HAAAY LOVES!
There are big things happening on the blog this week. I've got two new posts coming for ya!
Today is all about setting up my 2018 bullet journal. If you're interested in starting a bujo, but don't know how to start, check out this post, where I describe all the ins and outs of bullet journaling.
I kind of fell of the wagon with my bujo last year...I was pretty consistent for the first part of the year, but when summer hit, I didn't want the responsibility...oops! I'm a school teacher, so I didn't want my summer to be all about structure and responsibilities. I abandoned it halfway through July, and didn't even create a spread for August. I picked it up again in September, but used it inconsistently in the fall.
I decided to start fresh in 2018. I want to make my bullet journal easy to use, accessible and practical for me. I'm starting to think of myself as *creative* (more on this in a different blog post coming soon), but I've always been more about practicality than creativity.
So.
With a fresh, practical start in mind, here's how I set up my 2018 bujo.
Title Page
I kept my title page nice and simple this year.
I used my Micron fine-liners (the 03 pen) for the black. This is totally my go-to pen for bullet journaling! It's so easy to use, and it doesn't "ghost," smudge or bleed.
The pink was done with my Tombow dual-tip pens. I used three different shades and I think it turned out really pretty! You can find all three colours here, here and here!
Yearly Log
Next up is my yearly log. This is where I can track all the extra events, activities, commitments and plans I have for the entire year.
I kept this spread similar to the one I did last year, which you can see in this post. I liked how it worked for me...I just chose to do it in pink this year!
Essentially, I track the dates for my commitments, highlight them in my Tombow pink, and write whatever the commitment is on the side. It's an easy way to see the entire month at a glance, and it's super helpful when setting up monthly logs.
Lettering Prompts
Because my yearly spread took up three pages instead of four, I needed something to fill the fourth page.
Last year, I created a space in each month's spread for lettering prompts. I found it useful for writing down cute quotes, ideas or goals for myself. That being said, I didn't find it particularly helpful having a new spread for it each month, so this year, I decided to include it at the start of my yearly spread. If I find that I don't have enough space, I can always add another page later! That's what the index is for, right??
I think I'm going to like this better!
Again, if you need a refresher, or if you have no idea what I'm talking about, here is the link to my blog post about setting up a bullet journal. And here is a link to the journal I use if you want to try it out!
Goals and Travel
This spread is totally new.
I could go on and on about why I'm not a fan of New Year's Resolutions. I think a resolution is something you "resolve" to do - it's right there as the root word. If you break your resolution, even for one day, you didn't achieve it.
I love a fresh start to a year, but I don't want to "resolve" to do anything; I'd be setting myself up for failure because, frankly, I'm not perfect, and neither is anyone I know. I'm calling my New Year's plans my "goals" this year. I have things I want to accomplish this year, and things I want to continue working towards in the future - so, I created a spread!
I didn't have this spread last year, so I'm excited about trying something new!
I also added a travel section because I've recently realized that it's a huge priority at this point in my life. I'm young, I have a bit of extra money for the first time, I have very few responsibilities (ex. mortgage, kids, pets etc.) and I want to do more exploring!
What I didn't include...
Last year, I had a few other spreads. I had a read/watch section, which I didn't use. I'm pretty good at remembering those things so I found I didn't need to track it. I also skipped my "creative ideas" section in favour of my goals section. I *think* my goals section will compensate for it. If it doesn't, I can always add it later! That's the beauty of bullet journaling.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with this spread. I think it's going to be practical, but also a fun creative outlet for me.
Did I miss anything that you would've or have added? Let me know in the comments below!
And - don't forget to check back for my next blog post on my January spread!