Sneakers n' Shakes

We're at the start of a new season and even if Spring isn't your favorite, a great way to make sure you're making the best (or most) of a season is with a Bingo board! Bucket lists also achieve this but Bingo boards put a fun spin on seasonal activities and make them less intimidating than a list. I personally have a yearly Bingo board with my goals/activities I want to do over the year but a seasonal version is more approachable and in a shorter time frame. The nice thing about the bingo board format is that the feeling that you “have” to complete everything goes away and so it becomes more about just doing what you can. It’s more helpful for seasons you aren’t as fond of, because it gives you some motivation to appreciate it while it’s there since you can’t avoid it. For me that season is winter so my bingo board for that helped me romanticize the cold months I don’t look forward to. I’ll be sharing my board for spring with ideas if you want to make your own. As someone w...

Quarter two of 2026 is almost upon us, and for me that means a ramp up from my slow start for the year. If the first three months of this year whizzed by you too, then join me in re-starting in Q2! My Quarter Reset Checklist:  (I’ll break it by category so you can customize it to fit you) Infrequent tasks: -Go through my phone gallery and delete unnecessary photos -Clean makeup brushes Memory Keeping: -Make a Q1 instagram post -Add Q1 photos to year collage spread in bujo -Fill out my quarter review spread in bujo Planning: -Brainstorm Q2 goals -Make spring bucket list -Make a Q2 vision board So far all I have completed is making the spring bucket list (which I am excited about) and brainstorming some goals for Q2. But everything else is still pending and the month ends in three days. But I like taking a whole week to complete everything, the goal is to reset peacefully not rush through chaotically. I also want to elaborate on what my quarter reset spread in my bullet journal consi...

Another month and another struggle to write a blog post. I’ve had a few rough patches mentally so today I thought I’d simply share a few things that make me smile. I tried to choose new, or at least, new-to-me things to write about and my hope is that you find something fun that you want to try from this list! (In the style of The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green here is my list:) 1. Protein Matcha from Dunkin’ Even if you’re not a matcha fan, Dunkin’ has rolled out protein milk which is my new favorite thing. At least when ordered with matcha, I can’t taste the difference. There is no aftertaste or weird kick, it tastes the same as if I had ordered it with regular milk. It’s become a bit of a buzz word, but my reason for choosing a protein matcha is simply because it fills me up more without sacrificing taste. I personally love the Toasted Almond flavor added to a protein matcha. 5/5  2. Plan D Vlogs Plan D is a Korean Youtube vlogger who has English subtitles on her videos. I...

A slow start This blog post may feel more like a newsletter but I wanted to try this format out since it fits what I’m trying to communicate so well.  I’ve honestly been struggling to write this post, not for lack of ideas, but because they just didn’t feel right given the place I find myself in this month. And a place I think a lot of other people might also be finding themselves in. There’s a lot going on and some people, me included, are struggling to keep up spirits and the cold certainly doesn’t help. On times like this I think it’s good to take a step back and slow down.  Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May is not only an amazing read but serves as a guide on how to rest and retreat and simply slow down. She describes Wintering as a process that can be needed at any time, but for me it happens to also align with the season. Speaking of the season, I don’t believe we were meant to be as active as modern society makes us in these c...

Last year I posted a thorough set up guide for my 2025 Bujo! Those two posts not only talk through how you can set up your own and what to look for but also shares what I ended up doing in my own journal. (Linked here: https://sneakersnshakes.blogspot.com/2024/11/2025-journal-setup-guide-pt1.html   and here:  https://sneakersnshakes.blogspot.com/2024/12/2025-journal-setup-guide-pt2.html ) So this time, I thought I’d focus this post on what not just showing you my spreads but also talking through how each spread worked for me and if I'm making changes. This includes some things that are staying the same and other things that didn’t really work out for me that are removed or altered. I made sure to keep track of all the things that I didn’t like or wished I had this year as I used the journal and have built that into my 2026 one. Without further ado, let’s jump into it.  My 2026 Bullet Journal is Sunlit Mystery by Notebook Therapy and the set of washi and stickers I’m using...

It is new journal season! So I thought that before I dive into the changes I’m making for my 2026 bullet journal setup, I’d first review my current ecosystem as a whole!  I’ll list out my journal ecosystem here and talk through the different aspects of each part! I hope this gives you ideas for how to set up or modify your own system! 1. My Bullet Journal Last year I shared my bullet journal setup for the beginning of the year on this blog. (Linked here: https://sneakersnshakes.blogspot.com/2024/11/2025-journal-setup-guide-pt1.html and here: https://sneakersnshakes.blogspot.com/2024/12/2025-journal-setup-guide-pt2.html )  This is my main goals/memory keeping system. A lot of people use bujos for planning but I prefer to separate that. My goals spreads at the start of my journal are the most planning I do in mine. I also use one journal per year, so it ends up being more for memory keeping, and reflection, serving as an overview for the whole year. (Spreads include seasonal b...

There is a styling method called “2 out of 3” which says that out of the three (outfit, hair, and makeup) you should have at least two at any given time to look nice with less effort. And though it can be hard to implement in fashion, I liked the overall idea of having a choice yet setting a standard at the same time. Menus are a popular journaling/habit tool and consist of a “menu” or list of things that generally define a routine (morning/night, skincare, etc.) The idea is you freely choose from the list based on what you are capable of and it’s a less strict way to build a habit. (I’m currently trying to have better night and morning routines so once I try it out, I’m sure there will be another blog post on the way.) But back to this concept of a list of things and having the option to pick at minimum two things from that list to meet the standard you’re trying to achieve. I decided to try it out with something I always struggle with: feeling productive.  Despite the fact that I...