Every year at the start of August I make a list. I call it my “don’t rush away summer” list, and on it I put things like “have a picnic in the park” and “catch a sunset” and “eat ice cream on a cone.”

It’s a bit Pinterest-y for sure, but I’m afraid that without it, I’ll reach August 31st (aka today) and look back, wondering why summer went rushing away before it was finished with me.

In truth, September 1st does not magically put an end to summer. But we all know that there’s something shifty about the shift—how it craftily persuades us that real life has fired up again and we’d better get to it already. We comply, some of us more grudgingly than others.

And so it is that I find myself here, on August 31st, looking back over my “don’t rush away summer” list in my August bullet journal pages and feeling resigned to turn the page (literally), but also feeling pleased that I managed to cross off a respectable amount of summery stuff before the season snuffs out. Well done, and onward.

In addition to my annual list, here are a few other highlights from August’s bullet journal in this monthly recap post.

Minimizing my screentime ranks up there with flossing—aka, goals I have that seem totally doable but end up being strangely elusive.

For instance, after setting an intention to unplug during the month of May (and dutifully adding it to my bullet journal for accountability, of course), I found myself mindlessly scrolling Instagram as much as ever.

June arrived with little change until I read Erin Loechner’s Opt-Out Family. It was just the right message at the right time. Following her advice, I depersonalized my iPhone and strategically left it stranded in unoccupied rooms for hours at a time. Three months later, I haven’t missed it.

I saved space in August’s feature spread to reflect on my experience a little more deeply. Here’s what I wrote about:

• It took some time, but gradually I quit thinking about my life in Instagram captions. No longer do I take walks or cook or finish a project and narrate the experience in my head as if I’m going to broadcast it later. I quit packaging up experiences to share and just enjoyed them myself. Quietly. In solitude. It was grand.

• In place of my phone, I started carrying a little pocket notebook with me, writing down thoughts as they came. Surprisingly to no one, I enjoyed some of the best creative ideas I’ve had all year.

• Overall I felt space. I didn’t realize how tight and squeezed I was feeling, as if my phone was compressing me with a planetary gravity field all by itself. I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. It’s been like a breath of fresh air.

September will bring more screen time as I begin sharing more of my journal experiences in online spaces like this. I have ideas for how to stay in a more spacious place, but I’m thankful for my reflection notes on August’s bullet journal page. It will serve as a reminder for how good I felt at the end of my phone-free summer, and encourage me to not drift too easily into that gravity field again.

Unlike flossing, working out is a habit I’ve managed to master over the years. But that doesn’t mean that every month brings the same level of intensity and motivation.

It’s very common for me to start dragging my heels in summer. I’m not sure why this is (weirdly winter is a breeze), but I’ve learned to adapt.

One thing I do when I notice that my discipline is flagging is that I drop performance goals and focus exclusively on consistency. This usually looks like shorter, lighter workouts.

The other thing I do is adopt a visual habit tracker, which is what I did in my August bullet journal. My goal was 30 workouts in 30 days, and I made it 90% of the way there, which is a win in my book.

The reason habit trackers are so popular in bullet journaling is because they work. There’s something very gratifying about checking off a box in pen (in my case, filling in a circle), and equally unsettling about seeing a string of empty spaces. It’s a very low-tech but effective way to stay on track.

I’ll likely carry over a similar habit tracker into September and beyond since I know that a busier schedule will make consistency more difficult this fall. We’ll see how those fit into my future pages – stay tuned.

I reserved a small box in my August feature spread to commemorate my four-year bullet journal anniversary. It’s a milestone no one really cares about but me, but that’s okay.

I won’t wax too poetically about how bullet journaling has impacted my life, but I will briefly say that it’s been my favorite tool for slowing down and living my life with more intention and purpose. I love how it helps me look ahead, anticipating the joy of future memories, and how it helps me look back and see how far I’ve come. Perhaps most importantly, I love how it’s gently moved me into a practice of noticing all the small moments that add up to a life well-lived. These are the kind of moments that can so easily slip by if I don’t have a few washi-taped spaces to capture them.

So happy anniversary to my bullet-journaling habit. May there be many more years to come.

As I turn the page on August and look ahead to September, I’m reminded of the power of small, intentional actions. Whether it’s setting aside my phone to be more present, using a habit tracker to stay consistent with my goals, or simply celebrating the small milestones that make life meaningful, these practices are what ground me and keep me moving forward.

If you’re also on a journey to live more intentionally, I’d love to hear about your experiences. What practices help you stay grounded and focused? How do you reflect on your progress and set new goals? Drop a comment below or share your thoughts with me directly.

And if you’re new here, welcome! Subscribe to stay updated on more reflections, tips, and insights as I continue to explore the art of bullet journaling and intentional living. Here’s to making the most of every moment, one journal page at a time.