I can already see that at the end of 2018 I will be saying that my favourite discovery of this year has been the bullet journal. I have been so late in catching onto this trend and deciding to start my own 'BuJo' but I am so happy that I have finally discovered it and I am fully on board and loving the art of creative journalling.
I will be mainly sharing my bullet journal work over on my YouTube channel but every now and then I would also like to share it on my blog too, particularly when I've created some pages and spreads which I am particularly happy with and which deserve some showing off!
The main thing that I love about creative journalling of this kind is that it has really reignited a passion inside me to be more creative. Since I started my journal I feel like I finally have a dedicated space to practice my lettering and drawing skills. It also allows me to spend some time colouring which I find to be so relaxing and mindful. Anytime spent on my bullet journal is time well spent and time away from a screen. I find that I feel so content and relaxed after any session spent doodling and colouring and I just love that it all goes towards creating something useful which serves a purpose in my every day life. I get so much value from this new favourite hobby, I can't ever see myself giving it up now I've started and I only wish that I had discovered it properly sooner.
Anyway, moving inside my bullet journal, I have been really happy with how my March layout and spread looks and so I wanted to share with you all a peek inside next months theme for me and just how my pages are looking before I go and fill it all in.
Each month I start off with a monthly overview page where I write in the most important dates and events so it really stands out to me what I have on the month ahead and any birthdays I need to buy for or events I may want to think about getting an outfit for.
I then have my 'goals' and 'to do's' page which is where I can just layout some things that I hope to achieve which I can always flick back to throughout the month to remind myself to do those things and stay on track to reaching some targets.
I always include a weight loss tracker within the beginning pages of my month as this is something that's pretty important to me at the moment and something I find very motivating to keep track of on a month by month basis.
I also love to have a page of my journal dedicated to content ideas for the month ahead. Usually at the start of the month I have some ideas floating around my head or some draft posts in progress and so this is where I'll write down all of the content I'd like to produce for the month ahead. And it's probably worth mentioning that this is a working list which I refer back to and cross things off as and when they are completed. Anything which isn't completed may get migrated to the following month or may just be deleted altogether.
I also like to keep track of my monthly earnings. When you're freelancing it can get a bit chaotic as to what work you're being paid for and when and who owes you money so I always keep a log of this now in my journal which has meant that I am way more organised in ensuring I get paid when I should do.
I also like to have a random notes page which just serves as a blank page for me to be able to jot anything down that I need to that month.
After all of those beginning pages it's then time to move onto the actual weekly diary pages for the whole month. I tend to write mine out all in one go at the start of the month but I know other people like to do it on a week by week basis. I guess you just do whatever works best for you but personally I like to do mine monthly and see all the plans which are already in place. I also like to have these pages ready and set up so that I can write any new plans in as I go along in the month.
Finally at the end of every month I like to have a reflections page where I note down what has gone particularly well this month and what I would maybe like or need to improve on the next month. I also always write down my favourite day of the month just passed as a little reminder of the really good times and memories I'd like to hang onto. I also think about some goals ideas for the next month and any which I am particularly keen on setting myself I will then add to the new months goals section.
I am still pretty new to bullet journalling and I guess I am still working out what works for me and what doesn't. I do know that in my mind there are a few more things I'd maybe like to track and write down like weekly meal plans and exercise for example. I am also constantly feeling inspired by other people's bullet journal layouts and ideas so I'll no doubt chop and change things up as time goes on to suit my needs at that point in time. But that's actually another thing I really love about bullet journalling - the fact that it's a constant work in progress and changeable.
It really does feel so good to have all my important notes and plans in one place opposed to three or four different notebooks. I never realised until now how a regular diary can be so restricting! It's so nice to create something which exactly fits your needs and to only have to rely on one notebook.
If you're new to bullet journalling and want to find out more about it then I would definitely recommend watching my first video on my own 'BuJo' setup and if you check out the description box I have also linked the videos which really helped me to get started with my first journal.
Do you own a bullet journal yourself or is it something you'd maybe like to start up doing?
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