I have become a big fan of journaling and planning over the last year. Keeping up with my goals and daily tasks have brought a tremendous sense of peace to my life. Being able to wake up in the morning, open my journal or planner and see exactly what needs to be accomplished that day helps keep the stress of trying to remember it all to a minimum. But, I recognize that creating a bullet journal or keeping up with a regular planner can be time-consuming and challenging for many people. Journaling for busy families requires a less time-consuming method. Something that takes only minutes but still hands out all the benefits.

I have tried several virtual solutions to this problem in the past, programs and applications that promise to be easy to access and quick to view. The programs inevitably get deleted for space later on when I stop using them. For some reason, a virtual solution just doesn’t work for me. I need a physical pen and paper book that I can hold and carry around to keep me on track. I know I’m not alone in this preference!

Journaling for Busy Families with the Calm the Chaos Journal

I received this product in return for my honest and thoughtful opinion. All statements about the journal are my own truthful opinions. This post may also contain affiliate links, this means that should you make a purchase after following my link I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you!

Why Should We Journal?

If you have considered journaling in the past then odds are you are aware of some of the benefits. Most people, however, tend to focus only on their desire to be more organized and they know that this will help with managing their stress. Journaling and planning are easily one of the best ways to achieve this. Hands down it has been one of the most beneficial changes I have made in my life this year. Without a planner to help keep this blog organized, I would be lost. But, did you know there are other benefits to journaling as well? Benefits that might go even deeper than just ‘getting organized?’

Benefits of Journaling

• Helps you remember – The very act of writing something down helps your brain remember. When you write out a to-do list or a specific goal you want to achieve the next day you are reinforcing to your brain that this is important and you want to remember it. There is nothing more frustrating than having important tasks pile up because you keep forgetting them until its too late (like when you want to go to sleep).
• Helps achieve your goals – It’s really nice to have a great idea but when we just keep it in our heads it tends to be nebulous and somewhat out of reach. When we write down our goals and dreams its easier to break the journey down into achievable steps. When we write things down we tend to start planning them out and planning is the first step to achievement.
• Results in a quieter mind – I don’t know about you, but I hate trying to go to sleep when my mind just won’t stop running.  Sometimes just having a place to write things down can clear out those endless mental loops.
• Results in a better emotional state – People seem to be hard-wired to remember the bad things that happen to them more than the good. This can lead to a great deal of emotional stress as we look back and feel like we have had a terrible day. Keeping a journal – especially one with reflective prompts, can help us remember the good parts of the day and reframe our emotional response to the day. Maybe your terrible day wasn’t the best but now you also recognize all the little good things that happened as well.

Why Don’t We Journal?

Journaling is a habit and it can be difficult to establish new habits. Especially when we feel like our plates are already too full to deal with. We know that journaling will help us with this problem but we are too overwhelmed with the time commitment to keep up with it. Journaling for busy families can be a tough task to undertake!

All too often I see comments on my journaling and planning posts from people who want to start journaling but just can’t keep up with it. I understand! I really do!

But even more important? I think I have found a solution…

Journaling for Busy Families with the Calm the Chaos Journal

I was so excited when I received the opportunity to review this particular journal. When I read the description I had a feeling it could be the answer to the journaling benefits vs time commitment problem. I used this journal for a while in order to get a real feel for it before writing this review and I can honestly say that it delivers on what it promises.

The Calm the Chaos journal was created by Nicola Ries Taggart a life and leadership success strategist, speaker, workshop facilitator, and coach. Although it was originally created to help calm the chaos of her own life I’m really glad she choose to share it with the rest of us!

How Does the Calm the Chaos Journal Help?

When you open up this journal you can tell right away that it was created with a busy person in mind. There are no big empty spaces that you need to figure out how to fill or feel pressured to decorate. It’s not big, heavy or otherwise overwhelming like some planners can be. There is just one simple spread each day for you to fill in. It takes me ten minutes maximum to fill in this journal every evening and it still fulfills my need to both decompress and gather my thoughts for the next day!

My favorite points about this journal.

• Bullet Point Prompts – Sometimes it can be difficult to think up the answer to a prompt. Questions such as ‘How did I take care of myself today’ can trip me up as I try to recall specific instances. The Calm the Chaos journal still has these types of prompts, but they are followed by a bullet point list that helps to jog my memory and keep me focused. Not only that but it cuts down the time it takes for me to fill it in too.
• The Today Page is all about Self Reflection – Rather than having a big blank page for me to fill in every day or a place to list out my daily tasks the ‘today’ page is obviously meant to be filled in at night and focuses on self-reflection and positive memories. This means that I can snuggle up in bed and decompress for a few moments by unloading the day’s details. Being asked about the good things that happened during the day is a nice reminder and a good feeling to fall asleep on.
• The Tomorrow Page keeps me focused and positive – Meant to be filled out the night before (after finishing your daily reflection) the tomorrow page is great! It has a place to focus on the next day’s tasks as well as your hopes for the day to come. Because I am already in a positive frame of mind thanks to the Today page its a great time to plan for tomorrow. There are small spaces to write down your top priorities and a few rotating prompts meant to remind you of your daily goals. This keeps you feeling motivated and focused when you look at it the next morning.
• It’s Not Dated – Journaling obviously benefits you the most if you use it every day. We all know that sometimes that’s not possible. You’re either too busy, too sleepy or maybe you forgot it while you went on holiday. It’s all good with this journal though! Just pick up where you left off! There is no need to leave several pages blank to get back to the right date. Leaving pages blank in a journal or notebook can be a stressor for some people. They feel like space is wasted or the book is ‘ruined’ due to the missed pages. With this journal, that’s not a problem.
• It’s Small and Pretty – The Calm the Chaos Journal is probably the perfect size for people on the go. This journal is small enough to fit in pretty much any purse or handbook. While there is enough space to write a pretty good description there isn’t so much that you feel pressured to write entire paragraphs. It’s very much a grab and go journal that you could fill in on the fly if you wanted to. I also love the design, I might be a stationary snob but no one wants an ugly journal. The Calm the Chaos Journal is calm and soothing with its tones of gold, cream, and taupe. The hardest thing I had to figure out was what pen to use in it. A gold glitter one for those curious!

The Solution to Journaling for Busy Families

Journaling doesn’t have to be time-consuming or difficult and this journal proves it! With this book journaling for busy families is completely possible! If you have always wanted to journal but have had a hard time keeping up then this might be perfect!

This pared-down, simplified way of journaling is perfect for people who feel the time crunch. It’s also great for those who worry about their creative abilities. With this journal, you can focus only on the benefits of journaling and planning. Its build relieves all the stress or time-consuming pressure, you might feel with a larger one!

I love my Bullet Journal and my Daily Planner – but I know some people out there struggle with those options. My Calm the Chaos journal will be used as a way to add some positive reflection to my daily routine. But! It’s structured and functional enough to work on its own as well should you want too! If you are interested in looking at this journal for yourself you can find it here.

Have You Ever Tried Journaling?