After looking through several planners for work, we decided to give bullet journaling a try. There are different planners that fit different needs, such as intentions and elements you require. If you can’t find a planner that works for you, you might have to make one yourself! Sometimes, you don’t know what’s best for you until you give things a try, which is the beauty of a bullet journal. If you don’t like a design, you can always change it up in the next spread. There is so much flexibility. If you find yourself having to skip months, there are no regrets in saving some paper.
what is your justification?
What is your goal behind starting a bullet journal? When I had to complete my own performance write-up at work for 2020, a lot of my memory was a bit blurry because of everything that happened. Even though I had a planner, I wasn’t the best at keeping up with it because I wasn’t utilizing its features. This year, I wanted to be on top of my game and pave a path to becoming a Cybersecurity Advisor. Being able to set up the bullet journal to capture everything I have to do and have a space for a short reflection is what I needed.
There are lots of bullet journals out in the market. When it comes to journals, I (Nancy) started personalizing them so it can feel *mine*. I’ve purchased planners and bullet journals from Papier for two years.
initial challenges shouldn’t stop you
Not going to lie, the biggest challenge is my penmanship. I don’t write that often, so my calligraphy and block writing is out of shape. It takes time to get back to my usual grind. Sometimes when you feel like you’ve messed up on the layout, it’s tempting to rip the page out and start over. Just push through and make improvements in your next spread. One of the things I learned is to keep my spread one month at a time, so at least I don’t have to commit too long to a certain look.
find a layout that works for you
Pinterest has been my biggest go-to when it comes to finding inspiration. There are so many different variations you can adopt and stylize. My journal doesn’t have a monthly calendar – the spacing doesn’t exactly work out for me. At best, I have a monthly overview of what I’m working on, what’s on my plate, and what I want to do. I take on things through a weekly spread, where I try to overload my tasks on Monday, and anything that isn’t completed gets pushed to the next day until it’s completed. Every week, I have a different set of tasks to focus on.
Utilizing symbols is important! I like to use different symbols such as “x” for completed, “~” for in progress, “>” for deferred to some other time, and ” ” (blank) for not started.
avoid burnout; reflect on the good
One of the ways I am trying to avoid burnout these days is by reflecting on the good. I have a page (not shown) where I dedicate a line per working day. I make a point to reflect and think about one good thing that happened. It’s important to find positivity, even through the smallest things. One of my daily reflections involved being excited that someone took the time to send me a thank you email for handling a request.
Have you tried a bullet journal before? If so, please share your experience!
have you checked out our shop?
In our last blog post, we mentioned that we opened an Etsy shop, xMdrn. Our shop is growing with new releases periodically. Our latest drop is inspired by Call of Duty: Warzone’s Superstore.
I love your idea of personalizing your journal. That extra spark only adds to the motivation to write!
I really liked this post and love reading about other people’s bullet journalling journeys. For me I’ve found my bullet journal works so much better for me if I keep it simple and print out/stick in pictures of use stickers as before I used to get frustrated that I couldn’t make them as pretty as other bullet journallers etc. Definitely helps to avoid the burnout and to focus on the reason why I started bullet journalling in the first place – to keep myself organised!
I really love your bullet journal layout! I stopped a couple of years ago, but truly used to enjoy taking the time to fill it up, a bit less creating layouts! Thank you for sharing x
I honestly haven’t tried it for a planner, but I do love journaling for ideas 🙂
Lindifique
The one thing that puts me off starting a bullet journal is that I am rubbish with drawing…i love creating when it’s digital but I get so frustrated with paper and no undo button 😂 I’ve seen some absolutely gorgeous spreads. In my role at the moment I made a document with a list of all my responsibilities to justify the fact that I did far more that what my job description entails… I should be getting my paperwork soon that was a little promotion! That and making myself to do lists when I have ridiculous amounts of things to remember helps so much!
Love seeing you send out all your orders – the stickers are so cute!
Hayley || hayleyxmartin
I have just recently started dabbling with bullet journalling. These tips are vey helpful, especially to just push through and make improvements when you feel like you’ve made a mistake. Thanks for encouraging me to push through! 😊
I always mean to start a bullet journal but never do! Thanks for the tips they really help!
I keep wanting to try bullet journals but always struggle to actually pull one together because my artistic skills and penmanship are rubbish. This looks so cool though, and I love the focus on the good and that you can look back on it and see what you have achieved.
Oo, loving your customized bullet journal and that you went right in and started your journal despite your penmanship. You will get better! Practice makes perfect, after all. 🙂
I am a notebook hoarder, if anything, and am working on my mindset of using all those books. Blank pages need to be written on.
Having justification is so important. I have felt myself pushed toward doing trendy things without really wanting to. Knowing why we are doing something gives us something to work for, so I love your thoughts on that.
Thanks for sharing!
Your bullet journal looks good. I have been wanting to order a bullet journal but different things keep getting in the way. I have heard a lot of things about bullet journaling and I love the idea of having a goal for starting a bullet journal. I want to start a bullet journal as I find that it is a great way to actually keep record of occurrences, keep up with habits and most importantly, writing does help me deal with my emotions a lot and I want a dedicated space aside from my blog (the internet) where I can write down all the thoughts in my head and running through my mind.
I love papier and I enjoy seeing what peoples bullet journals look like. You have nice writing. Siobhan ♡ | Vegan Babe Life
I love reading bullet journal posts! Yours looks like so much fun and I’m glad you’re able to document everything in the journal xx
Ooh! Your bujo looks great! I’m terrible at keeping journals so I’ve given up on them Lol! I love reading other people’s journal stories and experiences though! Thank you for sharing and the stickers look fab! xx
http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
I haven’t tried a bullet journal before but it’s only because I’m so happy with my purchased digital planner which allows me to what a bullet journal would have me do! But that’s only because I lack creativity and appreciate how important it is for others to personalize their journals. Great post!
Hi Nancy, I love my bullet journal, and am so glad to have some new ideas about how to stylize it. Thanks for the inspiration! Joan
My method is more artsy and less structured, and I also suck at penmanship and block lettering. But I figure I’ll get better! Thanks for sharing this different format.
Wow this looks so stylish, love the idea..
I actually love how you bullet journal is minimal, classic and practical! It actually makes me feel like I could get on board with one (as I don’t have the time to do beautiful doodles like people do!)
Katie | katieemmabeauty.com
There was a time I kept a journal, though only for my travels! A source of inspiration now for my short stories.
But just like you, my scripts, mapping of these stories all start in a beautiful Papier.
I looove your bullet journal. I’m really tempted to start one and use it to reflect all of the positives in my life!
Rosie
Did you get that planner from Papier? It’s gorgeous! I don’t bullet journal because I don’t have the time or patience or artistic skill for it. But I love looking at people’s bullet spreads! Love what you’ve done with yours 🙂 x
I love bullet journal posts! So I enjoyed this post. Your journal is so cool! Looks great personalised too. I am designing my March bullet journal this weekend. I am super excited as I am using more craft aspects this month.
Thank you for sharing. Lauren
I’ve been seeing people share their bullet journal spreads everywhere & I’ve been wanting to start a bullet journal for my blog, but I feel like I’m not creative enough or I would mess it up, but I should just get a journal & push through any mistakes. I should also look on Pinterest for inspiration like you did!
Neat minimal layout 👍
I love the idea of reflecting on the good daily and using symbols too!
Oh my what a beautiful design for this journal. I thought about doing a bullet journal but I am dyslexic and have terrible handwriting whicvh is linked to the dyslexia so I stick to computers LOL. Lucky you can do this, good luck!
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
I really love this layout. I am not particularly creative and I always try to keep my bullet journal quite simple.
I think I would really get some use out of a bullet journal for my job actually, never thought about it before x
I’ve been bullet journalling for almost 3 years and I love it! It keeps my whole life organised & lets me have a much better outlook on life and my mental health 🙂 xx
I once journaled my travels, does that count?
Oh and like you, I use Papier’s beautiful stationery too!
I so feel you when it comes to the handwriting struggle! I hardly ever write and now my writing is so messy :’) I haven’t tried bullet journalling before but it’s something that I’m considering starting. Your bullet journal looks fab! x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
I’ve never bullet journaled before but it sounds like it is all the rage right now. I would love to try it out sometime! Thanks for sharing!
Bullet journaling is something I dip in and out of and don’t stick to. Maybe I just need to find a system that works?! I always find that I am more concerned with the layout/prettiness of it; so maybe I should just go back to basics haha!
Thanks for sharing and how exciting that you are expanding your products!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
I love bullet journaling! And yours look so great! Thank you for the tips and it really does help xx
I love everything personalized! This journal has the sweetest art work on its cover and I like how systematic you are with your journaling xx
Naya
http://www.nayatilly.com
I really really want to start a bullet journal, I have seen so many different ones on Pinterest and they all look great. I think that’s why I’ve been putting it off, worried I’ll mess up how it looks or something! I love your journal layout though! Perhaps I can bring myself to start one. Thanks for sharing xx
So glad to see that you’re trying bullet journalling! I’ve been using the bullet journal system for about 5 years now and it was a great help with balancing blogging and college. I can’t imagine my life without it now, honestly.
I have a spread in my journal too focusing on being grateful! I have to admit it was more difficult than I thought to come up with just one good thing some days, other days it was hard to find one good thing that happened at all. But it definitely helped put the month into perspective. This reminds me, I have to work on my new layout for the month!
I have a bullet journal for my blog so I can be more organised (hopefully!) and I have a separate gratitude journal that I try and complete as often as possible. And I have a separate planner for my works To Do List, as well as Trello boards for each client. And yes, I agree, Pinterest is a FAB source of inspiration! Love your layout, Nancy, it’s so clear and easy to read 🙂
I love this idea, so cute!
xx- Nina
http://www.stylingwithnina.com/2021/03/casual-sunday-ootd.html
Oh what a beautiful journal!!
Looks really cool 🙂
have a great day,
Tiziana
http://www.tizianaolbrich.de
I love your bullet journal idea. It’s so important to remember and record all of the good things. Then we can go back and encourage ourselves later whenever we need a little morale boost!
I use a bullet journal system as my blog planner and I absolutely love it. I have similar struggles in that I’m not the most creative and my pages don’t often stand out and are lacking in pretty designs. But I love the freedom it gives you in terms of planning.
This is such a great idea to add the positive aspects of a day.
I don’t have a bullet journal but this year I got a planner and I found it so useful.
xx
Margot
https://troughthepasturesofthesky.com
Yours is adorable!!! Bullet journaling has become one of my favorite habits and customizing my organization.
XX angelica
https://eraenvogue.com
Amazing tips! Love the idea of customized journal. Your bullet journal looks excellent!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
I love your idea. I love your thoughts. Thanks for the tips they really help!
I really like how you have your bullet journal set up, and makes me think about keeping one. 🙂
I really need to get back into my journalling. I’ve got out of the habit lately.
I adore this bullet journal, so pretty and clean!
Ana C, http://www.adreamersland.com
http://www.facebook.com/adreamersland
http://www.instagram.com/anaccsa
You bullet journal is so pretty! The cover is unique. I like to see how others use their bullet journals and what spreads work well for them. Thank you for sharing.
Lauren