I talked about how much I loved bullet journaling in my last favorites post, and I’ve got to tell you, the love just keeps growing (it’s definitely hit its peak with this June bullet journal set up). As I take more time to set up my spreads and actually utilize my bullet journal to improve my life and productivity, I fall more and more in love with it. My favorite thing about bullet journaling is that I get to decide how to use my planner — there are no rules. A lot of people think a bullet journal needs to look a certain way, but that really isn’t true. For instance, people hold this belief that bullet journals should be filled with beautiful drawings and hand-lettered quotes, and while I try, I’m no artist. So, I try to enjoy the process and revel in how accomplishing my goals, creating habits, and improving my mental health has never been easier.
I wanted to take this post to show you guys the standard spreads I have in my bullet journal to help me accomplish my goals and become a better me every day. Let’s get started!
Opening Spread
My lettering skills are incredibly shabby, but practice makes perfect, right? This is the first month I haven’t designed a cover page in InDesign to print out, and I’m pretty happy with how it turned out. I also love that I included a quote this month. I feel like that’s the mantra I want to embody for the rest of June (and 2018). Consistency is key, and having a reminder every time I open my journal is going to be fantastic.
Month At A Glance
I always create a monthly spread so that I can plan out blog posts and list out events/meetings I’ll be attending. I know digital planning and calendars are where it’s at since they can be so easily changed, but I’m such a visual person I love writing things out. I also (dorkishly) color-coordinate my planner so I can see if tasks/events are work-related, blog-related, or personal.
Mood & Habit Tracker
Some might say that I spent too much time on my mood tracker this month, and those people would not be wrong. I doodled this out while rewatching Gilmore Girls, and it truly brings me joy. Drawing all the little cacti was so much fun, and I can’t wait to color them in. I only recently started mood tracking and it has helped me so much. I can be really hard on myself when I have bad days, so it’s nice to track my emotions and notice patterns and possible ways to accept them and appreciate those days for what they are. I also have a habit tracker. I think it’s so important to create healthy habits (check out that blog post if you haven’t already), and this is the perfect way for me to do so. Marking the little “x” every day I complete a habit gives me such a sense of accomplishment and truly motivates me. Some of the habits I have cultivated and continue to work on include reading the news every day, flossing, journaling, and meditating. I have about 15 small daily habits — let me know in the comments below if you want to learn more about those.
Goals & Expenses
Yearly goals/resolutions are important, but monthly goals are the way to achieving those yearly aspirations. Each month I designate fitness, blog, and personal goals that help me become my best self. I didn’t do so well in May, so hopefully in June I can turn things around. I also have an expense tracker, but I do things a little bit differently here. I actually use an app called Mint to track all my expenses and budget (it’s amazing, I highly recommend it), but I use this section to track my unexpected expenses — like buying a plane ticket home or spending an unusual amount of money on a dinner out with friends. It was one of my goals of 2018 to become a personal finance expert, and this is just one of those things that helps me achieve that goal.
Memories
I started out 2018 with a spread dedicated to my favorite memories of the year, but that page quickly filled up, so I started adding it as an additional spread in my journal every month. I absolutely love writing down some of my favorite things I did in the month so I can look back on it. Eventually, I want to get a mini-polaroid printer so I can include pictures, but that’s a purchase that might have to wait a little while.
Weekly Layout
Last but not least, here’s my first weekly spread. I create these every week rather than all at once because sometimes I throw in random note pages (like bucket lists and workout challenges) throughout the month. I recently started doing my weeklies like this to include more room for notes. I’m the type of person that likes to right EVERYTHING down. On the left hand side of the day, I right my personal to-dos, on the right hand side I write the tasks I need to complete at work, and the “General Notes” section is where I stick inspirational quotes or reminders that don’t need to be completed on a certain day. I also leave a little space in every day to write down two things I’m grateful for. I started this habit when I was in college, and whenever I’m having a bad day, it helps to bring me out of my slump.
At the end of the month, I also include a monthly wrap up to reflect on my memories and accomplishments and make a game plan for how to improve the next month.
Personally, I love bullet journaling, and I don’t think I could ever go back to the structure of a pre-made planner. I like being able to add spreads that I need and take an abundant amount of notes. I know a lot of people think you need to be extra artsy to bullet journal, but I promise that’s not the case — it actually started out as a minimalistic way to manage to-do lists, one day someone just decided to add some art. Bullet journaling has become a movement with YouTube channels and blogs dedicated to it and specific planners designed for it, and I am here for it.
Let me know your thoughts about bullet journaling in the comments below!
Happy journaling,
Kimberly