Have you ever found something that has your name written all over it? It fills your needs and you love the looks of it as well. It just speaks to you! I have experimented for years with various planners and journals to find the perfect one to keep me on track. I’m so excited to know I finally found it: the “to do” method and planning system that works for me. Have you?
If not, and you need to organize your responsibilities, goals, and tasks, maybe this will provide some possible options. My bullet journal planner method covers all the bases for me:
~ past-present-future
~ practical but pretty
~ portable
I have used a traveler notebook system since 2016. This includes 3 Moleskine journals that contain 80 pages each and are stored in a cover. I use mine as follows:
~ Weekly Bullet Journal
~ Monthly View Journal
~ Notes Journal
The following is a quick overview of each of these inserts.
Weekly Bullet Journal
This journal contains my weekly spread that covers two pages, and is set up as a bullet journal. If you enjoy checking items off each day like I do, the bullet journal is perfect for that.
The next two-page spread is blank. This allows space to go back after the fact and record things from each day, add mementos and photos. I can fit three months of weekly plans in this journal with allowing the extra page after each week. Without the blank spread after each week, you will get six months of weekly spreads in one Moleskine cahier insert. When the insert is complete, simply slide it out from the cover and insert the next one
Monthly View Journal:
In addition to the weekly view, a basic necessity for me is to have access to the full year at all times. This is something important to me that was lacking with the regular bullet journal method. That’s why I set up the middle journal in my artisan cover with all 12 monthly views. Each month is drawn out over a two-page spread.
Again in this monthly view insert, I leave a blank page after each month’s spread. This provides a place to plan tasks or events for the month that need some extra space. When that event comes up in the current month, I can refer to that starter list. Any tasks that need to be done can be written into the specific week and day as needed. This extra page between each month’s view still allows about 10 blank pages at the end of this journal. I have various uses for these, such as trackers, lists, etc. Also, I always set aside one page where I start a list for events the following year.
Notes Journal:
Finally, the last journal is a general journal for anything that comes up during the year. It may include personal lists such as books to read, quotes, Bible verses, or business notes. This insert is a basic dumping ground for most anything. Because of that, this is the one journal where I use the index as described by Ryder Carroll, of bulletjournal.com. With page numbers & topics written in the index, the notes are so much easier to find when needed again.
The Details:
I prefer to have my planner with me all the time, so the 5×7 size works best for me. In an effort to be creative and pretty, I use the softcover Moleskine cahier journal with the grid design. The grid lines make it easy to draw the bullet journal boxes & add designs and be relatively straight in the process. (This softcover version is also available in ruled or blank pages. Moleskine sells a huge variety including hardcover journals with dots instead of grid.) I prefer the softcover so I can use them as inserts in my artisan cover. I also use the 3.5×5.5 size for my financial journal – but that’s a topic for another time.
So, there you have it – I finally found it – the system that really works for me. It’s practical and keeps me on track to get things accomplished. If I have extra time, I can add some color or washi tape or photos to make it pretty. If not, the main thing is that it helps me live my life without missing anything. I can get things done in the present, plan for the future, and record the past. I’ve shared this, taught it at my store, and see how it makes sense to people. The beauty of this method is that you can personalize it exactly to your needs. It can be as simple or as fancy as you want.
If you need that perfect method to stay on track with life’s various activities, hopefully these ideas will help you. I’d love to hear you be able to say “I finally found it!” so you can add to the wonderful life you are creating. Be sure to read the details of my monthly insert on this post: https://yourlifeinjournals.com/create-your-monthly-insert