Margot Lee and No Particular Order on Journaling and Creativity

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For creator and founder Margot Lee, journaling has never been just a hobby, it’s the quiet ritual that shaped her creativity, sustained her through major life pivots, and ultimately inspired her brand, No Particular Order. Her pages have held everything from childhood travel memories to career anxieties, bucket lists, early business ideas, and the first sketches of what would become one of today’s most recognizable prompted-journaling brands.

When we sat down with Margot, she spoke candidly about how the practice evolved from a personal survival tool to a business built on emotional clarity, thoughtful design, and daily rituals that bring people back to themselves.

Long before No Particular Order, there was a ten-year-old girl scribbling in a travel journal during a family trip to Italy. Those early pages, still tucked inside Margot’s archives, feel almost prophetic now. The trip would later inspire Off the Grid, her travel journal designed for documenting adventures in a screen-free, sensory way.

But the practice didn’t fully crystallize until her college years.

Q: When did journaling first become meaningful for you?

ML: I kept journals off and on as a kid, one from a family trip to Italy when I was ten actually inspired our travel journal, Off the Grid. But it wasn’t until college that journaling became essential. It was the first time my coursework looked different for every class, and suddenly I was responsible for balancing school, extracurriculars, and a social life. It was overwhelming, and journaling became the tool that helped me stay organized and grounded through such a transformative chapter of my life.

Those pages became a compass through young adulthood, a way to structure chaos, process emotions, and stay tethered to herself. And eventually, they sparked something larger.

(Young Margot Journaling)

(Pages of Margot’s Journal When She was 10)

Those pages became a compass through young adulthood, a way to structure chaos, process emotions, and stay tethered to herself. And eventually, they sparked something larger.

The move from her college town to New York City, a leap filled with ambition, independence, and a dose of loneliness, pushed Margot to think differently about journaling. It wasn’t just about her anymore. It was about the universal experience of navigating life’s transitions.

Q: How did that experience shape the beginnings of No Particular Order?

ML: The transition from college to New York City felt like this huge step toward independence, but it also brought a lot of overwhelm and loneliness — even though so many of us are going through it at the same time. Throughout life, we hit these major pivots: career changes, moves, loss, marriage, parenthood. I realized how much people crave guidance through these seasons, but mentors can be hard to find. The idea for No Particular Order came from wanting to support people through those moments with thoughtful prompts and structure.

Her instincts were right and the validation arrived unexpectedly.

When several of Margot’s daily journaling prompt series went viral on TikTok, she realized the demand was bigger than her audience. Her videos weren’t just trending, they were becoming rituals for thousands of viewers, many of whom checked the app each morning for her next prompt.

Q: Was there a moment when you realized journaling could become an actual brand?

ML: Yes, it happened when two of my daily journaling series went viral on TikTok. People were tuning in every day for new prompts. It was a huge realization that there’s real interest in prompted journaling. But the irony bothered me: people had to open an addictive app just to find a moment offline. Most of them probably got distracted in seconds. So I treated those videos as a proof of concept and spent the next year developing Volume 1, our book of 200 prompts you can use in any order.

The virality became the catalyst. Volume 1 became the blueprint. And No Particular Order quickly travelled far beyond TikTok.

(Photo Credit: No Particular Order)

To Margot, a journal is where all meaningful ideas begin, a private space that eventually turns into public creativity.

Before any layout is designed or product development begins, she returns to her notebook.

Q: You’ve said your journal is where your ideas begin. How does a concept evolve from the page into your work?

ML: I’m a visual person. If my ideas stay in my head, they either get lost or become overwhelming. Putting pen to paper helps me organize them. I rely a lot on lists, brainstorms, bucket lists, wishlists, and on T-charts for pros and cons or next steps. Those simple structures help me see things from new angles and eventually turn into campaigns, products, or creative projects.

Her journals are overflowing with half-formed sentences, sketches, concepts, and late-night brainstorming sessions, the raw material that eventually becomes product lines.

Q: How does journaling support your creative process day-to-day?

ML: I get bursts of creative energy at really random times. When that happens, I immediately reach for my journal. I jot down ideas for products, prompts, or campaigns so I can revisit them later. I’ve filled pages and pages over the years, and it’s fun to go back and see how my career has unfolded through those entries.

(Photo Credit: No Particular Order)

New York plays an unexpected role in Margot’s practice. The city’s constant movement is what keeps her journaling grounded.

Q: Do routine or spontaneity shape your practice?

ML: I’ve learned I’m happiest when every day looks different. That’s actually why I moved back to New York after spending time in England — New York gives you something new every day. Because of that constant change, journaling became necessary for grounding myself.

Her nightly routine is simple but sacred: end the day with a to-do list, draft a next-day structure, and, on harder days, complete a few prompts from Volume 1.

Q: What does your ideal journaling ritual look like?

ML: I always have a journal with me, spontaneity is a big part of it. But I’m also intentional at night: the last thing I do before turning off the lights is write a to-do list and an hourly plan for the next day. If it’s been a tough day, I’ll fill out a couple of pages from Volume 1. I almost always feel better afterwards.

(Photo Credit: No Particular Order)

No Particular Order is as much about emotional structure as it is about physical details. Margot is meticulous about how the journals feel, the thickness of the paper, the spine, the way the book lays open, because she understands how those tactile decisions shape a user’s experience.

Q: How did you approach designing the structure and layout of your journals?

ML: Prompts come naturally to me, so my process always starts in my own journal. From there, I move to my iPad, where I create as many prompts as possible in Procreate. Then my designer and I refine everything until it’s perfect for print.

Q: Any design details that were non-negotiable?

ML: Lay-flat pages were huge for me. I worked closely with my printers on everything: the spine binding, the page count, the paper. I also didn’t want the journals to feel overwhelming, especially because they’re tied to emotional stages of life. Sticking to 64 pages and ensuring every prompt pulled out different responses helped achieve that. And I personally love dotted pages — though one day we’ll explore lines, grids, and blank pages because journaling is so personal.

Her ideas list for what’s coming for NoPO, unsurprisingly, is pages long.

Q: Where do you hope to take No Particular Order next?

ML: There’s no shortage of journals and paper goods I want to create. But right now, the next big step is finding wholesale partners we can grow with.

As with everything Margot does, the next chapter will no doubt begin in the margins of a journal, sketched, refined, and brought to life one prompt at a time.

In Partnership with APG

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