My Bullet Journal

Have you heard of bullet journaling? 

A friend of mine posted about it on IG a couple of years ago and it really intrigued me. I started to research it and decided this year I would give it a go. So far I have really loved it and wanted to share with you all what it is about. If you are considering bullet journaling than this post is for you! 

There is an entire website called Bullet Journal that explains everything in detail. The basics are this: "The Bullet Journal is a customizable and forgiving organization system. It can be your to-do list, sketchbook, notebook, and diary, but most likely, it will be all of the above. It will teach you to do more with less." 

I like bullet journaling for several reasons! First off, it allows me to create my own planner just the way I like it. I can add as much as I want to it or as little as I want to it. Another big draw for me is that it allows me to be creative. I have been hand lettering this year and I thought the bullet journal would be a great way to practice that skill while I create my own planner. I plan to use my bullet journal as a yearly planner, a place to jot down special things I did through the year and a photo book.  I love that it is all in one book and I don't have multiple projects going on. I'll show you below how I plan to implement all that. 

Before we get to the inside of the journal I want to share the supplies I am using: 

Supplies

- Leuchtturm 1917 Notebook - This notebook comes with 121 pages and all the pages are numbered. There is an index in the beginning of the book if you want to index your pages. You can even pick what type of ruling you want in your journal. I picked dotted so I could encourage my OCD by drawing perfectly straight lines. ;)

-Staedtler Pens - These are the ones in the pink roll up pouch that you will see in my pictures. I actually got these from Korea in 2012 but you can purchase them on Amazon. 

-Micron Pens - These pens have a fine point and make really pretty lines. They can be purchased at any major craft store or on Amazon as well. 

I should note that the pens listed above do not bleed through. I love Sharpies but those bleed through so I don't use them for bullet journaling. 

Inside Cover 

I wanted the inside cover to be something pretty. I made this floral wreath and included Psalms 115:1 in there. 

Right after the inside cover there are index / content pages where you can number what will be on each page. I did not do that because I wanted the freedom to go over or under pages. 

Content

In my journal I plan to have two pages dedicated for each month to write in a monthly calendar, a Bible verse I want to memorize that month, monthly goals and then I will add any fun memories from that month to those pages as well. 

After the monthly overview I am using two pages to plan out each week. I am putting a daily to do list on there, how many cups of water I drank, how many steps I took, a weekly weigh in and then I'm jotting down any fun memories from that day.

Next month I plan to put 7 days on one page as I felt there was a lot of empty space in January but with bullet journaling you have the freedom to change it as you go.

At the end of the month I have a couple of pages where I plan to put pictures in there. I want to be better about printing some pictures and I thought this would be an easy and fun way to do that.

Here is a sneak peak at February. I'm really loving February's journal so far! My daily boxes look like little valentine cards but I didn't make them until after I took these photos.

In my journal I have two other sections so far. One is my half marathon training and the other one are goals for my photography business. I plan to add a section for crossfit but I haven't gotten that far yet.

My half marathon training starts next week so I thought I would share what I did for that. I saw an inspriational post on IG and wanted to do something similar to make my training plan at least look fun.

My training is 10 weeks so I put a box for each week. I plan to run three times a week and attend crossfit 2-3 per week. I know I will need to give myself grace because that would mean 6 super intense workouts a week and that might not happen every week. 

I plan to track all my runs in here along with pace and distance. 

Lastly, I made a box for each mile and when I run a mile, I will color it in. I have seen other people draw various sorts of things to represent a mile and for some reason this fun idea came to mind. I really love it!!!

 And now I can only hope that my training will be as much fun as creating the plan was. ha ha!

Here are a few more thoughts on bullet journaling:

-You can make it as complex or as simple as you want it to be. I have free time right now to color and draw so this is not only a planner and journal but a way for me to be creative. Lots of people don't do any art in their journal and that works great for them.

-I've also seen some amazing bullet journals with meal plans and grocery plans. If I had a family to cook for I think I would definitely do that.

-Pinterest and IG, like always, have so many fabulous ideas. I have a Pinterest board for Bullet Journaling and Hand Lettering if you'd like to check that out. I also love The Bullet Journal Addict on IG. Her journals are just pure inspirational! Also, this post right here has tons of great ideas and inspiration. It's especially a good one if you are looking into bullet journaling or are new to it.

Are you thinking about starting a bullet journal? If so, I'd love to know! Also, if you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer them. 

If you have a bullet journal what do you use yours for? Is it mainly lists or is it creative?