Written by Anna Franklyn – Founder, Fleck Journals
I’d never experienced true rage until I became a mum of two. After the birth of my son, I was tired and stretched, but I don’t remember feeling angry. Two years later, with an extremely energetic toddler and a four-month-old who wouldn’t sleep for more than 50 minutes at a time, it was a different story. I’d never seen red like it.
One day – I couldn’t tell you which, because they all blurred together – my baby was crying, my toddler was mid-tantrum, and something in me snapped. I slammed the microwave door so hard both kids burst into tears. The noise was loud, but it was me that scared them. The guilt was instant and heavy, and that was the moment I realised I couldn’t keep going like that.
I tried to get help but an appointment with a new GP (my regular one was away) was underwhelming. I got the familiar advice to “rest more” and “slow down,” as if that fixed chronic sleep deprivation or the weight of running a household while barely holding yourself together. I didn’t have the mental energy to pursue it further, so I went back to something I’d done since I was young… journaling.
At first, it was pure venting. Everything I didn’t say out loud ended up on the page, and it helped at first. But after a few weeks, I realised I was writing the same thing on repeat. I was unloading, buut not understanding. That’s when I came across journaling prompts. They seemed simple, almost too simple, but they were a game-changer. Instead of circling my exhaustion and rage, I was answering questions that helped make sense of it: What am I actually angry about? Why do those things trigger me so much? What do I need but never ask for?
Prompts didn’t solve the chaos, but they gave me some clarity. If you’ve ever felt stuck in the same thought loop about work, motherhood, money, your relationship (or all of the above), you know how powerful it is to finally see things clearly. But I grew tired of late-night Googling, scrolling through endless lists in search of the “right” question. I didn’t need more choice, I needed less.
I was looking for something simple and flexible with enough structure to start, no rules, no pressure, no screens. So I started writing my own prompts. And without ever stopping to analyse whether this was a good idea, I decided to turn them into a deck of cards – not because I saw a business opportunity, but because it was the tool I couldn’t find anywhere else.
I built Fleck during nap times, after bedtime, on lunch breaks, and in my Notes app on the walk to daycare (when I really should’ve been looking up at the sky instead). I went down every possible rabbit hole and rewrote and redesigned everything over and over. I cried over samples that weren’t even close and learned more about paper textures than I ever thought possible.
But slowly, The Fleck Deck took shape: 50 prompts divided into Curiosity, Clarity, Creation, Celebration and Comfort. Prompts to help you understand yourself better, see what’s actually in your way, take small steps toward what you want, acknowledge the good, and move through stress without spiralling.
A companion journal followed, deliberately simple and lightweight so it could be used anywhere, not just at a perfectly styled desk. No dates, no forced structure. Just space to think.
Fleck is not about perfect handwriting or poetic reflections. It’s about clarity – the kind that shows up when you give yourself a few quiet minutes – and calm – the kind that comes from getting your thoughts out of your head. And it’s about connection – back to your real wants, not the ones shaped by noise, comparison or expectation.
You don’t need an hour, an aesthetic morning routine, or a flawless system. You can write for two minutes in the car outside daycare. You can pull a card before bed. You can leave it for a week and come back when you need it. Fleck was built for real lives, no matter how messy, busy or crowded.
Right now, Fleck is still tiny. I’m packing orders myself in a far-from-serene house. But it was created in chaos, for people living in chaos, who want a small pocket of space to hear themselves think again, so that’s kind of the point.
There are more things coming – new decks, workshops, rituals, maybe even tea, because a warm cup makes everything feel better – but the core will always be the same: clarity, calm and connection delivered in small, doable steps.
If you’ve been craving even two quiet minutes to check in with yourself, that’s what Fleck is for.
You can find Fleck at fleckjournals.com or follow along at @thisisfleck.
