In an age when productivity hacks and rigid routines dominate nearly every corner of the wellness world, Margot Lee is doing the opposite. She’s slowing down, stepping back, and giving people tools that honor what real life actually feels like, unpredictable, textured, emotional, and deeply human. Her brand, No Particular Order, has become a quiet rebellion against the over-structuring of modern self-improvement, offering a more compassionate, intuitive approach to journaling.

Her flagship release, Volume 1, is a guided journal built not around discipline, but around curiosity. With over 200 prompts arranged in no specific order, it invites readers to let instinct guide them, a subtle but powerful reminder that reflection isn’t supposed to be perfect. It’s supposed to be honest.

“During my market research, I realized how prescriptive most journals felt,” Lee explains. “They told you how often to write, what time of day to do it, or even how much space you’re allowed to fill. But if you’re not someone who journals already, you’re not going to build a habit just because a book tells you to.”

So she designed the opposite: a journal that meets people in the in-between moments — the pockets of downtime, the emotional highs and lows, the everyday urges to process, reflect, or simply escape offline for a minute. The result is a guided experience that never feels forced, only inviting.

Volume 1 opens with a list of reasons someone might reach for their journal, a gentle compass that acknowledges how emotional landscapes shift day to day. From there, the prompts cover a wide emotional range: vulnerable reflections like “When have you waited for permission when you should have just gone for it?” to light, creative exercises like designing a personal brand logo. The mix mirrors real life, both the meaningful and the mundane deserve space.

“I wanted a journal that respected people’s emotional patterns,” Lee says. “Some days you need depth, and other days you just want something playful. Both are valid.”

One of the most beloved aspects of Volume 1 is its paper-like cover meant to be personalized, worn in, decorated, or left intentionally blank. It’s a design choice rooted in Lee’s focus groups, where she discovered how uniquely personal journaling is for each individual.

“People have strong opinions about the look and feel of their journals,” she says. “Personalization makes the journal an extension of the person using it, not just another product on a shelf.”

That design ethos continues inside the book, too. For each prompt, Lee and designer Dalia Emilia experimented with charts, diagrams, open spaces, and lists to support different styles of reflection. Some pages clicked instantly; others took seven or eight iterations to get the balance just right.

“Our goal was always to create something beautiful and modern, but functional,” she notes. “The layout should support the writing experience, not prescribe a certain type of expression.”

January is often filled with pressure: new routines, new expectations, new resolutions. But for Lee, true self-improvement starts with clarity, not performance.

“I’ve always believed success starts with knowing yourself,” she says. “Journaling helps you pause and understand your real intentions, so the goals you set aren’t arbitrary, they’re aligned.”

Instead of resolutions that quickly lose steam, reflection becomes a grounding practice, one that helps readers understand their motivations before they try to change their habits.

“When you know your ‘why,’ everything becomes more intentional,” she explains. “You don’t need to reinvent yourself. You just need to reconnect with who you already are.”

One of the most common barriers people face is the pressure to be consistent, to write every day, at the same time, for a set amount of minutes. Volume 1 actively rejects that rigidity.

“No Particular Order’s goal is to make journaling intuitive, not obligatory,” Lee says. “When the process feels lighter, you build a more sustainable relationship with it. One that fits your life, not the other way around.”

This philosophy isn’t just about writing, it’s about emotional wellness, too. Creativity, for Lee, is a tool for mental clarity. It pulls her out of her head and into a flow state, where she feels most grounded.

“Creativity shapes the way you see the world,” she says. “It spills into problem-solving, career vision, relationships, and everything.”

With the holidays in full swing, Lee’s approach to wellness and reflection aligns seamlessly with the need for meaningful, low-pressure gifting. Instead of searching for the “perfect thing”, especially for recipients with unique tastes, she’s leaning into something simple and thoughtful: No Particular Order gift cards.

“People’s relationships with creativity and reflection are so personal,” she explains. “A gift card gives them the freedom to choose what resonates with them — whether that’s Volume 1, a career-focused journal like In the Margins, or something from our new stationery collection.”

In a season often filled with stress, decision fatigue, and last-minute shopping panic, NoPO gift cards eliminate the guesswork while still feeling deeply intentional. They’re meaningful without being overwhelming — which, in many ways, embodies the ethos of the brand.

“The holidays should feel joyful, not stressful,” Lee says. “A gift card is such an easy way to show you care while giving someone full control over their experience.”

For those beginning a new chapter in the new year, students, creatives, career-changers, or anyone craving intentional time offline, a journal becomes more than a product. It becomes a companion.

And gifting someone the chance to choose the journal that fits their moment? That’s a type of care that lingers.

Looking ahead, Lee hints at a 2026 release focused on yet another pivotal life transition — continuing the brand’s mission to support readers through every emotional chapter. The expansion into stationery has also been a hit, and she’s excited to keep building a world of paper goods that live alongside the journals.

As she puts it, “We want our products to evolve with our audience as they navigate their own big moments.”

No Particular Order gift cards are available now.The most intentional gift is the one that lets them choose what they need.

‍