. A little different than a lot of others in this group who are artists with pen and paint though—I’ve been a hobby photographer and digital artist for years. I used to sell my work printed on posters or canvas, which I always loved, but I wanted to try something different. That’s when I started printing my art on journal covers.

A few years ago, I made a few just for myself. Then last year, I took the leap and ordered a dozen journals with my art on them to sell in the retail section of my little pizza shop. It was in this tiny town of a couple thousand people in the middle of the Sonoran Desert. We poured our hearts into that place, but sadly, because of my partner’s health, we had to close almost right away and move to a city two hours away to be near medical professionals (Don't live where there's no health care for hours). A year later we're still trying to stay on top of that financial mess, but this little passion of mine is helping here and there.

Since I ordered those journals, they’ve become my new passion. Slowly but surely, they’re helping me dig out of the debt from the pizza shop and now I'm helping other artists out by selling their art on these journals!

Just wanted to share my story with a community of journal and art enthusiasts. <3