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~

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flirting with Chinese Guys

Image
When you fall in love with someone from a different country, you soon realize that other cultures have different ways of showing romantic interest and love. Their flirting can feel strange or even be a turn off at first, but the deeper you dive into another’s culture, the more you acclimate to and appreciate it. A random Asian guy, courtesy of the public domain. The first thing that struck me when I was dating my now-husband (as I’ve mentioned previously on this blog), was the NAGGING. Or what I perceived to be nagging. Such as: Have you eaten yet? Did you take a nap? Wear more clothes, it’s cold out. Drink more hot water. Don’t drink that! Cold drinks are bad for your health! Go to bed earlier. Exercise more. No ice cream when you’re on your period!! And on and on… As you might notice, most of these statements are related to Chinese standards of health and wellness. I had a quite negative reaction to this form of attention, because 1)
Read more

Planning a Chinese/American Wedding

Image
Exciting news!! I got married!! In two countries! It was crazy! Ahhhhh! I would like to share some of my experience and advice after pulling off weddings in China and America. If you’re getting serious with someone from outside your culture, or if you’re just curious, I hope this post is satisfying! My main advice for those who are probably going to do this in real life is… Repeatedly discuss these two very important questions with your significant other: 1. What are the normal engagement and wedding customs in your culture/family? 2. What engagement and wedding customs do you personally like and want to do? I wish that my husband and I had discussed BOTH of these questions more frequently and earlier on in the wedding process. We did get married, so it all worked out, but there might have been fewer surprises / awkward situations / frustrations if we had communicated more. (I feel like that sentence sums up intercultural relationship
Read more

The Celebrity Effect: Being a White Foreigner in China

Image
As I walk down the street, heads turn. A woman coming out of a shop does a double take. A group of older men, resting in the shade, openly stare – and keep staring. A student riding a bicycle is so distracted he nearly causes an accident. A mother nudges her kindergartener, saying, “Look, a foreigner! Practice your English. Say ‘Hello!’” The child looks up at me, entranced, silent. “‘Helloooooooo!’” coaxes Mom unsuccessfully. A man waiting for the bus casually lifts his phone – I know he’s taking a photo. Strangers come up to me and offer teaching or modeling jobs. Sometimes someone is gutsy enough to ask to take a photo with me, instead of just sneakily doing it. Whispers of “So tall!” and “So white!” echo as I make my way through the mall or to a table in a restaurant. It’s just a normal day as a foreigner in China. And I am not exaggerating. There are certain places where it’s heightened, such as tourist spots crowded with people from all over the c
Read more

Relating with a Language Barrier?? [Ask a Cross-Cultural Couple]

Image
When I started dating a Chinese guy, and then got serious with that guy, some friends and family back home asked, usually in a hushed tone, “But how do you communicate ?” What does that mean, "someone who speaks your language"? With my dismal Chinese and his intermediate English, it was a legitimate question. The first few times we hung out, my now-husband kept a dictionary app open on his phone (despite having studied English in school for many years… but the effectiveness of language education is a different topic). We recently discussed the issue of the language barrier with some of our friends who are also in cross-cultural relationships. Some of the other couples are like us, where one partner uses their native language which is the other’s second (or third or fourth or fifth) language. This gives one person a natural advantage in communication. For some of the other couples, neither partner can speak the other’s first language, so they u
Read more

Moving Home?? [Ask a Cross-Cultural Couple]

Image
“So, when are you moving back home?” I get this question fairly frequently, and people ask my parents a lot! I think the motivation behind it is mostly innocent curiosity, so I’d like to share a bit here about my life in China and how this particular inquiry comes across.   Shanghai Skyline with Slight Smog   “When are you moving back home?” reflects an American approval of the gap-year (living abroad for a year, usually between high school and college), but a strong, strange feeling towards long-term life abroad. When I (or my parents) answer with a brief comment about me living in China for a long time, it’s usually followed by, “I could never do it! That would be so hard!” Sure, long-term living abroad is hard. Especially the first year, though the experience is largely determined by the amount of local language you know going in and what kind of community you’re going into. For me, I’m approaching 4 years in China and I’ve built up the support systems I need to
Read more

Adventures in Asia: China Travel Tips

Image
If you can read this, you probably need a visa. After several friends and family members visited me this year, I thought I’d share some basic tips for those who are curious about life in China or plan to visit this amazing country someday soon! PART I: TIME & MONEY Although China is a huge country, the whole thing runs on Beijing time. There are no other time zones. Money in China is called RMB (which stands for renminbi), yuan, or kuai. You may be able to use your card at an ATM in China to withdraw cash, but it probably won’t work in restaurants and shops. It’s always best to exchange money in a bank (back home or in China), though the airport will do the job too. No need to tip. You can often haggle for a lower price in smaller shops and markets. Start really low and don’t feel bad if the seller acts insulted. Pretend to lose interest and leave the store if they won’t come down – they will once they realize they might lose the sa
Read more