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Idea Organization – Miscellaneous Pages I use in my Bullet Journal

November 11, 2018 3 Comments

November Already? Plan With Me Video & Idea Organization

Well, it’s a few days into November, and my new journal and I’ve already filled up to page 94. Well, this book won’t last long. I had a sudden burst of ideas and flurries of thoughts since I set up the journal and they needed a place to go, so nearly 100 pages later, here I am.

I’m working on organizing these ideas – but when you fill 75+ pages with notes it takes time! I can honestly say, I am glad to be back in a journal that I can use a pencil as my primary writing utensil. I couldn’t do that with the black page journal!

Watch the planning video below and then look through my list of additional brainstorm/notes pages below. I hope that sharing my ideas will inspire you to add some note pages in your planner/journal and get those ideas out of your head and into progress!

Watch the November Plan With Me Video on YouTube and don’t forget to Subscribe!

In addition to my regular monthly pages & weekly pages I have lots of idea organization spreads:

Layout Guidelines – perhaps one of my favorite pages and one of my most often referenced spreads. It’s not pretty, but it sure is functional. (Look for a later post on how I set this up.)

Finances – Frivolous Spending Record – I’m working on getting those little transactions under control

Savings Log – we have a goal to have one month’s expenses in savings. Then we’ll work on 3-6 months too.

Window Savings Log – replacing windows are expensive!

Budget – I planned out our regular bills, and which paycheck they came from so I knew how to schedule them. We use YouNeedABudget.com to track our finances online, but there’s something about writing it down that makes it feel more real and make more sense. Thus why I use a paper planner as well.

Goals – When I write down my goals, I am more likely to work on achieving them!

All the Things – this is my regular journaling page, and I love it. It’s simple, has just a few headers, and I don’t have to complete it every day.

Monthly Review & Next Month Planning. In my monthly review, I ask myself what I did well, what things I can improve, & things I left undone. I find this is a gentle way of redirecting any distractions since I tend to be very hard on myself.

Video & Blog Notes Pages – Just a note page dedicated for blog posts or video posts. These pages usually include items I need to link or things to do before the post going live.

General Blog to do. If you’ve visited before, you’ll notice that I redesigned my website this month. It’s still not 100%, but I like the direction so far. I made notes of things I wanted to include and things I wanted to avoid. I also add notes about minor changes or items I need to do in general. The following pages detailed my categories & plug-ins so I could see what changes to make there too.

Washi Tape Samples – just for fun!

Podcast notes – notes from an inspiring podcast. I always take too many notes (this one took up 4 full pages – 2 spreads in my journal).

Bullet Journal – what works and what doesn’t. List of things that do and do not work for me. I love having designs and art in the background of my notebook. Sometimes it’s hard to balance beauty and function. I have lots of ideas for this – and I’m trying to sort them out.

Retro to do – things I’ve done in the past that need some tweaks now.

Content Calendar Notes & Creation – I am working on streamlining a lot of processes in my life, but I need to list all the things that need to do so I can create a process for each of them.

Blog Post Schedule – days and ideas for posting content. I’m a visual learner, so this is perfect to show me what and when.

Idea Doodles – I LOVE doodling and find inspiration all around me. So I LOVE having a place to doodle ideas. I went back to my first journal recently and was astounded at the rich source of information I mindlessly jotted down. And I was ever-so-pleased to find even more ideas and past thoughts

Life Goals – I have a day job, and most days I’m just there, I don’t enjoy it on most days. So I wrote down a list of things I want to do and how I’d make money doing those things.

Product Notes – I wrote down a process for doing something in Photoshop because I find myself Googling it all the time. If I write something down, I’m more likely to remember it.

Production Notes – I’m asked regularly to create a particular product. So I wrote down my procedures so I could set my expectations and their expectations from the start.

Challenge Ideas – I love hosting challenges on Instagram (though I haven’t lately at work). This page is a list of ideas for challenges.

Blogs to Read – just like it sounds, a simple list of blogs to read.

Cleaning to do list – Lists of daily, weekly monthly, quarterly, & yearly chores

Product Posting – if you haven’t noticed, I have a lot of ideas. A lot. But I also have distraction syndrome. I will get a product almost done and forget to post it or need to make a few tweaks but never get it all the way done and published because I’m distracted by the next project. I’m working on completing projects 100%, and this page helps me do that. Also, I have a goal to finish 50 projects/products in the next 90 days. (That’s a LOT!)

Personal Goals & Aspirations – All the things I want to fit into my weeks/months/years on a personal basis. Just a general list so I can pare it down and figure out what matters.

More Product Notes – again trying to commit something to memory instead of Googling every single time.
Resources – a list of places to find sound clips, images, etc.
Email Automation – This one is kind of embarrassing. My husband has worked with email automation for various companies for the past 10 years. I struggle with it – probably because I haven’t written my ideal flow yet or ideas.
Travel Notes – planning a trip and all the fun things to do while there.
Video Schedule & Unposted Videos – I created a list of short videos on my YouTube Channel (not posted yet) and when I will post them. Many are tidbits or real-time videos showing a process in more depth

There is Consistency in my Mad ‘Idea Organization’

One thing that is consistent across all of my pages, no matter how random they may seem: I love to include headers. Headers help me further organize and remember where to find a particular spread.

I’d love to know what random pages occupy space in your journal. Let me know in the comments below!

Product Review: The Black Page Journal

September 27, 2018 3 Comments

Oh my goodness! It’s been a while. After an unexpected break from all things (except surviving and trudging through the days) in my life, I am so glad to sit down at my computer and write my thoughts. The last couple of months have been a whirlwind of emotions and adjustment. It took much longer for my kids to get acclimated back to school and figure out a schedule. I think it’s safe to say we have our schedule pretty well figured out, just in time for it to change for the holidays. But to the real reason for this post – a Product Review for The Black Page Journal.

Product Review for The Black Page Journal

I’m excited to do something a little different – a product review of the latest notebook I’m trying out! It’s a black page dot-grid notebook, larger than the normal A5s and a really fun experiment. I thought it was completely appropriate for October & Halloween. I planned on using this notebook for September and October. This notebook was purchased with my own money, and all opinions are mine, I was not compensated for my opinion.

Watch the Product Review below – and subscribe to my YouTube Channel!

Book Stats – The Black Page Journal:

Roughly 7×10 inches or 180 mm x 255 mm
100 un-numbered pages
30 dots across per page x 45 dots down per page
- I count square sections made by dots not dots themselves – so to me, it is 29×44
Approximately 5mm dot grid with gray dots (the grid is not precisely 5mm)

My Thoughts:

The quality of the journal could be better – a majority of the pages were cut at a slight angle, so there are some white edges on a lot of the pages. Some cuts are worse than others. Having run a copy center for 9 years, I know the process and would have made one of my employees redo the job or adjust the cuts if possible. However, if this were a white-page notebook, I wouldn’t have been able to tell.

You can’t use a pencil to sketch out your designs because the eraser leaves marks on the page, so everything had to be freehand. Later, I discovered that I could use a black pen to replace my correction tape in my regular journals and correct mistakes. Which, if you’ve seen my YouTube videos, I try to leave any and all mistakes in the editing. One reason to show how to fix mistakes and the second to show you that I’m not perfect, nor do I claim to be.

The pages are a little rough in comparison to the notebooks I typically use. I wouldn’t use a brush pen on them anyway since it’s a black page journal, so that doesn’t really matter. White gel pens stood out, and so did other colors. (I linked the products I used below – check them out). After doing the video review, I used Prisma colored pencils and was astonished at how well the colors stood out and popped off the page. I would definitely use more white and pastel colors for future pages of color pencil.

Conclusion – Would I buy it again?

All in all, I paid about $5 USD for the book. It was a great experiment and if I wanted a black page journal again, I would probably buy it for the same price, but I’d think twice if the price went up and I knew the quality stayed the same. I loved the color pencils and how the gel pens contrasted with the black pages and want to try out some more dark paper specifically for the pens and pencils. If you buy one, make sure to carry a gel pen so you can use your notebook anywhere!

By the way, if you want a good laugh, look at the description on Amazon for the book. I didn’t read it before I bought it, I got a good chuckle from the description.

Products Used on the Test Page for the Journal (affiliate links):

(** are products I like the most on this journal)

Black Page Journal

From the Pen test Page:

**Metallic Bullet Pens – Classy Shop – bit.ly/cm-metallicbullet use Choc15 for 15% off discount
**Metallic Brush Pens – Classy Shop – bit.ly/cm-metallicbrush use Choc15 for 15% off discount

Pilot Silver Marker
Pentel Gold/Silver Gel Pens
Sharpie Metallic Fine Point Markers – Copper, Gold, & Silver

**Uniball Signo White Broad Pen
**Pentel Milky Pop 4-pack Gel Pens
Sakura Gelly Roll

Prismacolor Pencils

**Helix Circle Maker – One of my all-time favorite products
Pentel Click Eraser Stick
Eraser
Kneaded Eraser
Micron Pens

Chalkboard Sticker (desk)

——–
Logitech WebCam
Microphone Blue Yeti
Camera Tripod
Adobe Premiere Elements/Photoshop
——–

11 Reasons to buy Postcards as Souvenirs – Genius Idea for Traveling

September 6, 2018 3 Comments

Do you listen to podcasts? I haven’t until recently, and even then, it is difficult for me to pick up in the middle of a podcast. Should I go back and listen from the beginning? That will just set me back even further in the listening queue. I received an email with a link to a podcast from Gretchen Rubin (I have read several of her books and will link them below). So I listened this morning without going back and starting from episode 1 and surprisingly, I enjoyed it.

(I started listening to books/podcasts in response to this post)

A small part of the 34-minute podcast was a note from a listener. The listener said they buy one or three postcards from their travels of significant memories of the trip such as their favorite art piece at the museum. Postcard as souvenirs don’t take much room to pack, requires no customs, and stored in a small tin at home. She writes a note on the back of the card to herself which captures more memories of the trip!

Genius!

What a genius idea of buying postcards as souvenirs! The cost is minimal and you still get the feeling of ‘buying something’ from your trip.

I remember in my parent’s basement a couple of little dolls from their visit to Pennsylvania and Amish Country. I asked my mom why she didn’t have them on display. She said they were just silly little dolls and wished she wouldn’t have bought them. But she couldn’t throw them away either. I asked her why she didn’t just throw them away and she couldn’t give me an answer and just ushered me out of the room. There is something about buying a souvenir on a trip. Then there is something about having to get rid of it afterward.

How Many Things are Too Many Things?

I have a child who cannot throw away anything because it is all significant to him. I have the same struggle with anything I create. (At what point does my pile of paper become a fire hazard?) I understand the struggle of loving things, but I also understand the struggle of having too many things.

This idea of selecting a postcard to commemorate the best moments of your trip is fantastic, plus you keep a short journal entry on the back for even better memories.

11 reasons to buy postcards instead of souvenirs when you travel - sketchnotes adapted from a podcast

Here are the Reasons to Buy Postcards as Souvenirs

(I’ve adapted this list from the podcast and added my own thoughts)

Choose the best memories from your trip
You don’t have to take pictures all the time
Your friends can help you choose which one you want to take home
Easy to pack
Doesn’t take much space on the trip home
No Customs
Inexpensive
Write a note on the back for memories
Easy to store at home, doesn’t take much space at home
Buy two or three of them without guilt
Isn’t a picture worth a thousand….trinkets?

If I find more gems like this from podcasts, I may have to make an effort to listen to more! And travel more. I definitely need to travel more just so I can buy postcards as souvenirs as if that’s the only reason.

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully and don’t be afraid to find your inner muse.

~Tricia

August Plan With Me: Barnyard Vibes & Filling Space

August 5, 2018 3 Comments

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.

Harvest & Fall Barnyard theme in my Bullet Journal + Pages to fill the end of a journal | @ ChocMusings ChocolateMusings.com

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.

Productivity Tracker in My Bullet Journal - Track planned vs. Actual | @ChocolateMusingsCreates ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #bujo #planner #productivity #tracker

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.”

We Manage What We Monitor - handlettered quote #change #habits #handletter #quote #handlettered

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.

Monitoring habits doesn't require change, but often leads to it. - Gretchen Rubin, Better Than Before #habits #change #quote

What gets measured, gets managed - Peter Drucker

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.

Extra pages at the end of your notebook? Add some extra notes pages with your theme to fill up those blank pages | @ChocolateMusingsCreates ChocolateMusings.com

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

Why My Husband is an Evil Genius and Why I’m Scared (But Not of Him)

July 12, 2018 10 Comments

I Didn’t Know He Was an Evil Genius

First of all, my husband is not plotting to take over the world, he’s a very nice guy, really. 15 years flew by, and here we are, by the way, we’ve known each other for 15 1/2 years. I’m not advocating meeting someone and marrying them before your 6-month anniversary, but it’s working for us. And I didn’t know of his evil genius until recently.

At Christmas, I received a small bonus from work and wondered what to do with it. Mostly, I was going to use it to pay off some things and put the rest into savings. Enter evil genius. He knew I had my eye on the 96-pack of Tombow Markers, but at $150 (US) (I think it’s gone down a little since then), it seemed frivolous. Upon calculating the cost of buying individual sets of markers, I concluded it was nearly double to buy the sets of 10-12 dual-tipped beauties, and in that case then I’d end up with duplicates (not to mention all the colors I wouldn’t have).

My Husband is an Evil Genius & Why I'm Scared (but not of him) and what it has to do with Tombow 96-count markers

When the Evil Genius Surfaced

So back to my quandary, trying to be a responsible, forward-thinking adult, I was ready to squirrel my funds away preparing for a downpour in life. Evil genius pipes up and suggests that instead of getting individual packs of markers as a prize for meeting weight-loss goals, I should get the 96-count with my bonus. After all, it would save money in the long run. The genius was right. I couldn’t see a flaw in his plan until he added: “you get markers for meeting milestones, but if you regress, you have to give them back.”

For a brief moment, I stopped and questioned myself. Was I ambitious enough to see this through and keep off the weight I so desperately wanted to get rid of? I thought I was, especially with such a gilded carrot dangling in front of my face.

Smitten with the idea that I could have, in my possession two days from that moment, all 96 Dual-Brush Tombow Markers complete with the stand, I thought the idea was pure genius. I didn’t see the evil in it, or if I did, I didn’t realize how evil it was.

Fast Forward

Fast forward six months. The box from Amazon sits unopened by my desk. I look at it Every. Single. Day. I’ve lost about 5lbs, and 10 is the first milestone to earn a set of prizes. In all honesty, I haven’t put forth much effort. Before you rush to judge, stop and think for a moment: is there anything in your life you’ve hesitated to do? You thought you wanted the result, but never took steps to accomplish it?

Printable Tracker Game Board – Turn anything into a game!

$6.00

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Why I’m Scared

Giving back the markers if I regress is a scary thought. Who wants to give up something they’ve earned? I know he would be supportive and he wouldn’t have to take them from me. It wouldn’t cause an issue in our relationship because I would give them back without him asking. That’s just my nature. He only suggested it because he thought it would motivate me and knew I would self-monitor and it would keep me from making poor choices once I gained momentum.

Giving back the markers isn’t the reason why I’m scared. The reason why I am scared is that I don’t want that to be the only thing in my life that people bring up while talking. I want them to strike up a conversation because they know I love journaling, they know I love art, they see a passion in my eyes for things of beauty in this life. I don’t want losing weight to become my only identity to everyone else.

In fact, this post nearing completion scared me off from blogging for the past month. I can’t let fear keep me from something I love. It’s not going to happen.

Differences

I am all for banding together with those who want and need the motivation to do something significant in their life, whether it’s losing weight or moving to a foreign country, starting a project, or whatever needs encouragement in their life. For me, I don’t want it to be the only topic of conversation.

So I am working right now on getting rid of that fear. If people don’t truly know me, then how can I expect them to discuss anything besides what they can see? Like everything else in my life, I’ve worked to overcome, not caring what others think is the hardest part. I’m going to take my own advice. Don’t worry what other people think. It matters only how you feel about yourself.

Knowing that I’ve worked to become something more inside than the total of my outside regardless of my weight or body composition, is something to take pride in.

What fears have kept you from making a significant change in your life? How did you overcome those fears?

~Tricia

Want your own pack of 96 Tombow Markers? You don’t have to be scared of my husband if you get them. I promise.