I wouldn't call myself an expert when it comes to journaling practices.

However, I have spent the last 6 months journaling every day. I have spent hundreds of hours reading and learning about the bullet journal method and prompts for journaling. And I have probably spent 30 minutes each day for the last 6 months writing in my journal.

Here's how I first got interested in the bullet journal method:

I was at the lowest point of my life.

I was getting no joy in my life. Only stressed and had no glimpse into the future and how I could get away from the rut I was in. I would vent my frustrations to my loved ones.

But it was all on me.

You see, sometimes to achieve something, there must be a trade-off. Most of us trade time for money. To get the 'good life' I had access to, I had to give away time to be with my family.

This was eating me up inside and I knew that I had to do something about it. I needed to change my situation. I thought about improving my skills to increase my chances for promotion or a new job. Or better yet, to start my own business.

I didn't where to start and how to keep track of my progress. I started with some phone apps but slowly died off quickly because I couldn't create a habit and I hate typing on my phone.

One day by random chance I bumped into the Bullet Journal method. Since the day I opened and wrote on the first page, I never stopped.

As I improve and get more comfortable, my way of journaling gets more complex and more personalized as the days go by. But, that's the beauty of the bullet journal method.

For the next 6 months, my goals for the bullet journal method are:

• Create a collection of the books I read

• Create a list of the lessons learned and actionable advice for a book I read

• Create a list of the skills I want to take on.

• Improve the way I reflect on the week:

1. Implement the bottleneck analysis. This means asking me a couple of questions: What's the most important thing holding me back from achieving X? Why am I not working on that?

2. A periodic review. I will write my biggest and lowest highlights. What are my biggest lessons and realizations? And what am I looking forward to in the period ahead?

• Plan my next 12 weeks. Realizing that my goals are closer than I expect will prompt me to take action on the required tasks to reach my goals.