August journal spread inspired by AmandaRachLee's 2021 bujo set up!!
I really loved the overall vibe of this spread, using stickers extensively is so therapeutic I lived making this one so much. I was running short on time or I would have purchases moree stickers for suree☆
The first time I started bullet journaling was in 2020. I was severely depressed and suicidal and started bullet journaling at the suggestion of my therapist. I had friends who were going through similar stuff at the time so it was an activity we did together (over Zoom, usually, because pandemic). I kept doing it through the lockdown and kind of stopped around the end of 2021/beginning of 2022.
I don't know exactly why I stopped but I definitely have a few theories. One, being that ironically, I had too much stuff to do to spend time bullet journaling. Which makes sense- all I was doing during the pandemic was online school, some internships, and being depressed. Once it was "over" (no, its not really over; covid is still very much a thing), I started going back to hobbies, social stuff, etc. But its still kind of ironic that getting more thing to do made me not have time to do the thing that would help me plan said things to do.
I think there's an explanation though. I was doing too much. I was so far down the aesthetic bujo side of social media that I was doing way more than I needed to. I didn't need 3 pages of fancy artsy spreads just for the aesthetic. Don't get me wrong, if that's your thing and it brings you joy, more power to you. Personally, I was so stressed about making the perfect spread, I would rather have not had a spread than have an imperfect spread.
So, what's new? Well, first off, I tried using Notion. Hell, I still use Notion. And I freaking love it. But there was still a gap. Notion is great for planning, organizing all of that. I use it for all of that, too. But I realized, there was some bit of that artsy bullet journal spread that I was still missing out on. And so, I'm bringing the bullet journal back. With a LOT of changes.
First off, screw all the pretty pages from Pinterest, Instagram, etc. No fancy notebook either- just an unruled composition book. I want to keep this as simple (or complicated) as I want. I'm getting rid of all the trackers that I never used. It's just going to be a giant, messy, chaotic to-do list, with some aspects of the bullet journal still in it. I'm keeping my monthly spread and possibly adding a finance tracker because I'm way more in charge of my own finances now. The rest of it, however, is going to be raw, unstructured chaos. I want to be able to scribble down ideas that came to me at 3AM without having to find 30 brush pens and a pack of supertips, y'know. Raw, unstructured chaos.
And hell, if I want to be artistic at some point, no one is stopping me from doing that either.
Let's hope it goes better this time (and that I rip out less pages from that notebook).
Since I was a kid I always liked planners and journals, I had several and I was obsessed with them.
Years passed and I ended up putting aside my hobby until in 2016 I got a calendar from my ex-boss and started learning more about organization and bullet journaling through Pinterest.
BUJO has been a rage since 2016 and I had my first BUJO in 2017.
Today I'm going to talk a little about my BUJO trajectory and show some of my layouts.
When I started BUJO in 2017 I made several trackers and just put tasks, I was doing it that way until September 2020 where I started to do in addition to tasks a little diary in topic.
Since then I went through several types of Planners, I started using just one notebook, then I went to A6 Traveler's Notebook, then to the Ring Planners always in B6 size.
I followed this way until 2021 when I started my Pocket Rings and followed the Kim'sPaperPlan organization method (currently she deleted the YT videos). At first I was the one who did my own inserts, but when I got my first Moterm Pocket Rings I started to buy Peanuts Planner Co Inserts.
Soon got tired of the ring system and in May 2022 I decided to go back to the A6 TN and although I loved the size the TN I had bought was too small and didn't fit everything I needed.
Than I decided that I would start a BUJO on an A6 Stalogy and that it would stay on the new big A6 TN that I bought.
Nowadays my BUJO is a mixture of journal and planner. I do my weekly planning and daily I do the daily journal. This way has been much better and more enjoyable for me.
If anyone is interested in knowing more about BUJO and has any questions about my planners, they can ask me or go to my instagram @aislinravynne.
got another one for u! talk bullet journalling to me, whats ur fav theme uve ever done, how have u managed to stick with it for so long, whats ur main goal with it <3
perfect timing because i'm doing my april set up today! my fave theme is probably either the f1 theme i did for march 2021 (the tyre calendar is just too cute) or the one i did this march (00s scrapbook style). u can definitely see how i've improved over time hehe
sticking with it has been hard, i had to stop for a few months last year bc i was just so burnt out i couldn't bring myself to do it anymore. but taking a break made me realise how much i enjoy doing it and helped in the long run :) i think i use my bujo as a creative outlet more than anything else. like yes it keeps me organised but mostly it keeps me motivated to keep trying new things.
My partner and I have been playing Hades together for about a week….it’s kind of consuming all of our free time, but I worked on this spread while it was his turn!
hibi hibi!! can we see you bullet journal/planning set up for the year?
Omg YES SORRY TO THE OTHER ANON TOO I keep forgetting. The emphasis is definitely on function but with a lot of scope for decoration if I’m feeling it. I always write a dedication on the inside of the cover of my BuJo, about how I want to grow this year. Last year was bravery, the year before was strength, and this year its belief that I deserve all the good in my life.
Most of this is tried and tested. I’ve kept the same monthly spread since forever. The future log is slightly different in configuration: three months per page, horizontally rather than vertically. I did more scrapbooking style decoration this time which was so so so much fun.
I always have goals for the year (personal, professional, and habits to internalize). My husband encouraged me to add an accomplishments page at the end of 2021 and I’m glad I did that, because it’s been really good for me to look back and see what I’ve been able to achieve. Things I’ve written was A MESS last year mostly bc of tsor lmao but I’m hoping to be more disciplined about maintaining that page this year. Things I’ve read is a staple. Therapy log is new, but kind of a no-brainer; depresso checklist is also fairly new. I always have a “school key” which is my highlighting scheme, any other structural things I want to remember, and other notations I’ve started using. I always have a semester spread which is a master spread of assignments, grade breakdowns, etc—great for at-a-glance. Job applications for the summer break, but I’ll probably add another for post-grad job hunts eek. And I’ve added a gratitude page right after my monthly spread! It’s been a good addition so far, and I’m hopeful that I can keep it up.
I hope this was helpful!! I don’t do too many daily trackers because they don’t work for me from past experience.