Need a planner? Bullet journal. Need to jot down passing thoughts? Bullet journal. Need to keep track of your habits? Bullet journal. Need to let out your feelings and thoughts? Bullet journal.

If this is your first time hearing the words “bullet” and “journal” together, today is your lucky day. A bullet journal is just like every other journal, except rather than lines, the pages are filled with dots that are in a grid formation. Even though that’s the only real difference, it offers a completely different vibe and more room for creativity.

Every month I draw out a calendar as well as a planner for each week of that month so I can write down everything I need to do. What makes the journal so fun is that since you’re the one making the spread, you can decorate it however you want! October spreads can be full of spiders and jack-o-lanterns, December is full of trees and gift boxes – it makes you look forward to each new month so you can have a therapeutic drawing sash for about half an hour. Obviously, this also benefits organization. For every day of the week, you can create a checklist of things you need to get done and don’t even get me started on the satisfaction of checking them off as you do them. I even add things as simple as making my bed just because I like putting a checkmark next to it, making me feel more productive. You’ll never forget to do small tasks again, all because of your handy bu-jo.

The habit tracker in my bullet journal is one of the handiest things, but also the hardest to keep up with. If you want to start integrating new habits into your daily, or weekly life, you can create a small 5 x 7 grid and fill in a square for every day of that month you do your habit. For example, you want to study Spanish for 10 minutes each day. Make a small grid titled “Spanish” and fill in a dot after each study session, as the month passes you’ll be able to gauge how your habit is progressing. You’ll also feel a sense of motivation to study, just because you want to fill in the square a pretty color after.

My favorite thing about bullet journaling is definitely the actual journaling part. As a kid, I always wanted to be that girl who wrote in her diary every day. Obviously, when you’re 8 you lose interest in things after 3 days. Now, almost 18-year-old Krystal is living out 8-year-old Krystal’s dreams! I don’t write out my thoughts every day, because usually not much changes from Monday to Tuesday. But when I do feel like a lot has happened, I’ve had a lot on my mind, or I can’t sleep, the journal comes OUT. Writing out my thoughts and feelings once a week is so therapeutic I don’t even know how to put into words how much I recommend it. You can write out your problems and try to talk yourself to a conclusion, you can write about things that have happened and reflect on the situation, or you can just talk to yourself! I’ve only been consistently diary-ing since August, but even reading back what I was thinking and feeling the past 3 months is crazy. You can see your mind grow, your life change and your feelings evolve after you’ve collected a few months worth of writings.

I love my bullet journal. I actually left it on my nightstand as I’m writing this at school, and feel like a part of me is missing! 🙁 It makes me feel like I have my life together even when I don’t, and it’s the backbone of my mental health. If you’re trying to get your life together, trust me, spend the $10 on Amazon.

TLDR; Buy a bullet journal. Now.