My Bullet Journal 2020


After a year of bullet journaling and a year of the passion planner, I have returned to a blank notebook with fresh ideas! Here are some of the spreads I have prepared for 2020.


First, let's talk about materials. My new notebook is a graph-lined softcover with a ribbon bookmark. I liked using the graph paper back in 2018 so I'm going with that again. (Bullet journaling can work with any notebook, it's really your personal preference.) I've invested in a couple different types of pens recently: Nome brush pens, Zebra Mildliner highlighters, Stabilo fineliners, and Pentel EnerGel needle tip for everyday writing. I'm also experimenting with stickers and washi tape this year.




I always start my journal with my name, contact info and a key. This key is what helps you keep various different kinds of notes organized in one place! I follow the original bullet journal key developed by Ryder Carroll pretty closely.



Something new I'm adding this year is a layout cheat sheet with the measurements of my notebook so I can quickly make new spreads of various kinds without having to count out how many squares wide or long my page is EVERY SINGLE TIME. I learned this from YouTuber Amanda Rach Lee, if you want to check her out. It has proved very helpful already!



Also important at the beginning is a couple pages for an index, so I can keep track of where everything is in my notebook. Don't forget to number your pages and add significant entries to your index!



I decided to do my future log a bit differently this year. Instead of only doing six months, I dedicated four pages and did the whole year -- much more convenient. I also did a more vertical layout instead of horizontal. This allows me to write out all the dates and I can add things to the calendar more quickly and in order. I underlined weekends with a gray highlighter.





Next I added some FUN pages about my goals and interests! I experimented with different styles of layouts and themes while keeping things simple.
For goals, I decided to group them by type, but you can also group them by time -- three months, a year, three years, lifetime, etc. I really like how the flower stickers look on this page.
For travels, I added more structure with spaces for dates, places, and people instead of just a blank page with a border, which will make it easier to fill in.
For books, a lot of people do this bookshelf style, which I decided to try. I like to write both the title and author of the books I read, so I did my best to make the "books" big enough to fit all that. (Also, not draw too many books so I don't feel guilty about any empty space later lol)
For my writing, I also made pages dedicated to blog post ideas and keeping track of character names in the novel I'm always working on and may never finish haha!



Next I wrote out my January calendar, keeping things pretty simple and standard with the original bullet journal method: date, day of the week, and some extra space for notes, tasks, or a quote -- I haven't decided yet.



Finally comes my daily log, which I cheat and write out for the whole week at once. I like to know what's coming up for the week, especially for my teaching and studies. I try to keep the daily log design very simple so that it's easy to write out quickly and I don't get discouraged from keeping up with it. Once the new semester for my online master's degree starts, I'll also create spreads for all the assignments and deadlines.

I hope this inspires you to start bullet journaling and organizing! Thanks for reading~

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