For 2017 I wanted to keep to simple bullet journal spreads instead of commiting to more
complex layouts that I probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with during busier weeks.
So for each month I have an overall view spread. On the left side, on the top half of the page
I have finance and tax information and under that section I have a task or bucket list
only dedicated to that month, as well as a list of items that I need to buy during that
specific month. I feel that sectioning my bullet journal in months instead of weeks
gives me a broader view of everything I have to do and it also lets me use a theme for
each month, that is, concentrating on a topic of my life once at a time instead of having
this huge list of things I feel like I need to accomplish permanentely.
On the right side I have a monthly overview in list form where I can quickly write some
major things that are coming up. It it’s a particularly task-free month, this view
is enough for me to organize my days. However, if I feel like I will have a busy
month, a classic monthly spreads with wide boxes is better to plan out your days with
more detail. This is one of the spreads I used last year for the month of November and
I will keep up with this layout as soon as I start my classes.
Moving on, I also decided to use a habit tracker for the first time. I was very sceptical about
this concept at first, since I thought that I would never remember to color the boxes
each day but during the month of January I actually got used to doing this as a routine
and I am really enjoying the results so far. I am currently keeping track of very basic
things which I tend to forget lots of time, like moisturizing, uploading posts on tumblr
and Instagram, practicing my german on Duolingo, no spending days, etc. You can really customize
your habit tracker as it better suits you and I think it’s a must have in any bullet
journal. On the right side of the page, nothing too
exciting – just plain task lists for different days of the month, where I still use the classic
bullet journal key with a dot for uncompleted tasks, a cross for completed tasks and an
arrow for migrated tasks. On the next page we have a permanent spread.
On the top left corner I have a list of books that I want to read throughout the year and
I will mark them as I finish reading. It still has enough space on the right side
, if I need to add anything else. Below that I have a quarterly overview, and this
is something that I wanted to try out after reading one of Boho Berry’s posts about it.
Basically, it’s an overview of specific goals you want to achieve during the four
quarters of the year, which is more flexible than adopting a monthly system.
On the right side I have two main columns. The first is just a youtube brainstorm list,
with video topics and themes that I would like to work on during the year. It’s something
that I can refer to whenever I can’t come up with ideas for a future video or if I want
to overlap different themed videos throughout time. I also have a still very short list
of movies that I have watched this year and I am really hoping I can reach the bottom
of the page in December. Fingers crossed! Then on the next page I start the bullet journal
task in itself. From this point on I haven’t draw any specific spreads or layouts and I
just write dawn task lists assigned to a specific day or a weekend, which you can mainly see
on the left page. I highly encourage everyone who is starting out a bullet journal or who
thinks that bullet journaling is a tiresome routine, to start with task lists with the
most simple, minimal style you can think of. On the right, I have a few tasks I need to
work on for specific projects, like redesigning my students union website. That means that,
besides daily specific tasks I also bullet journal to prepare for specific projects and
when every task under that project is complete, the project itself is also done. That makes
me understand my progress, what I still have to do, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment
when I finish all the tasks under that list. Next week I will be uploading a Bullet Journal
Hacks video with 10 tips on how to customize and make your bullet journal your own, so
stay tuned for that and I will see you next Friday. Bye!