This post is long overdue. Bullet journaling is one of my favourite things to do, but this year it's taken a bit of a back seat. I'm trying to pick it up more now that the autumnal nights are setting in, so I thought I'd do a little roundup of where it's at so far.
I've really not done much compared to previous years but I definitely prefer more of a minimal approach to my spreads and logs compared to when I started a few years back.
Yearly log
On a day to day basis, I use my google calendar religiously. I like to be flexible with my plans a lot and things can change frequently, so I tend to come back to these pages and fill in the details once the events have taken place since there's not really any room if I make a mistake (and I've lost my typex tape).
I've used this yearly log in every one of my bullet journals so far I think, (you can see a previous one here, although at that point in time I referred to it as a Future Log) and although I do like it, I am really considering changing it up in 2020, so I have room to write more than one event per day.
Monthly spread
I didn't appear to make a monthly spread for January, so everything kicks off in February. I find monthly logs one of the biggest chores each month and prefer drawing out weekly spreads, but I do really like the simplistic design I used in Feb & March.In April, I'm not really sure what happened - I must have been feeling super creative that day! I do like it, but I won't be doing it again in a hurry. It was too much effort.
Weekly spread
I've found weekly spreads invaluable this year, but haven't actually drawn many. Like, at all. Towards the beginning of the year I didn't really have much motivation to try out any new designs, and only did really basic ones. I didn't love them at all.
However, recently(ish) I've started doing a variation of a minimalistic fave. There's a weekly overview on the left, spaces for every day, and room for a to-do list/note-taking section. Super practical, easy to decorate if you want, but just as pretty if left black and white, and quick to draw out. This is definitely my new 'standard' if I want something I know works for me.
Mood trackers
I love these mood trackers, they’re simple, low maintenance, and I think looks really cool once the month is finished. I’m disappointed I’ve only managed two this year. I don't always open my bujo every day and then forget, but I would like to try and do more of these, perhaps even adapting them into a small feature on a weekly spread instead.
Brain dump
I only have one of these pages. But that month I remember being so motivated and felt like I had my life “together” whatever that means. Need more of these! I find once I've got a few ideas down on pages then they just keep coming!
Memory tracker
I’ve only done this once, and I didn’t even use it for a whole month, but I love the idea and really want to do this again. At first glance, it's really similar to my monthly spread (and yep I didn't particularly love drawing this one out either) but I think it's nice to jot down something that stuck with you that day, which isn't necessarily tied to whatever you had down in your diary for that day. I will aim to do more of these, but I might struggle unless I find a different way to present it.
That's all for my bullet journal so far! I'm currently working on September spreads as we speak and am excited to show some new ideas and designs at the end of the month. I'm trying to keep everything as functional as possible because I find that keeps me most engaged and motivated to carry on.
Am toying with the idea of using a Filofax next year instead, but I'm not sure I'll like it as much. We'll see!