Do you love journaling and making lists?
Are you obsessed with writing down your goals, tracking your statistics, and documenting your progress?
Do you feel calmer when you’re able to have a brain dump page to jot down random notes?
If so, then chances are you’ll probably really love bullet journaling. The bullet journal system was created by Ryder Carroll and is a way to create your own planner to stay organized.
Since the creation of bullet journaling (called bujo for short), many creative people have put their own spin on the system to make it work for them.
With bullet journaling, your journal becomes whatever you want it to be. It can be a diary, a planner, a sketchbook, or all of these things combined into one.
Because you draw out the pages, it is easy to customize it to your personal needs and make it as simple, or fancy, as you like.
If something isn’t working one week, you aren’t stuck with a pre-filled planner of layouts for the rest of the year.
Instead, you can adapt and change from week to week until you find the sweet spot that is perfect for you. If you get busy or go on vacation, just skip a week and start again when you have time.
How Journaling Can Help Your Vegan Diet
If you’re a new vegan, then journaling can definitely help in your transition to a plant-based diet.
One of the most popular layouts for bullet journaling is a habit tracker.
This is where you list several habits you’d like to complete every day and then motivate yourself by filling in a box or circle (or any other fun shape you like) every day that you do each task.
So if you’re a brand new vegan, you can create a habit tracker to motivate you to stay vegan one day at a time.
At the end of the each day, just fill in the box and get an instant surge of gratification and dopamine to inspire you to keep going and maintain a streak of accomplishments.
The habit tracker can be used to track whether you got your daily flax seed, or took your B12 supplement. Use it to track those greens and beans that are so vital to our health.
Or do a reverse habit tracker and track the days you didn’t eat vegan junk foods, if you’re trying to cut back on those.
If you need to increase certain foods in your diet, challenge yourself to get them in by making a fun spread that you’ll be eager to fill in after each meal.
You can also track calories and macronutrients to either lose weight or gain muscle, depending on your goals.
Stay Motivated & Ethically On Track
To help you stay motivated, bullet the reasons you went vegan. Maybe note down great quotes you see that remind you of why this cause is so important.
Set aside a few pages to plan your meals and make a master grocery list to reference each week. Take notes on the nutrition values of certain foods or produce and jot down recipe ideas to make meal planning a breeze.
Whenever you come across an interesting book on veganism or plant-based food, make a note of it for your want list.
Make a running list of documentaries you want to watch, YouTube channels to check out, or podcasts to listen to. Then reference it when you have free time to help educate and inspire you to stay vegan and thrive in your new lifestyle.
Use your journal as a diary to write down your thoughts and feelings, since there are sure to be a lot of things coming up for you as you transition to veganism.
In a few months or a year, you’ll be able to look back and reminisce about things which were once challenging but are now second nature.
10 Perfect Non-Leather Journals
When it comes to finding the perfect journal, it’s a process of trial and error. You really won’t know what you need in a journal until you use it for a while and get a feel for it.
As a vegan, you may be frustrated by the majority of journals made out of leather. But don't worry, it’s a common misconception that leather is a high quality product and is necessary in everything from belts to journals.
However, there are many different non-leather journals to choose from as you try to reduce your use of animal products and tread lighter on the environment.
With advancements in faux leather, it’s easy to find vegan-friendly notebooks to support eco-conscious products to use to help you on your plant-based journey.
Here's 10 of the best!
1. Minte Inspirational Journal
This gorgeous pastel journal is made from faux leather and is perfect for someone who wants a journal that is both functional and beautiful.
It comes in a nice box along with a silver pen to match the silver accents on the journal. The journal opens flat for comfort in writing and also in creating your bullet journal spreads.
Several pages provide prompts to inspire you while the rest are simple dots to guide you as you begin creating your first spreads and trackers.
2. Leuchtturn1917 Bullet Journal
The Leuchtturn1917 is probably the most popular journal among bullet journalers. Fortunately it is made from vegan leather so you can feel good about purchasing it.
This particular journal is already pre-filled with space for your index so you can write down the page numbers as you go and find things easier. It also has two bookmarks so you can easily reference several pages at once.
One of the best things about this journal is that it has 248 pages, of of the bigger journals so if you love it, you can use it for a long time.
3. Artfan Dotted Bullet Grid Journal
This cute little journal is also made from faux leather and has a hard cover, making it sturdier and easy to take with you wherever you go.
The extra thick paper is ideal if you like drawing, sketching, or even painting in your journal.
As a vegan, you’ll also love that the paper is made with the wood pulp from trees that are environmentally sustained.
Included with the journal is a free label to put on the spine so you can easily archive it on your bookshelf once you finish all the pages.
4. Lemome Natural Cork Bullet Journal
This journal is very eco-friendly which is music to the ears of a vegan who cares deeply about the environment and reducing your ecological footprint. The cork fabric cover is not only sustainable, but feels very soft to the touch and is made from real cork.
It is long-lasting and completely cruelty-free as well as unique due to the grain and color of the tree it was harvested from.
The paper is thick top help prevent colors from bleeding through and is also smooth, making it perfect for nice pens and ink sketching.
5. ThoughtSpace Dot Grid Notebook
Want a journal with a little personality? This dot grid notebook is not only dotted inside, but the cover features a bright gold dotted design.
Inside, the dots are there to help guide your ruler as you design your journal yet light enough not to distract from your creations.
This journal also features a thicker paper weight so you don’t have to worry about your markers coming through and can focus on colorful, fun, and engaging layouts instead.
6. Minimalism Art’s Classic Notebook Journal
Choose from six different colors, all of which are bright and cheery to encourage daily use of your journal to build better habits.
The faux leather cover comes in either soft or hard, depending on your preference. While dot grid pages are the most popular for bullet journaling, you can also try out ruled, plain, or squared and see which works best.
Rounded corners give the journal an elegant look and an inner pocket provides space for storing notes and papers.
7. Robin Notebook Bullet Journal
This hardcover, pink and gray journal has an artistic design on the cover so it’s both functional and makes a pretty accessory. The inside lining is also patterned and full of small touches, making this a perfect gift.
While the pages aren’t numbered, this isn’t uncommon for bullet journals since many journals like to create their own systems, including page numbers.
The company also provides a lifetime warranty so you can return it and get a replacement or a refund if it has any defects.
8. Discagenda Discbound Notebook
Another great option for a bullet journal is a discbound one that allows you to move pages around.
New bullet journalers often are unsure of how they want to organize their notebook so it’s nice to have the option to move pages until you get the hang of things.
You can also add in additional pages if you run out of space and like this system. The cover is made with faux leather that is so realistic and soft it’ll have you doing a double take.
9. Travelers Refillable Notebook
Although it’s called a travelers notebook, this journal can be used for anything, including bullet journaling.
It’s bound in faux leather which gives it a vintage look and is soft yet durable. The paper is easy to refill so you can add and remove pages as necessary, making the journal last longer.
You can also experiment with different kinds of paper to find the perfect thickness or weight or to try out everything from blank paper to dots and squares.
The convenient size makes it easy to take your journal with you everywhere so you can write down notes whenever inspiration strikes.
10. Sprouted Pig Dotted Bullet Journal Notebook
This cute little notebook is very affordable yet features 220 dotted pages, making it the perfect first notebook to try out without investing too much up front.
You’ll love the smooth cover made from vegan leather along with dual bookmarks and an elastic closure to make sure it stays secure. The hard cover makes it sturdy and the three other colors, in addition to basic black, are earthy and muted for a minimal design.
This journal has most of the features of pricier notebooks without the price tag.
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