My last bullet journal was from Cognative Surplus and lasted me 6 months. I liked it, I got a new one for my next BuJo.
Bullet Journal Check-in | How I Use My Year at a Glance
Usually when I’m first making a new Bullet Journal, I write out a year at a glance. Many Bullet Journalers find this tedious: writing all the small dates and getting all the months written out correctly. I do find that I almost always make a mistake or two. But I also think it’s worth it to look ahead in the year and mark down events or dates that I want to remember throughout the year.
In this space, I mostly mark down major holidays, bdays, reoccurring events (like festivals, fairs, etc…), or things that are planned far in advance. I find that having all this info in one place, right in my journal, prevents me from constantly having to look up the dates of things I’m interested in.
I like to create the spread, then list all the dates, events, and bdays that I can think of. If I don’t now when an event will fall I look it up online. Some I know the general time, but not the exct date. Some bdays I forget and have to ask family or friends (I’m terrible at bdays).
This year, this has been particulary challenging as many events were cancelled. I’ve also found that many events that I look forward to were planned, scheduled, and then no further info was given. Who knows what late 2020 and early 2021 will be? Now that I have my new book, I’m still planning on setting up the dates the way that I normally do, but I have the feeling I’ll be doing a lot of extra research and double checking.
Do you use a year at a glance? In what ways do you find it useful?
Something Nice
My new bujo (to start in Oct) arrived in the mail! I have started working on the yearly spreads and can’t wait to get more into the meat of it!
Bullet Journal Check In | Sept - Looking for New Book Inspo
September is here and my current bullet journal is almost used up so I have been seeking out what I will buy next. It’s like back to school!
The first thing I did was go thru some notebooks I’ve gotten second hand to see if one of those would work. My first choice would be to use one that I already have. I recently found a wealth of old sketch books and journals that I had gotten very many years and many years ago. Last year I picked up a handful of notebooks at a rummage sale. But alas, none dot grid, unfortunately and I really want to continue using a dot grid.
My normal next steps would be to go get thrifting! But since that’s not as easy as it used to be and since I’ve only been to the thrift once in the last 6 months this isn’t the best option for me right now.
So, on to the internet to start seeking out a sustainable option. I have used and really like the Decomposition notebooks before, so that’s a possibility. I had the oyster dot grid two BuJos ago and really enjoyed it. Being spiral bound was super easy to get to all the pages and the large format was nice to work with and design.
I took a look and enjoyed the Catskills design, too. This is dot grid but has too few pages, I think. I like my journals to last a good long while if possible. The exception I make to that would be a thrifted journal. Better to make do in that case.
I’ve seen journals and notebooks with paper made from reclaimed and recycled construction stone pop up a few times and I am intrigued! There are quite a few brands now: Karst looks interesting. All the stone paper lists smoothness as a quality and advantage, but that’s not my favorite when it comes to writing and drawing.
I might be most interested in the Cognitive Surplus notebooks (top photo). The covers are so pretty! I love the designs, the price is quite nice and they are made in the USA.
One factor that is important to me when choosing a notebook online is to avoid amazon. I’m trying hard to wean myself off that site.
I’m not sure what I will pick, but I only have a month to figure it out! Are there any sustainable, recycled journals and notebooks you have used and enjoyed? Are there any you would recommend?
Bullet Journal Check In | August - What I Track and Why
The other day, I saw a friends habit tracker on Instagram and they requested to see mine. When they did, they were surprised! I was tracking so many things!!
When I first started bullet journalling, my tracker was only a handful of things, now it’s up to about 50.
I think my friend used thier habit tracker to keep them motivated for certain tasks, and I use mine that way, too. But I mostly use it to track my habits. I like to see what days I do what things, how often I do those things. I like to see what weeks or months I do which of the things I track. Sometimes I want to build a habit so I put it on my tracker to inspire me. My habit tracker changes seasonally. Summers I track swimming, Winters I might track something else. Some tasks I would do whether they were on the tracker or not. Some I very rarely do. I Like to look back over the month to take note of all this info.
Recently I’ve tried to put all the action items I want for my morning routine in one spot on my habit tracker. This way I can see if I do each item every day. I like how this has been working. Sometimes checking the habit tracker reminds me of some part of my morning routine and I set out to do it before I forget. Sometimes I don’t end up doing it in the morning, but later in the day instead.
Occasionally these are things that I will kick off my tracker if I see that I’m consistently not doing them. Sometimes I take things off bc I don’t feel the need to track them any more.
More often I think of things I might like to add to my tracker. But unless I drop other items, I’m just about out of room!
Do you use your tracker to keep you motivated? Do you track only things you do with consistency? Do you change your habit tracker each month or always track the same items year in and year out?
My Favorite Videos About Productivity
I love to watch Youtube videos about productivity, habits, resets, to keep you on track, different methods of systems and checklists, and meeting your goals, whatever those goals may be. I find by watching a lot of these types of videos, I can pick and choose and create my own views and methods of being productive in both work and life. Here are some of my favorite videos and a great way to get started.
One method that I love to use to increase my productivity and organization and keep my life in order is Bullet Journaling. I have a bunch of posts about my bullet journal you can check out. But the best video to start a bullet journal is the Bullet Journal Set Up by Ryder Carroll.
My favorite youtuber to watch on this subject is MuchelleB. She does a lot of reading on the subject and can distill that info down, so you don’t have to. I enjoy almost all of her videos, but especially like that most of them are short and to the point. I follow, to some extent her method of having a Life Admin Day when I can.
Calendar blocking is a great method for productivity and organization and Any Landino is the queen of calendar blocking. Her style is more commercial and brash than most of the videos I watch, but I enjoy many of her vids.
Who are your favorite productivity gurus? What methods do you find useful to keep your self on track in the day to day? Do you find videos helpful? Share your favorites!
Bullet Journal Check In | April - A Very Big Content Calendar
I have been keeping a content calendar and blog log for a long time now. Mine is a modified version on Femmehead’s version which I think she got from someone else.
I like to have a content calendar where I can plan what blogs I want to write and post, but also a log of the actual posts I have made. For me, that looks something like this:
I title this page with the month and then Content Calendar and Blog Log. You don’t have to title your pages, but I find it helpful when I go thru my BuJo each day. On the left most side I put the dates and days of the month. The next few columns are my content calendar. Here I put what I intend to blog on which day. Then, I have 4 areas that I check off as I complete the blog. The eyeball symbol which signifies that I have had the idea and done some of the research for this post, even if it’s just thinking about what I want to write. Next, I check off that I have written the blog, next that I have taken the photos. Finally, I have a check for when I post the blog. Once I’ve posted the blog, I write in my blog log, what the blog was on the correct date. There is a little “C” column here for if this post gets commented on. I check each blog off on my regular series list as I complete it, if it is part of a regular series, and mark what date it was published. This might seem like this system has a few redundencies, and it does! But this is the method that I’ve found works best for me!
In my latest Bullet Journal, I have been tracking all my blog drafts this way as well. When ever I have an idea for a blog, I find the best thing to do is make a blog draft right away so I don’t forget what I want to write about. Sometimes I just put the title to remind me of what I want to write later. Sometimes I write a few lines, sometimes many lines. I end of having a lot of unfinished drafts, and many barely started drafts. I find it hard to scroll thru these and confusing to remember how far I got on every draft.
I made my Very Big Content Calendar and Blog Log in the back of the book, upside down and started from the back. This serves two purposes for me. One is that I have to consiously look at it to fill it out and theat means I’m really thinking about each blog. Two is that I won’t get it confused when with other BuJo content when I get to that section of my book.
When I need inspiration or when I have filled out some on a blog or two, I go back thru my Very Big list and cross things off. Sometimes I decide that a blog idea isn’t going to work, or I’ve rewritten it in another post, or it’s a duplicate. In that case, I put a slash thru the entire blog note and delete it from my drafts.
One modification I will make to both logs is to add an edited check box to my list of things that need to get done before I publish. I have noticed that many of my blogs would benefit from an editor’s eye.
How do you keep track of your drafts?
Bullet Journal Check In: March - More Full Pages
In February I started a new Bullet Journal. Since I always use what ever book I have on hand, most of them thrifted, or found, all my Bullet Journals end up looking quite different. I thought it might be interesting to record some full pages from my BuJo’s latest iteration.
Bullet Journal Check-In | New Book for February.
Last year, I decided I wanted a new book for my bullet journal. I bought two. I loved the one I chose to use first. It was big, easy to use and cute! The other book is very different. But since I bought it, it must get used.
I’m not sure I will like this journal as much as the last one, but I’ve had a different book for all of my journals so far and that’s part of the fun. In the future, I could see myself sticking to one type of book, having a set of neat and tidy, uniform, books over the years. But for now, variety is still king.
Bullet Journal Check in | July Before and After
I’ve been Bullet Journalling for quite a few years now. It’s a daily practice that keeps me on track with tasks and goals. It has also become a treasured and comforting daily routine.
I thought it would be interesting to take a look at at a July’s monthly spreads as they are before being filled in and after they are totally full. Many of my pages have not changed in the years I have been practicing, but some change depending on the journal I’m using or the monthly tasks I need to complete.
The monthly calendar is an overview I reference every day.
I like to have my monthly goals and tasks laid out close near the calendar to reference. These are routine goals that are usually the same each month, or long term goals that I don’t want to loose track of.
My monthly habit tracker changes seasonally.
Since starting this journal, I’ve created a new blog log and content calendar.
I try to use a sleep tracker each month. In this journal, I try to keep more detailed notes about each night.
The expense tracker is not always the most accurate of my trackers, but I do like to keep a record of what I pay out and what comes in.
The rest of the month is occupied by my daily spreads. In this journal, I have been trying to use this space for daily tasks and make space to write a bit of diary each day.
And below are all the pages filled in after the month.
I don’t need my bullet journal to be neat and tidy, I like the way the pages look full and messy. Is your bullet journalling style neat and clean, or rough and messy? Are your favorite pages empty or full?
Bullet Journal Check In | New Book in June
I’ve started my new Bullet Journal book and I’m loving it! I love that each Bullet Journal is unique and customizable. And more that that, for me at least, each one takes on a little bit of a life of it’s own.
For my current bullet journal, I did end up buying a new new book to start in June. I went with a dot grid which I haven’t used in a while. The grid is huge compared to my last notebook! Bc of this, my approach to pages and layout are a little different.
I kept my main pages (the index, year at a glance, my monthly trackers and such) pretty much the same, but I’ve flipped my dailies and been really good about keeping up with a little bit of journalling each day!
My first attempts at writing out my monthly trackers went a little wonky, but now that I’m more used to this big grid, July is gonna go much smoother. Another thing I love about BuJo is that I’m never upset about making mistakes, bc the next month is a chance to improve!
Do you prefer a big dot grid for your journal? Do you keep a diary in your dailies?
What are your favorite aspects of Bullet Journalling?
Bullet Journal Check In: May 2019 - New Book Needed
My current Bullet Journal has lasted quite a few months - November 2018 to May 2019. But now our time together is coming to an end. This current journal will only last until the end of the month. I loved this last journal bc it was thrifted, reused and pretty darn cute. For my next book, I have no idea what I’ll get. Ideally, I’d love to find a used book again, but I’m in a little bit of a time crunch.
Here are a few books I might like to try:
The last few books I’ve gotten were grid books and I really like to bullet journal with grids. But I’m ready to try a dot notebook again. All three of the above are interesting choices.
Do you have a go to notebook?
Bullet Journal Check In: February Clothing Tracker
Starting this year, I was curious to see how often I was wearing each item in my capsule wardrobe. The size of my current bullet journal is perfect to be able to write down each item!
I used a very simple layout, in January, writing down all the items first and filling in when I wore them.
For February, I am writing them down as I wear them. And marking where I repeat items.
As for the wardrobe side of this experiment, so far, I’m very intrigued by the results. Since I have so many pieces in my winter capsule, they only each get worn a few times each month. It has really given me pause about including so many pieces in each capsule. I was also surprised that I really do try to wear just about everything I have included. I was not surprised at what pieces were my go to items that I returned to again and again. I’ll be interested to track the last 1.5 months of this capsule and see what changes in my next capsule wardrobe as a result of this tracker!
As for the bullet journal aspect of this experiment, I haven’t found a tracker layout that I really like. This feels like something I would like to continue for a few more months, at least, but this tracker is pretty boring to fill out. It’s also a little hard to read. I’m sure if I had less items to list, it would look less cluttered, but I’m not convinced that will happen! My BuJo style is very minimal, so I’m not sure what other type of layout I could use. Does anyone have any ideas for me?
Do you tack your wardrobe?
Bullet Journal Check In: January 2019
I started my current journal half way thru November of 2018. I’m not one to start a new journal for the start of the year. I don’t make a grand show each year switching over with lots of fancy new spreads, etc… I really only do a few over view spreads, like an index and a future log. All of my other spreads I make new each month.
For Jan I have been watching a lot of new journal set ups on you tube and there are some spreads I might try to incorporate this month and in months ahead. But mainly I just use what I know works for me and continue to tweak how my bullet journal helps me be more organized and productive.
I’ve talked about my current journal and how I thrifted it in another post. It’s a very different size than I’m used to and it took me about two month to figure out how it works best for me, but now I’m loving it!
You’ll see that my Bullet Journal is very minimal and utilitarian and I really don’t mind if I make mistakes or try things that do not end up working out.
I like that this journal is so large that I can put my monthly calendar and tasks on the same page. I follow this same practice for my habit tracker and my goals. My tasks are appointments and and items that I try to get done each month. My goals are more aspirations that I want to fulfill each month. Intentions and inspirations.
All of these are different than the monthly goals I’ve been setting in this blog.
For January, I had room to put a content calendar for this month and the next. I’m still trying to get the hang of using this, but I have found it more helpful than not, so I keep at it. I also have a general idea of the content I want to post each day on the bottom of the calendars.
The next spreads are my sleep tracker and blog tracker. I like the content calendar for theoretical content, but I always track what I do actually post. I use the space under these spreads for various things, different each month.
New to this month, I’m tracking the clothes that I wear each day. I want to couple this with outfit of the day photos, but I haven’t gotten that far yet. I’ve tried to track my clothes before, but this is really working for me this month. This month, I’ve been adding the clothes as I wear them, but in the future, I would like to write them all down more neatly.
The next page is an example of my daily spreads. In this journal I find this layout the easiest and most effective. I have been trying to journal a little bit about each day with all the space provided.
Below, after another page of dailies, in which you can see a shopping list, and some ideas for a reset day, is a completely failed cleaning spread. I hope to figure out a way to use this or something like it in coming months, but for now, I just gave it up.
What do you do with unused spreads?
How do you plan your months? What does your January spreads look like?
Bullet Journal Check In: December - Daily Spreads with Journalling.
With my new larger format Bullet Journal, I was excited to start reincorporating some notes on each day into my daily spreads. Although I use my BuJo for organizing and keeping myself on track with goals and tasks, I also use it as a record of my life. I fell out of the habit of this practice, which was always one of my intentions with bullet journalling.
My weekly spreads look a lot different in this bigger journal. It’s perfect to jot down a few notes for each day. I like to record what we did, how I felt, what time I got out of work, and general info.
What info besides tasks and to dos do you like to keep a record of?
Bullet Journal Check In: New Book for November
It’s finally time to start a new Bullet Journal and it just so happens that I thrifted a new (to me) note book a few weeks ago. While at a rummage sale I found this oversized, grid notebook with a Spiderman theme! It was obviously loved by a young someone and had some drawings still inside. I love them and have incorporated them into my index. I think it’ll be fun to come upon them when going through creating my journal.
This book is the biggest format I’ve used for a bullet journal and the grid is quite small. I love the idea of repurposing it and making due with what I have. I also think this large size will allow me more space for certain things. I’ve interested to see how I utilize it, especially for my daily spreads. I’ll be sure to show some results soon!
I really enjoyed getting something second hand and not buying new! It feels great to apply a low impact mindset to more and more aspects of my life.
I will have made it thru at least half of November in my current journal so the Spiderman BuJo will start mid month. I love to create the full spreads for both current and next journal, but I most likely will not fill in everything twice and will pick up the new book what ever day I switch over.
How do you transition your Bullet Journal mid month?
Bullet Journal Check In: August - A Look Back at Full Pages
It's been a minute since we checked in with my Bullet Journal. I still use it every day and it still helps me feel balanced and productive. My BuJo is not that pretty. I have a minimalist style but my journal is very functional so I don't often take the time to make it look perfect.
One thing I love about migrating and starting a new month is to look back at completed pages, and trackers! When I did my August monthly spread, I looked back at some full calendar pages, and the first pages of each month. This journal started this May so I have a few month to look back on.
Fabriano grid notebooks are my favorite notebooks to use for bullet journalling so far. The covers of my journals always et super ugly and dirty! I put my coffee cup and my breakfast on them a lot of days.
The first few pages of my journals are always my index, it was nice that this page was all full by August. I always find stickers and usually stick them in my BuJo.
The first page of each month is a monthly calendar overview and my task lists. Here I'll show two months so you can see how I migrate over, or repeat tasks month to month.
Both these months were pretty busy and I love looking back and seeing how full they look!
One of the joys of bullet journalling is full pages, crossing things off and migrating things to the next month. My journal is never that pretty, I use different pens and it can be messy, I put my coffee cup on it and it gets stains. But I still love the way it looks and find full pages super satisfying!
If you have full Bullet Journal pages that you love, share them!
Bullet Journal Check In: A new BUJO
It's that wonderful time that comes around every so often! I have filled my bullet journal and its time to set up a new one!!
My favorite notebook to use is Fabriano notebook with grid paper. I've used a few of these, my last BuJo was a purple one and for my new journal I got one in blue. Bc I buy a new (bio friendly) notebook, I make sure to only use pens I already have. We have a seemingly endless supply of pens and markers. So the pen I'm using right now is just some sort of black in pen that has rattled around the house and the name brand has worn off.
I am on the hunt for a more zero waste/low impact solution to just buying a new notebook Perhaps I should start seeking them out at thrift shops or yard sales? Does anyone have any low impact solutions to notebook needs?
My last journal lasted from November until April. I'm excited to see how many months I get out of my new bullet journal!
Youtube Video | Bullet Journal Flip Thru
Soooooo, I'm super new to YouTube. But I figure if I'm watching and enjoying YouTube, I should try it out, too. While I'm figuring it out, you can find me at Ana Mo Shoshin. I'd be super grateful for any tips, ideas, or comments!
Here is my second video in all it's bouncy glory. I had intended to put this at the end of yesterdays blog, but I could not get it to work for the life of me! Today, I figured it out!! Each time I upload, I learn things, see things that I want to change and ways to improve. Who else out there is starting their YouTube journey?
For those new to creating on YouTube, I highly recommend checking out all of channelnotes videos! She has a great way of being informative and inspiring and almost all her videos are less than 10 minutes!
Bullet Journal Check in: March Set Up
I've been Bullet Journalling for about 24 months now, but every month I'm excited to make a new set up! For March, I used a few of the new spreads I had been testing out in February. Testing spreads is a great way to see if they are useful, but there is something very satisfying about setting up a new month with all the spreads!
The march overview and monthly task pages are simple. Each month these remain pretty much the same since starting my Bullet Journal.
Usually the next pages contains my logs, but I have omitted those this month and made a large sleep tracker to try instead. Here I will track nightly sleep and napping! I carried over my blog log set up bc this works well for me. This is where I log when and what I actually blog, when I post on insta, and my regular series. I leave a notes section at the bottom, but this month I have filled it up with all the drafts I have waiting on the blog, so I can finish some of them, and cross them off!!
Next are two new spreads: A content calendar, which I tried out last month, and a weekly/biweekly cleaning tracker. We will see how well these work for me in March.
My habit tracker remains mostly the same for March, but I have added my daily routine items into it for this month. Previously I had been writing this in as a weekly overview but it was starting to feel chaotic and I was not filling it out regularly. These pages also contain a general shopping list and a lunch tracker for when and what my husband takes for lunch.
I'm working on how I want my expense tracker to be going forward. This one has categories but still isn't quite right. This is also the first month that I am trying out a budget tracker. I'm not sure if budgeting is something I will really pursue, but for March, I thought I'd try it!
In March, I'm trying something new, but bunching all my daily spreads together. Usually I make them as they come, between other spreads or lists or idea pages. This month, I'm trying to only add small ideas among my daily spreads, like the bottom right box, which has some blog ideas. Since I no long have a log page, I have added a sewing section to each day to track how much time I spend on sewing. I also have one for time spent at the beach.
Overall, I'm happy with this monthly layout, but I 6 days in, I'm already spotting things I miss or may need to add. I enjoy that my Bullet Journal is always a work in progress!
Please share a link to your March set up in the comments!