I’m a big fan of the bullet journal and have used it, loosely, for the past several years.  My 2017 bullet journal and I are inseparable, though, because I have learned how to make it work for me.

The beauty of a bullet journal is that you can customize it to fit your needs.  One of my goals for this year was to journal more and my 2017 bullet journal is the key to making that happen.  I purchased this Moleskine dotted journal and pulled out my favorite Micron pens.

Before setting up my journal, I made a list of what I wanted to accomplish with this journal.  I knew I wanted the main purpose to be a memory keeper/journal, but I also wanted to use the space as more than that.  My list looked like this:

• journal
• “brain dump”; blog notes, to-do lists, etc.
• book log
• self-care/health tracker

How I set up my 2017 Bullet Journal:

Every bullet journal begins with an index.  I wrote in a page header and then left a few pages to fill in later.

I followed up with a few pages reserved for a book log:  books that I read in 2017 with a quick 1-5 star rating.

After the book log, I designated four pages for blog “stuff”.  One page to keep up with OAL financial info, one page for OAL branding notes, and two pages for 2017 social media stats.

With those yearly trackers out of the way, I am now ready to start January.  The first page of my January journal was a habit tracker.  Another 2017 goal is to improve my self-care.  This includes things like having a quiet time every day, drinking enough water, exercising, and getting adequate rest.  I like the idea of being able to color in the squares as I complete the activity.  I also like being able to have a monthly overview of how this goal is going!

Right behind the January habit tracker begins my journal pages.  Each day looks a little different.  Some days are journaled in paragraph form, others in bullet form.  Some days have to-do lists stuck in the midst.

At the very end of my 2017 bullet journal, on the last two pages, I included a bible reading chart.  I printed this one from Women Living Well and adhered it using double sided tape.  Hopefully this will help me stay on track to read the entire bible this year!

A few tips I’ve discovered along the way:

1. Keep it simple.  If you search for “Bullet Journal” on Instagram, you’ll find lots of elaborately decorated journals.  They’re gorgeous, of course, but I don’t have time for all that.  (Note:  My first few pages are decorated, but only because I set them up at the end of 2016, when I was on winter break.  Trust me when I say that no other pages in my journal will be pretty!)
2. Use what works.  Change your system monthly until you get it right.
3. Make it work for YOU.  In previous years, I’ve attempted to use my bullet journal the way other people used theirs.  I ended up dropping off sometime around March and defeated the whole purpose of my bullet journal.  By recording what I want to record, I’ll have more stick-with-it power.

Do you use a bullet journal?  Do you have any tips to add?