Bullet Journaling

Today I wanted to talk about my bullet journal (or bujo, as I've seen). 

A bullet journal is a planner where YOU create it's entire layout and content. The journals typically are ones with dotted pages but the beauty is that you can use whatever you want. There are suggestions but no rules.

Typical journal

I'm not going to go into the how to set up a bullet journal for two reasons 1) I can't do it as well as some other people have (for a video click here and for a great website click here.) and 2) I don't use mine with the planner format.

I have a great system I use for planning (my teacher planner for school and my simple wall calendar for my appointments, etc) so I didn't need an extra planner. I do, however, thrive on writing out my to do lists by hand.

And that's basically what I use my bullet journal for, to do lists. I also track habits that I want to start, track books I've read, movies I went out to see, future ideas for things, tv shows I watch, basically anything that I want to keep track of.

washi tape is fun to use in bujo

I was going to show pictures of beautiful bullet journal spreads because I am not an artist. I practice writing in different fonts and it's not pretty. I use washi tape and stickers to decorate my pages and while I'm pleased with the results, some other people's pages are just so gorgeous! I'm also very linear in my thinking so my bullet journal tends to reflect that. I decided NOT to show pictures of bullet journal spreads that aren't mine because I also did not want to take credit away from the artist/person who created them. So you are stuck with pictures from my own bullet journal. Some of the pages ideas I got from Pinterest, others I got from the Facebook groups I am part of, and others just work for me. 

I use stickers like these

I started bullet journaling a couple years ago but if my head isn't in the right place, I tend to drop it. I used to feel if I didn't follow through and check off everything on my list, it meant I was a failure. Now, I've reframed my list as my goals for the day but understanding that sometimes other things come up or maybe it was a particularly trying day and I need to focus on self-care that wasn't on my list. I'm learning to be more forgiving towards myself and I'm actually more successful with my lists, it may just take me writing it down more than once but it gets done. 

Since starting my bullet journal in January, it's been fun and I've been experimenting more. It helps with my tidying and if I make my list the night before, it helps me set my intention for the next day. I don't lie awake at night thinking of all the stuff I have to do, it's already written down.

So here are some of my pages:

I've been playing with different pens & fonts. This is my title page if you will. The pen I used "ghosted" or imprinted to the other side, which I wasn't a fan of but I like this page.

My 2019 goals page & travel wish list. I found some travel washi tape that worked nicely with what I had in mind. I'm also practicing with "faking" calligraphy. 

My weight loss tracking page. My goal was 40 pounds but now that my doctor says I'm expected to lose 80 pounds, I'll add another tracker page once I fill this one up. I also included a motivational quote to help keep me going.

I have a GoodReads account that keeps track of my books for the year BUT it doesn't count re-reads and I do, so I made my own tracker. So far, I'm already behind but that doesn't mean I won't make my goal. And last year I didn't. I only read 78 books, which is still okay with me.

So to keep track of the movies I go out and see, the idea was to write the movie title as a popcorn and then the page would be filled with popcorn. I haven't seen any movies yet but that's not atypical. As summer draws closer, I tend to go out more to watch movies, especially with Avengers coming out! The next page is a list of different ways I can practice self-care. 

I wanted a year at a glance but I didn't need it to be too big since my year isn't so jammed pack, but when it is, it's awesome! My other page is a title page for January and my goal is to create a similar page for each month. I used stickers for the theme.

This is a typical weekly spread for me. Notice that Friday none of my things were checked off because I had a change in plans. I've been keeping track of my weekend chores and that's been helping me feel more accomplished during my weekend. I love the rose gold wash tape. 

Tidying my house has been a slow process but at the start, I went through my house and made a list of everything I had wanted to tidy up. This list has been really helpful and I'm pleased how much has been crossed off at this point. Little bit by little bit, I am getting rid of things I'm not using, that are literally collecting dust, or things that just need a deep clean!

Again, a normal weekly spread but I started playing around with this style of font with a highlighter and a pen. I've tried different pens and so far my favorite are the felt tip Flair pens by Papermate and Stabilo highlighers. For a more fine line tip, I like Fineliner Color Pens by Sipa. All of these I ordered from Amazon. 

Uh huh, fake it till you make it!

If you are interested in learning more, have fun researching! There are so many ideas on Pinterest that a person could feel overwhelmed. So remember, it's YOURS and you need to make it work for you, no one else! And even if you aren't an artist, there are fun ways to make it look pretty with accessories. That's how I make it work.