It’s the start of the year and what does everyone attempt to do in January? Get their life together. A bullet journal is a great, creative and mindful way to get and stay organised. This post is going to give you full access into my journal by showing you my bullet journal set up for 2020. This is my fourth bullet journal since starting in 2016 and I must say this is possibly my favourite yet. If you are looking for some bullet journal spread ideas or if you just want a peak inside of my journal, keep scrolling!
What I Used:
Before we begin, I know I am going to receive a few questions on what I have used to create these spreads, so I’ll share them with you now. Hethrone dual brush pens, were used in every spread and are both phenomenal and affordable; I highly recommend them! I also used one other white gel pen from Uniball, which also amazing and cheap. This is a huge contrast to my 2018 and 2019 set ups where I must have used about 20 different utensils.
Still unsure on how to start a bullet journal? No fret, in this post I strip thing back to basics and provide spread examples and tips on how to start a bullet journal here.
The 2020 Bullet Journal…
That concludes my very minimal bullet journal set up. Previously being a student and living alone meant I had more things to track such as, deadlines, exams, meals and bills. As a result past bullet journal set ups were DENSE. I also used to track movies I’ve watched and my weight which I’ve missed out on this set up whilst watching Netflix. In other words, Henry Cavill in The Witcher was clearly a distraction. Alas, if you want to check out previous movies watched, weight loss and student spreads, click here!
I hope you enjoyed my mini bullet journal set up for 2020. I will be posting my January Bullet Journal Set Up next week, so stay tuned for that!
Picture this, you’re counting down to bring in the new year, the new decade: ’10…9..’ and suddenly you freeze. ‘What have I done with my life in this decade? How can I pull my life together for the ‘roaring 20s?’ This is the year that will change all. Yes we say that every year but this year you have a life changer on your side. You have a bullet journal. You’ve heard of a bullet journal, Pam next door has one and the studious student lives by hers. You are so intrigued and would like to start one but with all of the elaborate bullet journals you see now a days you do not know even how to start a bullet journal. Don’t worry, I am bringing you the ultimate guide on how to start a bullet journal in time for 2020. I am going to be stripping it back to the basics giving you the cores of a bullet journal to give you the foundations to start a bullet journal and make it your own.
What really is a bullet journal?
With all the pretty pictures you’ve probably already seen of people’s bullet journals, in fact maybe the very ones who inspired you to create one, you can see that a bullet journal comprises of lists. Lots of lists. Essentially, to put it sweet and short, a bullet journal is your ultimate friend for when it comes to getting and staying organised. By making manageable, daily/ weekly/ monthly lists to achieve your goals, the bullet journal is perfect for those who want to get on top and stay on top of things.
Bullet Journal Essentials
First we need to establish some of the basic things you will need to start your journal. Here are a few things I use every single day:
If you would like to see an extensive list of things I use and have used in my journal, check out my must have bullet journal supplies for 2020 (great for beginners.) I have also summarised some things below:
Washie Tape: Assorted here, here and here (this one!).
Other: Stencils– these are amazing for beginners!, Watercolour paints and brushes, watercolour brush pens, stickers – here and here (for those of us who cba to doodle!)
For an updated extensive list of affordable ‘Must Have Bullet Journal Supplies for 2020’ please click here.
The KEY to Bullet Journal Basics
The bullet journal was created, at first, as a very simple list making concept to help people stay on top of things. Ofcourse, as humans we had to overcomplicate things. Ryder Carol, the creator of the bullet journal method, established a key which many people still use when making their lists and when they are marking things off. I for one do not use this key, only because I do not want to learn a whole key method when really what I will do is make up my own as I go along. This is the beauty of the journal, it will evolve as you do as you are the maker of your journal. Here is an example:
Indexes are used for you to pin point where certain pages are in your bullet journal (it’s basically a table of contents.) I personally do not use an index, I tried in my first and second bullet journals but it quickly became apparent, both times, that I would rather flip through my pages than look at the index. Many bullet journal notebooks such as, STM, lemome and leuchtturm all have indexes prior to the key. However with moleskin you will have to make your own index and also number the pages.
2020 at a Glance / Future Log
Every new bullet journal I create I make sure to add a year at a glance. This is a very simple calendar spread where you show a brief view of the year. This is so handy to have to flip to when making new spreads and planning ahead. The most popular utensils (?) used to create spreads like this are highlighters such as, Zebra Mildliners (my personal faves) and Tombow brush pens as well as some fineliners (i just use a regular pen though tbh!) In regards to the Tombows though, you can find cheaper alternatives here, which i recently bought.
Future logs are used to plan ahead key dates you already have. This could be holidays/ events and birthdays, although some people do a separate spread on that.
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Collections
Post index and key, most people, myself included do not jump straight into making the traditional to-do list. Instead we make collections. Collections are a great way to track things throughout the period of your bullet journal. Some popular collections includes tracking moods, tv shows you have watched, your spending and even that time of the month for us ladies. Some of my personal favourites include a gym tracker, books I’ve read and movies I have watched that year. During university, I even had a master shopping list and meal ideas.
You can make your collections as simple or as elaborate as you want. As you can see my gym tracker spread is pretty simple, just colouring in some boxes; yet this master shopping list required a bunch of doodles. With spreads like this you can go as crazy as you want! I love using coloured pens such as my Staedtler Triplus Fineliners, inexpensive Crayola Supertips and some Faber Castell Pencils.
This is the perfect spread to have the whole month right infront of you. This is essentially your monthly dashboard where you include key dates, appintments, goals etc.
Before I get into my weeklies, I LOVE including monthly habit trackers and collections. These include gym trackers, tbrs and books read. I am not one to track my habits (anymore) so I don’t use those. When going on holiday I even include a packing list!
These little sections within the month are totally dependent on your preference so I do recommend dabbling and trying both. For those of you who have tonnes to do on a daily basis try dailies. Dailies are when you dedicate one day to a page. Weeklies, which I use, is when you dedicate a whole two page spread to a week. In both dailies and weeklies you can have goals, trackers and even meal plans.
Not wanting weeklies or dailies is perfectly okay to! During the summer months when I was at school and not working I would just make a master to do list for the month! This is basically just making a to-do list but labelling it ‘June To-do’
Well there you have it. Once you find what you like, you will never go back! Bullet journalling, journalling in general, is so therapeutic you will love it.
Hello undergraduates, welcome to the first post in my student series, where I have compiled the ultimate university packing checklist. Moving away from home to attend university is a very stressful time period so I thought I would relieve some of your stress by compiling a university packing checklist that you can download and print off, comprising of essential items.
Also I just wanted to let you know that this post has had a complete update for 2020, going into more detail and depth, listing every singe thing you are going to need for university here. I highly recommend reading my University Packing Checklist for 2020 here! (it’s so much better!)
Hello undergraduates, welcome to the first post in my student series, where I have compiled the ultimate university packing checklist. Moving away from home to attend university is a very stressful time period so I thought I would relieve some of your stress by compiling a university packing checklist that you can download and print off, comprising of essential items.
Congratulations are in order.
I would like to start off by saying congratulations to all of you who have received your A-level results. No matter what you got, you have done amazingly well. Trust me, my A levels nearly killed me and i didn’t get into my first choice university but three years later, so close to graduating, I can’t imagine myself having gone to another university. A-levels are hard so celebrate what you have achieved because you’ll be moving out soon!
A checklist like this would have been very helpful when I first moved to university however, all I could find were posts from parents sending their children off to university for the first time. thinking we’re going to need 6 different types of spoons. So if you are a university student or a parent/ guardian of one, I have the ultimate college/ university packing checklist, perfect for your packing needs.
Starting university can be a little daunting due to there being so much to do in so little time, organisation here really is key. As a fresher you will probably either underpack or over pack so it is essential you use a college/ university packing checklist. Lucky for you, I have done this three times so you are in the right place with a checklist that will see you through the year and perhaps beyond. I will however keep an eye on your cutlery as I started off with four of everything and am now left with a spoon, a fork and half of a mug.
‘Well, I’m not going to carry it on my head now, am I?’
Before you pack, you’re going to need things to put your stuff in. When I moved to university I bought a large suitcase,a weekend suitcase (this is essential for a much needed weekend away) and these boxes, which made life 100% easier instead of using the staple bin bags and ikea specials. I really recommend checking out Amazon for cheap and durable storage solutions.
The list of all lists:
If you want to download this college/ university packing checklist, click here. In the rare (and perhaps likely) case I have forgotten something, I’ve also included a few extra spaces for you to add things for yourself. Most of my university things such as my mattress protector (please get this, you do not know what has gone on in your bed before you moved in!) and crockery set I really recommend Amazon because they ship everywhere and their returns are easy as sleeping through your 9ams. As with the bedroom stuff, that really is personal to you and i’ve just put a few bits on there that you may need. Most of the stuff is not essential but it’s good to have them to make your room feel more like home and I will be writing a whole other post on ‘Non-essential University Essentials,’ so keep you eyes peeled for that. I will also be doing an in-depth post on making your uni room feel more like home so watch this space.
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In the stressful period of exams, deadlines, tax returns or even prepping for a work presentation we all need to be that tad bit more productive don’t we? I am going to be sharing with you the best free apps that will increase your productivity (for both IOS and Andriod!) I’m a big advocate of sometimes doing nothing but when it started to be a regular (hourly) occurrence of reaching for my phone to browse instagram for the 40th time in twenty minutes, i realized I needed to stop… after all, your essay on a completely irrelevant topic subject is not going to write itself. With a little research and trial and error, I have discovered some of the best free apps that increase productivity, that I would love to share with you all!
As I have started to build up my blog again I’ve been dedicating more time to it and having both exams and a job at the same time, I cannot afford to waste minutes during the day. I depend on these apps all day, everyday as they really do help me be more productive.
First and foremost however, you are going to need a device where you can download these apps on. I personally use my phone (Huawei Mate 20 pro) and my tablet (Huawei Media Pad.) (more…)
