I was really excited a few months back when Ryder Carroll, the inventor of the Bullet Journal, released a book all about his system. I’ve been busy reading it over the past week or two and feel so inspired by the way he uses his journal to organise everything he does. Hopefully I can get some good tips for my Bullet Journal 2019 set up.
I’ve neglected my journal recently and I know I’ve been getting bogged down with feeling I have to create perfect, beautiful pages. Setting up elaborate spreads was yet another task I was having to try to find time for so I just didn’t bother.
Having now read the first chunk of Ryder’s book I’ve decided to simplify how I bullet journal and stick to the basics to get the habit going again. I want to use it as a space to clear my head and make notes of things I need to do and worry less about making it look pretty.
My Bullet Journal 2019 Set Up
Here are the first pages I’ve set up.
The Index and Title Page
I’m using a Leuchtturm 1917 journal which has a couple of pages at the front for my index. It’s also handy as all the 251 pages are pre-numbered so that’s one less job to do. I made a simple 2019 title page using a Staedtler triplus fineliner and Zebra Mildliners. I then added my key.
I’ve not used a key in my journals before, instead I drew boxes to tick off when I completed tasks. Ryder uses a key similar to the one below and it makes sense so I’m giving it a try. It’s going to take a bit of getting used to. I might make myself a little key card to have handy until it becomes second nature.
Future Log
Over the next four pages, I set up a very simple Future Log. This is where I can add important dates as and when they pop up, before transferring them to the relevant month’s log.
I somehow managed to give the weeks in October 8 days which made the whole of the last page wrong. There was nothing I could do other than tear it carefully out and re-write the page. I used a thin bit of washi tape to hide the tear and support the paper. I think it worked quite well.
Monthly Log
Next up is my monthly log. Again, I’ve kept this to a bare minimum. There’s space for scheduled dates and also for memories to log as and when they happen. I’ve also included a little space for my work shifts. On the second page there are sections for goals, tasks and then things to note for next month. It took next to no time to set up and has everything I need for now. I then left a couple of pages empty for my habit and expenses trackers which I’m going to set up tomorrow.
Daily Log
Lastly I began my daily log pages. This is where I think most of my journaling is going to take place and it’s very different to how I’ve done things in the past. I’ve always used weekly spreads and daily spreads. If I can skip the weeklies and keep everything rolling on a daily basis it could save me some time each week. I like that everything just gets added as it occurs throughout the day. Whether it is a task, an idea or anything else I might want to remember, I just make a note on the next line and it removes it from my head. Just what I need.
So that’s where I’m up to now and it didn’t take me long at all. I’m not going to totally step away from all the prettier spreads and inspiration in the bullet journal world though. I’m thinking that if I keep the day to day repeating spreads simple then I can spend more time and creativity on collections and one off pages. Then I can have the best of both worlds.
Here’s how I set up my Bullet Journal Weight Loss pages.
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