After One Year of Bullet Journaling

I started using a Bullet Journal in February 2017, but it’s close enough to a year to draw big conclusions. The first one is this: I LOVE that I have this particular kind of record of the past year. Looking through my notes after one year of Bullet Journaling was a different experience than reading old diary-type entries or glancing through past months on my iPhone.

Why did I start using a Bullet Journal in the first place? As an internet, blogging, and social media junkie, I was seduced into the Bullet Journal universe by the pretty pictures of notebooks, pens, lists, and charts. There was lots of hype.

And you know what? The hype is well-deserved. I wrote two informative posts in 2017 about how I started my Bullet Journal and After Three Months and Simple Monthly and Weekly Setups. I’m not artsy so my notebook does not resemble the pretty stuff on Instagram. I love it anyway.

In fact, I’m keeping it SO simple that I’m not starting a brand new notebook for 2018. I’m continuing in my Leuchtturn1917 Hardcover Medium Dotted Journal (even though I want the yellow one) because it still has plenty of pages, and it seems silly to rewrite some of the lists I reference often. I bet I’m ready for the yellow one in early summer. Some people go through a notebook every six months, but they are the ones making daily pages. I use two pages a week and a few extra at the beginning of each month.

What I do differently now than when I started: I no longer use a ruler as often though I still think it’s good to have if you want things to be a little neater. That’s how much I’ve let go of how it all looks. I experiment with different weekly spreads. Sometimes on especially busy weeks, it’s easiest to forget the weekly spread and use the Bullet Journal for a basic to-do list and rely on my iCal for the appointments (mine and the kids’). Some to-do lists were not weekly lists but a larger goal list. For example, to keep track of what needed to be done for my son’s bar mitzvah, I referenced a two-page spread in my notebook for many months at a time. I will start a new two-page list for my daughter’s bat mitzvah, which is later this year. (We are doing hers at age 12, which is why the events are so close to each other.)

The most valuable page I use:

The monthly habits check list (pictured above) is the chart I reference every night. The habits I’m focusing on change month to month, but the chart is always the same.

What I learned about my past year that needs to change: After reading through those “one line a day” pages, I saw the uncomfortable evidence of how much TV I watched. You guys. I’m so embarrassed. Yes, it was all excellent stuff, but whoa. I’ve already watched WAY less since early December and it’s no shock that I wrote so much more in December.

Habits I succeeded in by the end of the year (which I know after reviewing my monthly charts) I made my 10,000 steps on most days. Yes, many times while watching something on my phone–the only good thing about all that TV. I did lots of barre classes. Starting in November with National Novel Writing Month, I wrote almost every day. I read 50 books, but I keep track of that here, not in the notebook.

Habits that still need work: I rely way too much on sugar and caffeine. I still need to be more careful about what I say (yes, I note at the end of the day if I feel good about what came out of my mouth or not).

In conclusion: I HIGHLY recommend using a Bullet Journal. There’s no right way. If you’re toying with the idea, just jump in with any old notebook and pen. You really do not need anything fancy or specific. Good luck! And Happy New Year!


 


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Nina Badzin hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. She's been writing about friendship since 2014, co-leads the writing groups at ModernWell in Minneapolis, and reviews 30+ books a year on her website.

18 Responses

  1. I love my bullet journal! It sounds like ours our similar but I definitely have to add a habit tracker and I love the idea of a line a day…

  2. Hi Nina!
    You’ve convinced me to start a bullet journal. 😝 Looked up the one on amazon that you used…we may need you to give product design input for a Class Act bullet journal! Do those extra features (table of contents, stickers, etc.) make it more useful and fun, or can any blank journal work?!

    1. Good questions! Any notebook would work. I like something with a hardcover and lots of pages so I can keep as many months in there as possible. I love the dot pages, which helps for drawing lines (without a ruler). I don’t use the table of contents or index but hardcore bullet journalers are into that. People love stickers! I don’t really use them. I’m ALWAYS happy to give input.

  3. I’m so glad the journal worked for you! My daughter spent an hour or so today starting hers for 2018. I have a brand new planner for the year, but I’m trying to use it more mindfully instead of just jotting down to-do lists. I just signed up for the resource library – love the idea of a monthly habits checklist.

  4. yes! What I love about it is it gives me space to capture intentional living and plans. Without stress. Without traditional goal-setting, but based on my personal emotional ebbs and flows. The flexibility is perfect while it also holds me to my own desires. So glad you like it!

  5. I love all of the pretty pens and layouts, too, but I know mine wouldn’t look that nice! I can’t do hand lettering or even draw a straight line without a ruler, so I fear I would think it was too ugly and never use it.. which is probably why I’ve never tried it 🙂

  6. I love watching videos of people updating their bullet journals! I’ve gone with a simpler discbound notebook with homemade inserts, because that’s what is working for me. I definitely agree that having a notebook/planner/journal that you get to design all by yourself (stickers, stamps, markers, etc) is extremely motivating! Do you think you’ll show us some samples of your own?

  7. I love the idea of the one line a day thing; I’m going to start doing that in my own planner! I’m an Erin Condren fan–been using the layout long enough to have developed all my own little spots for things, etc.–but I love seeing what everyone else uses and how they use it. I’m glad you found what works great for you. Sounds like you made lots of good changes this year. Happy 2018!

  8. I love my bullet journal but I could be better about using the monthly goals part… They usually end up on a page (if they end up there at all) that I never flip to. For me, it’s more setting up ny goals/ tasks for the week, but i like that if I want to start organizing a party or a holiday or researching summer camps or whatever I can do that in my bullet journal too. I have a separate workout log on an Excel sheet where I track all my workouts. I like that the Excel sheet is easy to search.

  9. I am having THE hardest time making it a daily habit. I hear from people whose bullet journal contains everything, but I think my work and my personal life are so different, I don’t put all of my work to-dos (which can get extensive in a day) in my bullet journal. I still rely on my weekly/monthly planner for that. So at the end of the day (or the beginning…) it is takin such a concerted effort to do one more thing.

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Hi, I'm Nina

HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site! 

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Hi, I'm Nina

HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site! 

Get The Newsletter

I send an email once or twice a month with the latest friendship letters, podcast episodes, book reviews, recipes, and more.

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