This month I put a TON of work into illustrating my bullet journal, partly because I wanted to fill up the rest of the space in this notebook to start a new one in September. And I use my planner more when it’s pretty. I know I’m not the only one to do that. In March, I said I wanted to fill a notebook with a year’s worth of plans. But all that changed. I managed to fit 6 months into in this book, and I’m not mad.
12 Week Year Experiment
Well, when I read the 12 Week Year, I decided that I could fill up a notebook for every 12 weeks if I wanted. Starting a separate collections journal turned out to be a good idea. I LOVE writing, jotting, doodling, building on ideas. I also realized that I needed space to track notes, etc. for current projects. Leaving space to breathe is a beautiful thing, especially when my mind starts racing 10,959,008,943 miles per hour when I lay down to go to sleep.
How to Fill Space in your Bullet Journal
Wasting space at the end of a journal seems, well, wasteful. So I threw in a bunch of trackers that I wanted to try. Coupled with note pages, I successfully filled up the rest of the book. Each page has a unique farm animal doodle + painting. My friend Amy & decided to feature Farm Animals in our Instagram Challenge this Month, so that’s where the idea bloomed. See below for a list of pages to add to your bullet journal or planner if you’re at the end and need to fill a few pages.
If you spend any time on Instagram or Pinterest, you know that there are lots of different trackers and plans you’d like to try. Since I had a few pages left in my journal, I filled the space with different trackers to see how I liked them. Each page features a different animal, partially so I can easily find the pages I’m looking for. “Oh, that one has the peacock, that’s the one with the chicks crossing the road, that one is the horse one” — tricks to help my brain.
Spreads such as a Planned vs. Actual Productivity log, editorial calendar, I added a gratitude log back in (partially because the Instagram challenge helped me think of an idea and a focus for my gratitude.
Great Quotes
In a previous habit tracker post, I mentioned a quote from Gretchen Rubin, an author who writes about habits and happiness. She said, “We manage what we monitor.” Then later she mentioned that “monitoring habits don’t require change, but often leads to it.” Peter Drucker wisely said, “What gets measured gets managed.”
I want to start creating and selling more planner-related resources, both digitally and eventually shipping products. This month’s ‘filler pages’ are a way to help me recognize my time wasters and what I can do differently.
Too Ambitious?
Ambitiously, I also decided to document creating all of these pages (20 spreads!) with one YouTube Video per day. As of Day 4, I fear I’m in over my head (partly because I can’t get my computer to render the videos fast enough!). I have so much I want to share! Speaking of videos watch below for the flip through.
Ideas for Additional Pages:
If you’re a blogger:
- Editorial Pages
- Blog post notes
- Video notes (if you edit videos)
- Social Media Results for the length of the notebook
- Blog statistics covering the period of the notebook
- Successes!
- Things to Improve
Other Extra Pages:
- Braindump (this month I call mine an Idea Cloud)
- Lists of pages in your next journal
- Productivity tracker
- Monthly to do list
- Next Month’s Plans, ideas, where you’d like to go, important information
- Monthly Review
- Journal/Event Page
- Instagram Post Tracker
- Gratitude Log
- Quotes for your next journal
- The inspiration for your planner
- Doodle pages for headers and icons
- Favorites
What pages do you add as ‘filler’?
~Tricia
No Matter Which Notebook I use – You’ll Always Find These Supplies Close at Hand
![This month’s creative challenge is all about flower names! Use these everyday floral names to expand your creativity throughout this month. Check out the challenge list below, and if you’re having trouble with creative ideas, keep reading. I have lots of ideas to share. Handlettering these words is fun if that’s what you always do. […] The post Creative Challenge: Flower Names appeared first on Chocolate Musings.](https://i0.wp.com/i.pinimg.com/564x/12/65/81/1265815e2ef10a0fd4505524fb3f0eeb.jpg?ssl=1)
I love the look of this, and I’ve been following it on Instagram as well. Your art is so transformative, have you thought about illustrating a kids book? You’ve definitely got the look for it, I am always taken away with your art! Are you going to post an ‘after the pen’ for these collections?
Ani Kay recently posted…Mid-Year Review – Getting Goals Accomplished!
Hi Ani! Thnks so much, I’ve thought about illustration but I have no book to Illustrate 🙂 I am planning on posting ‘after the pen’ I’m not so sure why that part scares me so much! Probably because it is not neat and completely all over the place. LOL!