Ribbons, Bows, and Using My Journal to Stay Present Through the Holiday Season

Planning for December | Focusing on Simple Layouts, Mood Meters, and Holiday Self-Care

December 2020 is upon us! No matter how you have felt about the past year with everything that has happened, December is always a mood. It is a distinct vibe. Perhaps you run to set up holiday decorations or maybe you are a person who might be feeling some ease because this year the same holiday gatherings-at work or at home-may or may not be happening. It is definitely an odd time. I like December because it brings about this idea of reflection, and I also love the idea of deciding here in Michigan to cozy up for the winter. In this post, you will see my December planning pages as well as some of the things I am doing to make December more enjoyable with cozy accents and decorations. You will also see my mood meter as I make sure to check-in with myself as to how I am feeling each day.

Favorite Journaling Materials This Month

Let’s start with my favorite supplies. Many of these supplies are the same from last month because I think I have found some sort of “planner peace” for the time being. I am loving my Chic Sparrow cover and my Archer & Olive notebook. I have zero desire to transfer out of them this month, and I am really liking the simplicity of the systems I am using for journaling. In fact, this month is all about keeping it simple. From only one notebook in my cover to the simple layouts, I am trying to end the year with simplicity in order to produce some sort of feeling of being more focused on goals, life, and ending the year in some sort of order.

• Chic Sparrow Oak Classic Pemberley Cover

• Chic Sparrow Oak Pemberley Pen Quiver

• Archer & Olive Traveler's Crescent Moon Dot Grid Notebook 4.33” X 8.25”

• Tombow 56170 Dual Brush Pen Art Markers, Portrait, 10-Pack. Blendable, Brush and Fine Tip Markers

• “Write On” Journal Pouch Out of Print Clothing//Out of Print Literary and Book-Themed Zipper Pouch for Book Lovers, Readers, and Bibliophiles

• Uniball Vision Elite Stick Bold Point Roller Ball Pens

• Peonies Paperie Hazel Faux Leather Bow Charm (This bow charm was the inspiration for the month!)

Weekly Focus

The weekly focus was perfect for this month because I felt overwhelmed with all of the tasks I had to accomplish. I am trying to juggle maternity leave plans, prepping to renew my teacher certification, teaching in December (which is a feat all by itself), and also starting to do my taxes for the upcoming year. On top of this, I am trying to balance the recent switch to have Classroom Mindset be its own blog. This requires lots of writing and organization. In summation, I was feeling pretty overwhelmed starting this month. Knowing this was the case, I broke down 2-3 tasks per week and spread them out over the four weeks. This immediately made me feel better because I felt like I could do it all…but maybe not all at once.

Mood Meter

The second big element of my December planning was my mood meter. I notoriously abandon habit trackers. I love using them because it brings me back to my goals, but I always seem to abandon them when life gets busy. I am finding I am looking forward to filling in my mood meter each day because I am checking-in with how I feel. I want to see how this little bow looks at the end of the month all filled up with different colors. I think this will become part of my monthly reflection moving forward, and I think it will be critical as a new mom to see how I am feeling about everything new that is happening.

“Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Focus on Simple Layouts and Self-Care

All of my layouts this month are really simple. I am transferring the weekly focus over to each week, so I can remember my plan. I have a little quotation in the corner of each layout to remind me to stay present and that the real gifts that happen this month are already in front of me. I want to actively choose joy. I think this may lead to the mantra of 2021 as I begin planning ahead for the New Year. I think when we take our biggest problems and choose to find joy in them, we are seeking out positivity in an active way. This presence and peace of mind are some of the many forms of self-care this month.

I love thinking about unconventional self-care. This isn’t just yoga or bubble baths…but designing a space in a notebook, in a home, or even on your physical person that makes you happy. This is also known as hygge. What is hygge you ask? I have another post, now on Classroom Mindset, where I talk about 26 ways to hygge your teaching. Here is an excerpt from the self-care and hygge post:

“Let’s start with how you pronounce hygge. To sound it out, you would say “hue-guh.” Like the hues of the sun and guh rhyming with duh. Hygge is “about an atmosphere and experience, rather than about things” (vi). In short, hygge creates an atmosphere of calm and comfort in everyday things and experiences we all identify with naturally, and then these feelings create a sense of happiness.”

Some of my favorite ways to insert hygge into my life from this month are:

• Acts of kindness

• Coffee

• Treating myself to a new lipstick or beauty item

• Drawing in my journal

• Journaling

• Lighting/Holiday decorations

• Using sick days if needed

• Youtube fireplace

Writing Mindset Reflection: How are you getting cozy in December? What does your December planning include? How are you feeling about the end of the year?

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