I started my first bullet journal at the start of 2016 and after a whole year of using it to plan and organise my life, I thought I'd show you inside. I'll be showing you some of my favourite spreads in the journal, what supplies I use and also my layout progression through the course of the year!
YEAR TO VIEW CALENDAR
The first page in my journal is the 2016 year calendar overview. I loved how Boho Berry (one of my many favourite bullet journal YouTube accounts) laid hers out so this was an imitation (albeit a shoddy attempt as I hadn't learnt calligraphy yet)! This is great to flip back to during the year whilst planning months or weeks and is also an aesthetically pleasing start to the diary!
MONTHLY OVERVIEW LAYOUT
This is one spread that I kept the same each month (also inspired by Boho Berry). It allows me to roughly plan my month and note in any appointments/events. The days are listed down the left hand side, followed by an 'all day''morning' and 'evening' column.
I also added a column for any particular goals I wanted to complete that month, such as reach a certain amount of subscribers or pay a vendor etc. You could change this to content ideas or work targets, anything you like!
I've also seen people use highlighters here to colour co-ordinate their diary, such as purple for social life, blue for work etc but I prefer monochrome.
WEEKLY PLANNING LAYOUT DEVELOPMENT
I have experimented a lot with how to lay out my weekly planners and lists over the past year and I've finally settled on my two favourites.
The first is a weekly page overview (the March example) where I list out everything for the week on one page. The first column is my general 'to-do' list and the second is divided into categories - meals for the week, events planned, home/wedding to-do lists etc. These categories change each week but it allows me to see at a glance the things that need to be done.
OTHER PAGES
You can obviously add ANYTHING to your journal so don't feel restricted by keeping it neat and tidy. One of my favourite pages includes my video schedule (helps keeping organised very fun and it's also nice to look back on).
I also have a page for finance and my savings to help keep me motivated, a page for books I've read, films I want to watch, even a page on packages I'm waiting on arriving (the date I ordered them, what shop from and when they arrived).
GRATITUDE LOG
Every month, along with my calendar and weekly planners, I have added a gratitude log. I absolutely love this spread as it allows me to look back on my day each evening and jot two things that made me happy or that I was thankful for that day.
These pages are so lovely to look back on and also helped to give me a more positive outlook on each day. Even if I was stressed and at home working all day, I'd be forced to find things I was thankful for and this helps improve my overall mood.
My Bullet Journal supplies:
Leuchtturm1917 Notebook
I use a grey hardback medium dotted journal (this one here) and it's perfect. It's cheaper than the 'official' Leuchtturm bullet journal just without the coding (which is all online anyway).
Muji Gel ink pens
A Ruler & pencil
These are a must have for planning out particular pages, such as monthly & yearly overviews.
Washi tape, highlighting pens & mini post-its are optional
For decoration and highlighting!
I really hope you've enjoyed this post and found it helpful. I have to say, this way of planning and listing my days has really helped me to manage my time much better and has allowed me to become more organised with all aspects of my life. I've also focused on giving myself a set number of achievable tasks each day rather than everything I have to do at once, which has really helped with productivity and motivation. I really recommend this way of planning if you find yourself stuck in a rut and I can't wait to see yours!
If you would love a more in-depth look at my journal, please leave a comment and I can film a proper video for my YouTube channel.
If you would love a more in-depth look at my journal, please leave a comment and I can film a proper video for my YouTube channel.
Do you have a bullet journal?
K xxx