My May 2017 Bullet Journal - Flip Through.
I thought I probably wouldn't do a monthly update on my bullet journal this time around but now that I'm using it more and more and in more diverse ways I think it's still worth sharing.
The reason I share so much of my journal, such detailed insights into how I use it and what it contains is because I am still v much obsessed with the trend. I still want to read blog posts about it and I don't want 2 photos and done, I want to nose in, I want to see exactly what you're doing with it and I figure if I want to see that, maybe you do too.
So starting with my normal monthly insert to see us into the new 30ish days (above), here's an insight into how I used my bullet journal this May.
Weekly Spreads;
Weekly to do lists are the bread and butter of my bullet journal. As you can see I pretty much used my weekly spreads the same throughout the month. I've found a style I like, some typography I like and it was only when I laid them out one after the other here that I noticed how similar they are. My weekly spreads in this journal are spread out amongst all the other things I use my journal for, I tend to draw them out the weekend before I need them but obviously here I found something that was working.
Most of the time I don't need specific lists for the days on the weekend, I find I have much less to do generally and the tasks I do need to complete can be done on either day so I tend to leave them to whenever I find time to do them.
It's a very simple checklist system but as you can see, a lot of the time I don't manage to get things done on the day I intended so there's a lotttt of migration happening. I'm also not a massive fan of a plain journal as much as I like to see everyone else's simplistic layouts so my weekly spreads are pretty doodle heavy.
Checklists;
My checklists and other to do lists are the filler to the bread and butter of the weekly spreads. In amongst all my weekly spreads and monthly trackers are list after list after list. From shopping lists to lists for one particular day if I have a lot on to master to do lists.
I find master to do lists really helpful, these days I tend to have one for each week and I use them throughout the previous week. For example I am working through this week's spread but I am also jotting down everything I need to do next week in a master to do list. I find that this means I have somewhere to just write stuff down as and when I think of it or when plans arise so I don't forget anything. Then come the end of the week I draw out my weekly spread and then attribute all the tasks and plans from my master list to a particular day in the week.
It makes me much more organised and much less likely to forget anything. It also means I don't have 24893758 billion post it notes on my computer telling me what I need to be doing when and makes it easier to work out what plans I have versus what tasks need doing. I also find daily to do lists or time frames super helpful when I have a really busy day. If I have a lot to do on one particular day I'll do a checklist of tasks or I'll use a calendar system to track the hours in the day if I have to be all over the place at a specific time.
I also planned a veryyyy big Spring/Summer clean of the house down to the tiniest of tasks which I am slowly working my way through. It's like a proper deep clean so is taking weeks and weeks in small hour or two hour slots in amongst all the generic every day housework so it's nice to have a list I can tick off as I go to remind me what I have and haven't done and also to feel like I am making some headway with it.
Blogging;
I've mentioned before I now use my bullet journal for blogging which I never used to do but it's so much easier. Every month I start with a schedule which as you can see gets a bit hectic and mismatched as the month goes on and things happen and I amend it.
This month more than any I also used it for some ad libbing, I planned my General Election blog post in my journal and I also started tracking my Friday Favourites. I used to do this in another notebook a while ago but stopped for ages and that's how my Friday Favs ended up being basically a list of what I did in the last fortnight. Since writing down favourites when I think of them or when they happen has (imo) made my Friday Favourite posts so much more interesting and full of random things and recommendations.
Whilst I was in Devon at the beginning of May I also took some time out to recoup and enjoy drawing new journal layouts and one of them was my Instagram hashtag tracker inspired by the lovely Sarah Ann. And you can also see my blog ideas page is twinned with my bujo page ideas which is bascially things I wanna steal from other bloggers.....
Travelling;
And finally in amongst all the general stuff I always include in my monthly bullet journal layouts, I did a lot of travelling in the month of May. On the first weekend we went to North Devon for our anniversary and a week or so later I went to Wrexham to see my university friends.
This is something I did do in my last bullet journal and something I've always done. I always make a big hunkin to do list and packing list whenever I go away and this month has been no different. What is much easier though is having a generic packing list at the front of my journal meaning all I have to do is flip back to that and add or omit what I do and don't need to pack for the trip I'm going on.
I also don't have a satnav and generally have no need for one. I plan my route on Google maps before I go, I have a look at the road and I write down where I need to go, what turns I need to make and that pretty much does it for me. I have a pretty good memory and sense of direction and tbh they make cute pages don't they?
And that's it! That's how I have been using my bullet journal lately and there's a sneak peek into my May journal layouts. June is actually going to be the last month I detail in this journal because it's nearly full and I'm on to another one for July through to December! See ya'll there!
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