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September 2021 Plan With Me – Skyline Paper Craft

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For September 2021 I chose skylines for my theme in my bullet journal. I imagined the plan with me would start with browsing some famous skylines and trying to duplicate them with watercolor in my notebook. Well, as it turns out, I took a detour. I stuck with skylines but went about creating them in a completely different way.

Confession: I NEVER thought I’d create paper collages in my bullet journal – even though they are all over Instagram and Pinterest right now. A quick Google search brings up hundreds of pictures and ideas. Many of which are very intricate and involve tearing paper.

This design, however, does not require any tearing. Most buildings are square and boxy – and that makes it easy to create from paper – especially dot-grid paper. I used a variety of methods to cut paper this month, a paper trimmer, scissors, and even my Cricut.

If you feel like you fit into the category of people who are not artistic or creative, then let the spreads this month inspire you. You can create many different effects depending on the shape of the buildings and if you decide to layer the buildings.

Papercraft City Skyline Bullet Journal Theme - September 2021 + VIDEO Plan With me | ChocolateMusings

Table of contents

September 2021 Plan With Me Layouts

  • Page Welcome Spread – facing a small monthly calendar + split monthly log for events.
  • Habit Tracker Page + To Do List
  • Weeklies using the same basic layout, then altered to have their own unique flair
  • Brain Dump Page (using PH Martin’s Iridescent Calligraphy Colors + Glass Pen)
  • Cityscape bullet journal welcome page + monthly calendar log Bullet Journal Theme for September 2021 + Plan With Me Video | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Tall Buildings Habit Tracker - Papercraft City Scape Bullet Journal September 2021 Theme | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Blocks and buildings at night - city scape bullet journal weekly easy layout | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Shimmery Shiny Ink Building Outline Drawing | Chocolatemusings.com

Products Used:

September 2021 Plan With Me Video

Watch the plan with me video for September 2021 below. Then make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I hope you find some inspiration from the design, tips and tricks, and some of the mistakes and solutions I used.

September Welcome Page

The ONLY lettering I did this month was on the welcome page with some watercolor paints and I made a big “To Do” page next to the habit tracker. Other than that, The whole month is pretty simple.

Don’t get me wrong, I love to letter all my headings. It helps me quickly find pages as I’m flipping through my book. But I also enjoy trying something new. And I see a lot of people who want to have ‘pretty’ pages but who don’t draw or paint or have developed the lettering skill – yet.

  • Layered City Scape Bullet Journal Set Up | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Easy Peasy City silhouette bullet journal theme + Plan With Me Video | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Paper cut buildings at night bullet journal welcome page | ChocolateMusings.com

‘September’ Lettering Process

To letter ‘September’ on the welcome page, I used shimmery Coliro (Finetec) watercolor paints. This Pheonix color is one of my favorite colors ever. It’s got gold undertones and glows red and orange and shimmers with gold.

Tip: The best way to activate this paint is to drop a bit of water on each paint well and let it sit for a minute. When you’re ready to paint, use your paintbrush to mix up the colors a bit. Look at those shimmery colors!

Painting over different levels created by the paper was a little difficult the paintbrush tip kept catching on the different levels of paper.

  • Coliro Watercolor Paints - Mixing Close Up | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Building Papercraft Welcome Spread with Iridescent Watercolor Handlettering | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Watercolor Handlettering Bullet Journal Welcome Page Title | ChocolateMusings.com

Monthly Log

I normally create a two-page monthly calendar, but this month, I created a small calendar and a simple two-column monthly log.

I messed up and started the month on a Thursday instead of a Wednesday. This happens to me a lot, so I habitually check the dates early when I start inking. Generally, when I pencil in the calendar, I add Sunday’s date listed in the calendar so I have a reference and can correct mistakes easily. It’s amazing how writing sequential numbers is so difficult!

For the monthly log section, I used these handy-dandy stickers that I sell in my shop to list out 1-30 (or 1-31) for the days of the month. They fit perfectly in a 5mm dot grid. In this case, I used clear stickers, but I also have white stickers.

September has 30 days, and since I’m splitting the month into two columns instead of one tall column on the page, I cut the 31st off and then sliced the sticker between 15 & 16. Viola! Now I don’t have to write the numbers again. (And probably mess up the number sequence – like I always do!)

Tip: Once the ink dries (completely!) – don’t forget to erase your pencil lines.

Simple Monthly Calendar + Log Layout - Minimal Bullet Journal Monthly | ChocolateMusings.com

Habit Tracker

On my habit tracker page, I created tall, slim buildings. Each building is 2.5 cm (5squares) wide and at least 15.5 cm (31 squares) high. I’ll fill in the 2nd and 4th squares across when I complete a habit for the day. Since September has 30 days, I split the tracker into two columns. Each day, I can mark one of the squares as a window to check off the habit. In the end, it will look like a building all lit up at night.

To add variety to the page, each building has a different ‘hat’ topper and is a different height so I could add doors at the bottom. I numbered each window in pencil so I could easily find it and reduce mistakes during the month. It’s not saying that I won’t still make a mistake and mark the wrong day, but I can try.

Pro Tip: Use your Cricut or Silhouette Machine to cut out building shapes instead of cutting them by hand.

I hope you had a chance to check out the September 2021 plan with me video above. I have to admit that this is one of the easiest habit trackers I’ve ever created. Now, I can’t wait to fill in all the windows.

September 2021 Plan With Me Cityscape Bullet Journal Habit Tracker + Set Up Plan With Me Video | ChocolateMusings.com

Weeklies – Easy, Minimal Rectangle + Vinyl Sticker Layouts

I decided that I wanted to use paper strips to define the day sections in my weeklies. I was going for a minimal graphic grid layout. After one glorious failed attempt at gluing the strips to my journal, I switched to cutting out the strips on my Cricut machine using removable vinyl.

Now, there are not many times that I claim to have above-average intelligence, but this solution was pure genius.

  • Minimal Blocky Black and White Weekly Bullet Journal Layout | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Easy Building Silhouette Weekly Bullet Journal Minimal Spreads | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Easy Buildings at Night Silhouette Weekly Bullet Journal Minimal Spreads | ChocolateMusings.com

Brain Dump Page: Wander Through My Wonderings

The brain dump page is a main staple throughout most of my notebook planning pages. This September 2021 Plan With Me is no different.

I love to use alternate names for “Brain Dump.” This time, I called it ‘wander through my wonderings’.
Every month, I use a page like this to catch all the extra thoughts, random ideas, experiences, and anything that I need to jot down.

Since I love using different names for brain dump pages, I figured you would, too. So I created a list of 150+ different names that you can use to replace the name ‘brain dump’ in your bullet journal.

I tried to use a silver pen to do building outlines, but it showed up even less than the pencil lines where I sketched out the buildings on the page. I knew I didn’t want black outlines because I wouldn’t be able to write over them. So I dusted off the glass nib and iridescent ink colors from DR. PH Martin. Controlling the ink flow in some cases was a little difficult, but I love the way this page turned out and I know that it will be a favorite page to review.

Building Outline Brain Dump Spread - Wander Through my Wonderings | ChocolateMusings.com

Summary

I hope you’ve gathered some inspiration from my September 2021 Plan With Me post.

If you’d like to add a bit of creativity to your bullet journal spreads but don’t feel confident enough to draw or handletter, I hope these spreads give you the inspiration to try something new. It was so fun to see these buildings rise up on my page from nothing. I can’t wait to use these spreads.

Layered Note Paper + Gold Pen Accents + Vinyl strips = easy peasy Bullet Journal Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

6 Fun & Easy to Draw Back-to-School Doodles

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Here are 6 fun and easy-to-draw back-to-school doodles for your bullet journal or planner! Add a weekly art or doodle box to your bullet journal or planner so you can try them out when inspiration strikes. You can also use them for headers or note spaces. These doodles are super easy and fun to try! Try all sorts of variations once you get the hang of drawing these simple school sketches.

Originally Posted September 19, 2019 – Edited July 22, 2021

Back-to-school Doodles Header

Table of contents

  • How to Draw a Pencil Planner Doodles | ChocolateMusings.com

Supplies

All you need to doodle is a pencil and some paper, but if you want to outline your drawings with a pen, use an archival pen so it doesn’t smudge when coloring. Keep in mind that you need to let the ink completely dry even when using an archival pen. Sometimes it’s a couple of minutes or it might be more. It really depends on the pen & the paper you’re using.

I drew all of these in pen because it’s easier to see in the picture examples, but I would draw them in pencil first and then finish off with pen & coloring.

Crayola Supertip markers are some of my favorites to color with because they have such a variety of colors, and they are relatively inexpensive. But you can use colored pencils, Tombow markers, or anything else you have on hand or leave it uncolored if you want.

Archival Pens I Recommend:

These are archival pens I’ve personally tried out and use. I always recommend doing some experiments on your pen test page in your notebook to see how long it takes for each pen to dry.

Back-to-School Art Doodles: How to Draw a Pencil

The pencil doodle is one of my favorites! And you can customize it in so many ways.

  • Start by drawing two parallel lines
  • Then add a point where you connect the two lines with diagonal lines.
How to Draw a Pencil Part 1 - Back-to-School Doodles for your Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com #BTS #backtoschool #doodles #backtoschooldoodles
  • Add curved lines to separate the body and show the sharpened part of the pencil and a curved line for the lead.
  • On the other end, add thin rectangles at the end of your first parallel lines
  • Then add shorter parallel lines for the eraser.
  • Cap it off with an oval or curved lines for the eraser.
  • Add some additional lines down the center of the pencil
  • Finish it off by coloring your pencil sketch.

You can see that I added a little darker color on the left-hand side of the pencil. This shows that the light is coming from the right-hand side. You don’t have to add shadows, but they add a little dimension to the drawing.

How to Draw a Pencil Part 2 - Back-to-School Doodles for your Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com #BTS #backtoschool #doodles #backtoschooldoodles

Back-to-School Doodles: How to Draw a Chemistry Flask

Since most flasks are see-through, you will have to show the outside and inside of the container.

  • The top opening is an oval with a lip, so start by drawing an oval inside another oval.
  • Once you draw your top ovals, add parallel lines down from the center oval, but don’t extend them too far.
  • Draw the curve of the bottom of the flask. If you’d rather draw a larger oval you can do that in pencil. Sometimes it’s helpful to follow the same curve as the top oval as they have similar shapes.

Note: The bottom of the flask is another oval, but that oval won’t connect all the way through. This is when it’s helpful to draw with a pencil so you can erase unnecessary parts before inking in your doodle.

How to Draw a Chemistry Flask Part 1 - Back-to-School Doodles for your Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com #BTS #backtoschool #doodles #backtoschooldoodles
  • Connect the bottom oval and the parallel lines with two diagonal lines.
  • If you didn’t draw this line initially, add the second curved line showing the inside bottom of the flask. I usually don’t connect the bottom lines, but you can if you want!
  • Finally, you can add measurement lines and color the flask. You’re done with this fun back-to-school doodle!
How to Draw a Chemistry Flask Part 2 - Back-to-School Doodles for your Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com #BTS #backtoschool #doodles #backtoschooldoodles

Back-to-School Doodles: How to Draw a Clipboard


Idea: use this clipboard art doodle for the notes section in a weekly planner spread or as the day/date indicator for a week.

  • Start by drawing a rectangle, but don’t close off the box at the top middle (or draw in pencil and erase later).
  • Then draw a short line on the inside near the top for the clip part.
  • Add a curve in between the unconnected lines at the top.
  • Add two curved lines to connect your center curve to the straight line and add a circle at the top.
  • Include some details like paper (or several sheets stacked on the clipboard). Draw the sheets of paper under the clamp, but on the inside of the clipboard.
  • Finish off your adorable clipboard with color or details!
How to Draw a Clipboard Part 2 - Back-to-School Doodles for your Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com #BTS #backtoschool #doodles #backtoschooldoodles

Back-to-School Doodles: How to Draw a Ruler

You might not think about sketching a ruler since usually, it’s one of the tools you use to draw! But you could use this doodle in so many ways in your planner or bullet journal. Add curved edges instead of hard, rectangular edges, and adding the metal tip as you find on some wooden rulers, it really dresses up this little back-to-school doodle!

  • Start with horizontal parallel lines
  • Add vertical lines to the ends of the two original lines.

Tip: If you want curved corners, don’t connect the two sets of lines and draw little curves before connecting them.

  • Add a longer set of marks then add shorter lines between each of those long lines to create measurements.

Optional: If you want the metal tip, add a thin line to the top and connect it to your ruler.

  • Finally, color away! You don’t have to stick with the traditional brown if it doesn’t go with your color scheme!

Back-to-School Doodles: How to Draw an Open Book

I have to admit that this is one of my favorite back-to-school doodles. And you could use it as part of a reading log if you wanted, as well.

  • Start out your doodle with three vertical parallel lines. The centerline is the middle of the book.
  • To make the pages, draw a curved line on the top and bottom connecting your parallel lines.
  • Curve up near the center and curve down on the edge, similar to a slight S turned on its side.
  • Add a curved line for the spine of the book at the top and bottom of the center.
  • Draw two more vertical parallel lines on the outside of the book.
  • For the next step, add the outside box for the cover.
  • Add additional curved lines to add more pages to the book, following the original lines.
  • Color in your doodle!

This one may take some trial and effort to get the page curves and the cover to look right. But once you do, I’m sure you’ll find some excuses to use this sketch in your planner!

Back-to-School Doodles: How to Draw a Sticky Note

Aaaah the sticky note or Post-it ® note. I use these all the time in my planner, not just the doodle, but the real thing. Where would we be if we didn’t have sticky notes? You can answer that if you like, but I’m just being silly.

This sketch is one of the easiest, and it has ample space to write in, so you can use the area for so many options in your planner!

  • Start out by drawing a square and leave the bottom right corner unfinished. (Of course you can draw in pencil and erase it later)
  • Next draw a diagonal line connecting the two corners (see step #3). I went out of order from the illustration below. It’s easier to draw the diagonal line first then draw curved lines.
  • Now add two very curved lines to a point showing the page is curving up.
  • Erase any unnecessary pencil marks and color it in if you wish!

I hope you’ve enjoyed some of these back-to-school doodles and will try them out in your planner! I’d love to see your creations, post on Instagram, and tag me @ChocolateMusingsCreates. Here are some other recommended posts you might enjoy!

6 Fun & Easy Back-to-School Doodles for your Bullet Journal or Planner | ChocolateMusings.com #doodles #howtodraw

August 2021 Plan With Me – Surfing into New Beginnings

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I’m excited to share with you my August 2021 Plan With Me in a new Scribbles That Matter notebook. I’ve missed sharing here on my blog and social media. And it happens to be perfect timing to start again, especially since I’m starting a new bullet journal this August.

But first, before I get into the new August 2021 Plan With Me Post, I need to know: do you start a new journal in the middle of the year?

I see many people who can’t seem to bring themselves to start any time except January. I’ll start one any time I run out of pages or if I need a chance to start fresh. I see this question come up a lot in various Facebook groups. People think they are doing something wrong by starting in the middle of the year.

Like Gretchen Rubin, one of my favorite authors, I believe in new beginnings around the start of school. However, I believe in starting over no matter the time of the year if needed.

Table of contents

Surfboard & Beaches August 2021 Plan With Me Theme Set Up & Inspiration | ChocolateMusings.com

Start Fresh No Matter What Time of Year

I’m here to tell you that there is nothing wrong with starting with a clean slate whenever you need it. I needed a reboot like many others out there because Covid-19 did a number on my well-being and mental health. So I started a new journal in September last year.

But then my poor old cat died, which sent me back into a depression spiral. It felt like the end of an era (she was 18). That event compounded with all the other struggles we were going through. If I would have picked up another book and created a new beginning again, I think it would have shortened the time for me to come back.

There is No Place for Guilt Trips in Bullet Journaling

Instead of allowing myself the grace I needed, I gave myself ridiculous guilt trips for leaving an entire book nearly blank. Sometimes, we are our own worst enemies. Don’t hold yourself back and think that you are doing something wrong. Give yourself a little grace and allow some breathing room, especially when you’re struggling.

Give yourself what you need, and pay no mind to the mind-numbing guilt trips. If you need to start a new book, do it. If you need to stop doing something you’ve always done, by all means, change it up. These actions will likely help you move beyond what was holding you back. The sooner you start anew, the sooner you can start to heal.

I’m not sure if that speech was for me or any of you out there. I hope it helps. Now, I think it’s time to start sharing my August 2021 Plan With Me now!

August 2021 Plan With Me Inspiration

Without further ado, I’d like to introduce my August 2021 Bullet Journal Theme: Surfboards. This plan with me post is filled with beaches and surfboards.

Earlier in the summer, we had a huge family reunion for my husband’s parents at the beach. Although his family planned this trip for about three (!) years, they were able to keep it a surprise. An incredible feat since there were 50 people who came from all over the United States and some from Puerto Rico to attend.

We enjoyed the beaches and surf at Cocoa Beach, Florida. Though I don’t surf, I loved watching the surfers. I’m also fascinated with surfboard art (not just the art of surfboarding). We also visited Cape Canaveral and walked among the rocket gardens and imagined ourselves blasting off to the moon as these seemingly larger-than-life astronauts did.

Don’t be surprised if you see rockets, moons, and outer space in the coming months. (Even though I already have used space/planets as a theme in April 2018, May 2020, and an Eclipse Weekly theme in 2017). I know I missed traveling during 2020 because I always get so inspired by my travels. I think that traveling is one of the best ways to overcome a creative block.

Traveling is one of the best ways to overcome a creative block.

-Tricia @ Chocolate Musings

August 2021 – Theme Plan With Me Video

Want to see how I created all of these spreads throughout the month? Watch the theme set up video below & be sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel!

Surfboard Art – August Cover Page

Throughout the month of August, I plan on filling in the cover page with different doodles on each of the surfboards. It’s a fantastic way to include a doodle page in your monthly pages. Once it’s filled, I’ll update the post with a completed version of my August cover page.

Tip: If you have a desire to start a drawing practice every day, include a doodle page with squares, circles, or other shapes (like these surfboards) already set up in your notebook. so you can just pick up your pencil and draw without an excuse.

'Before' August Welcome Page + Daily Doodle Page 2021 Surfboard Plan With Me | ChocolateMusings.com

Washi Tape to the Rescue – Covering Mistakes

I love to watercolor paint in my bullet journals. Even though the paper handles paint very well, sometimes I add a bit too much water, and that’s when bleedthrough happens even in a 160 gsm notebook. It’s easy to forget that these notebook pages are not watercolor sheets.

On my monthly calendar page – I was so busy trying to blend the colors on the surfboard that I didn’t notice how soaked the page was getting. Well, it turns out that my habit tracker page bled badly, and my cover page is splotchy in one area. Since the area on the habit tracker page was blank, I decided to use washi tape in the shape of a surfboard to cover the mistake.

Sometimes it’s the mistakes that trigger new, interesting ideas. If you’re looking for a fun way to swatch your washi tape, create surfboards sampling each washi tape. Surfboards come with so many designs. This would be a great way to feature each strip of tape! Need help dealing with mistakes in your bullet journal? Here are some ways to cover them up or overcome the need for each page to be perfect.

  • Surf inspired Monthly Spread -I love the mix of bright colors and minimal boxes on this monthly bullet journal spread | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Surfboard Habit Tracker + Notes Page - fun theme + simple habit trackers | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Surfs Up Habit Tracker Page - Marker, Paint, & Washi Tape Surf Boards | ChocolateMusings.com

Brain Dump Page – Thought Wave

I tend to get stuck on all the bad ‘what if’ scenarios or play negative thoughts on repeat in my brain. So I included the phrase in this month’s brain dump page, “Ride Only the Good Ones,” of course referring to riding waves on a surfboard and reminding myself to focus on the good things in life as well.

Thought Waves Brain Dump Page - Ride only the good ones - a reminder to focus on the good thoughts instead of the negative ones | ChocolateMusings.com

If you’re looking for more unique names for “Brain Dump,” find 150+ different names to call ‘brain dump’ in this post. Whenever I come up with new names, I add them to my ever-growing list of alternate names for brain dump.

Synonyms for Brain Dump - find 150+ alternate names | ChocolateMusings.com #braindump #collections #bulletjournal

Surfboards & Silhouettes – August 2021 Plan With Me Bullet Journal Theme

Here is a taste of each surfboard page this month. I loved the challenge of finding different ways to feature a surfboard throughout the month.

I love the personality of each page and can feel the excitement for starting fresh in a new month. Anticipating a fun theme in my bullet journal helps motivate me to use the book and keep going, which is one reason why I love including planner themes each month. So I declare the August 2021 Plan with Me a success! Let’s ride the waves.

  • Whose driving to the beach? Travel in style with this adorable van stacked high with surf boards. You'll make it to the beach in no time! Add a space for each day of the week in this Horizontal Weekly Bullet Journal Layout and you'll arrive in style! | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Loose floral rose surfboard design + Vertical Weekly Layout - a fun, yet simple layout with bright colors and simple space to record your week | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Surfboards and beach weekly horizontal bullet journal spread - bright graphics but a simple space to record weekly appointments and tasks - perfect blend of art & function- August 2021 Plan With Me | ChocolateMusings.com
  • View From Above - Add some color to your weekly horizontal bullet journal layout - view the beach from a bird's eye view and catch the surfers in action! | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Perfect day at the beach - watch the sunset silhouette the palm trees and surfboards - I can imagine the breeze blowing my salty hair on this horizontal weekly bullet journal spread! It makes me wish I were at the beach. | ChocolateMusings.com

Random Holidays to Celebrate

When completing my August 2021 Plan With Me, I always like to look through the upcoming random holidays for the month and jot down a few to celebrate. Here are the ones I’m excited to add to my calendar.

  • Simplify Your Life Week – 1st week of August
  • 3rd – Watermelon Day
  • 7th – Lighthouse day – I think I might paint a lighthouse this day!
  • 9th – Book Lovers Day – Let’s celebrate by reading a good book!
  • 11th – World Calligraphy Day
  • 15th – Relaxation Day – Yes! I’m looking forward to relaxing this day.
  • 19th – World Photo Day
  • 25th-31st Be Kind to Humankind Week – this is a week I think we should all celebrate. What random acts of kindness have you experienced?

These are just a few on the calendar. Each month I’ve curated a list of fun holidays that might just add a bit of joy to your everyday schedule. You can check out each month of my curated random holiday choices and add a few fun holidays to your calendar as well!

Habit Books I Recommend

Here are some books I’ve read on organizing, decluttering, and habits. I’d love a recommendation and add it to my list. Let me know if you have more to add in the comments below.  

 

Supplies

Here are the supplies I used for this August 2021 Plan With Me. All are affiliate links.

No Matter Which Notebook I use – You’ll Always Find These Supplies Close at Hand

How to Create (and Use) One Line Per Day in Your Bullet Journal

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Have you ever looked at the One Line Per Day Bullet Journal Spreads and wondered why (or how) to use this journaling page? I’ll show you how to create a One Line Per Day spread, how to create the habit of using it. I’ll also give you some ideas if you’re not sure what to write.

For me, the One Line Per Day is a stepping-stone habit. Meaning I start with something small to get to a bigger habit. In this case, writing in a journal every day.

How to Create (and Why to Use) a One-Line Per Day Journal in your Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com #onelineperday #oneline #journal

When you want to create a habit of daily journaling, it’s hard to develop the practice. I usually end up with a bookshelf full of books with one page filled. Even Monica from Friends made fun of Rachel quoting from Rachel’s journal, saying she was going to write in her diary every day, but every page was blank after the first entry. If you’re with me (and Rachel), starting with a ‘One Line Per Day’ method might help change the empty notebook syndrome.

How to Create a One Line Per Day Page

I’m a sucker for fancy headers. If a page has a fancy header, I’m more likely to use it. In this case, I lettered the title using a brush marker. Simple yet fancy.

  • Using a fancy title makes the page more appealing to use & easier to find as you flip through your bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com #handlettering #moderncalligraphy #bulletjournal
  • One Line Per Day Handlettering | ChocolateMusings.com #oneline #handlettering #moderncalligraphy

Check out this post if you want more ideas to creating fancy headers (and no, they don’t all require brush markers. BUT if you are interested in learning how to do modern calligraphy, check out my books.)

My goal is to use one line per day and stick to only one line.  That’s a challenge in and of itself (at least for me). So I used 1-31 stickers, so I didn’t have to number the page (because I cannot number in a straight line no matter how hard I try!). If you have the talent to write numbers in a straight line, number away.  Or you can use a ruler to the side so your column doesn’t drift back and forth as mine would.

You could leave the page like this or, for an added detail, highlight every other line with a highlighter, Mildliner, or even a Crayola marker. I recommend using a ruler to highlight. 

Highlight every other line on your page with a marker or highlighter | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #collections #journalingpage

Once you’ve created the page, now it’s time to make sure that you write in it every day. Don’t stress yourself out. Write a word, a mood, or a short quote for the day. 

Supplies I Used to Creat My One Line Per Day Insert

Crayola Marker Bouquet - Color Combination for August's Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

What If You Use a Pre-Printed Planner or Have no Room for Another Page?

If your planner is pre-printed, insert a page, or attach it to your regular planner with a paperclip. Don’t anticipate picking up a journal every night before going to bed. I guarantee you’ll start skipping days.

I love the idea of removable pages. Because if you successfully create this habit and do it for a straight year, what a great memento for the year! Oh, now I want to do it just for that reason.

What If You Forget to Fill Out Your One Line Per Day?

Completed one line per day journal entry page in my bullet journal. It feels so good to see all those lines filled out! | ChocolateMusings.com one line per day, journal entry, journaling, bullet journal

Here is my completed one line per day. Do you want to know a secret? I missed a day more than 30% of the time. But I went back and completed the lines. In a year or two, when I’m rereading this, honestly, I won’t care that it wasn’t done every day at 9 pm.

So, if you forget to fill it out, think about a time in the day when you pull out your planner. Then at the time when you open your notebook, quickly write your one line for the day.

If you use your planner for work, once you arrive at your desk and start flipping through the pages, take a moment to write down your one line per day. 

If you find yourself looking at a few blank lines on your One Line Per Day, fill it out! I find that if I work backward (start with yesterday, then move to the day before). I can remember more details than if I were to begin with “what happened two weeks ago?” You can always look back at your calendar to jog your memory as well.

Other Ways To Use Your One Line Per Day Journal Page

Who says one line has to sum up the day? It could be a motivating thought for the day or a goal to accomplish. You could fill it out for the previous day in a moment of reflection. Whatever you do, you’re trying to create a habit of everyday use, so make it easy to fill out your one line every day. 

One Line Per Day Journal Ideas - don't know what to write? Here are some ideas for short one-line entries in your bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #journaling #onelineperday

Ideas to Record

  • Short Journal about the Day
  • One word describing your mood or day
  • Motivational words for the coming day
  • A goal you want to accomplish
  • Inspiring Quote
  • Statistics from a day (it’s still writing, isn’t it?)
  • Names to Pray For
  • Something you Observed
  • A shortlist of things you did
  • Reminders
  • Good things about yourself (this is hard to do sometimes, but Is very beneficial when trying to combat any negative self-talk)
  • Something your children did (funny, sweet, etc.)
  • Favorite item of the day
  • Shows you watched
  • Books you read & how many pages
  • What you did to work towards a goal
  • How many times you (add something you’re tracking)
  • Things you love in your life
  • Things you want to try
  • Podcasts you listened to
  • Today I learned
  • Happy moment of the day
  • Dinner Conversations
  • Guilt-Free Moment
  • What I did for self-care
  • Accomplishments
  • What to do Better

You could use one idea or any combination of these ideas. What other ideas would you like to record daily?

One Line Per Day – A Great Starting Point

If you’d like to start journaling, but it feels overwhelming, try starting with one line per day. Make sure to designate a time (for example, before you turn out the lights before bed or as you’re having a cup of coffee in the morning to write your one line. Then strive to do it every day. If you miss a day, complete it the following day. No big deal.

Check out this post for two things I do every night before I go to bed that just might help you create the habit of writing in a one-line per day journal. These small things changed my life. (It seems dramatic, but it’s not – it’s true!)

Fading to Fall Leaves – Bullet Journal September Plan With Me

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Inspired by changing seasons, my bullet journal theme for September features simple color-changing leaves. Instead of summery, willow branch leaves like August’s plan with me, I used color (green, yellow, orange, red, and a bit of purple) in just a few places to show the transition from summer to fall.

Here is an overview of the pages in this month’s set up. I hope this September Bullet Journal Plan With Me gives you some inspiration for layouts, products, and other ideas you can use in your bullet journal. 

September Plan With Me - Fading to Fall Leaves Bullet Journal inspiration - acrylic marker painting & blending | Creative & Functional Bullet Journaling Spreads, welcome pages, monthly spreads, weekly spreads, trackers & brain dump (with alternate names) | ChocolateMusings.com

I’d love to know if any of these ideas spark your creativity or give you an ‘ah-ha’ moment. Let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram @ChocolateMusingsCreates.

Supplies Used For This September Plan With Me

September Plan With Me Video

  • Initial Flip Through Before The Pen/The Plan: 00:00
  • Welcome Page/Monthly Log Inking: 03:16
  • Welcome Page Quote: 04:33
  • Tracker Page (Habits, Productivity, Mood, & Goals): 06:11
  • Color Blends with Acrylic markers on Goals Page: 08:35
  • Weeklies: 12:23
  • Idea Bush (alternate brain dump name): 17:20
  • Journal Page: 18:08
  • Acrylic Marker Blends on Welcome Page: 19:41 (my favorite part!)
  • Final September Plan With Me Flip Through: 20:08

Welcome Page / Monthly Calendar Log

Combining the welcome page and monthly log page worked perfectly for this minimal leaf branch theme. Monoline text and a quote begging September to bring us something good before she fades away rounded out the ‘Hello September” welcome on the bullet journal’s left-hand side.

  • Hello September! Bring us some thing good before you fade away! Bullet journal welcome page quote | Planner Quote | September Quotes | Minimal Planning | Minimal Bullet Journal Design | Monoline Cursive Text | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Bullet Journal Welcome Page and Monthly Log Combination - minimal, functional, pretty, creative bullet journal layouts | Monthly Calendar, Monthly Log, Monthlies | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Color Changing Leaves with Acrylic Marker Blends on my Bullet Journal September Cover Page & Monthly Log | Simple, Minimal, Functional, Creative Bullet Journal Planning | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Close up of the color changing leaves for my September Plan With Me in my Bullet Journal - Color blends done with acrylic markers on the monthly log & September Cover Page in my Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Actual planning with a monthly log | September Plan With Me Fading to Fall Leaves - painted & blended with acrylic markers | Monthly log, monthly calendar, monthly planning, September plans | ChocolateMusings.com

Instead of a monthly calendar with rows and columns of boxes, I opted for a horizontal monthly log.

If you’ve never used a monthly log in a bullet journal, the idea is to keep the minimal design and write events connected to the date. I like to draw a line out from the date to write an event and other minimal details about the event. In this case, I’ll use the top section for family events and the bottom section for my events.

The progression of pictures on the monthly log above shows the different stages throughout this September Plan With Me until finally, I add in events and transition the monthly log from a creative planner to a creative and functional planner.

September Plan With Me Mini Calendar on Welcome Spread/Monthly Log - love how functional & creative this page is in my bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com

The only thing I didn’t think to add initially was a mini-calendar so I could visualize which date fell on a particular day of the week (i.e., 1st is a Wednesday, 18th is a Sunday, etc.). But that’s a simple enough fix, and I added the mini calendar later. 

My notebook came with this handy ruler, I love a good ruler, and *this* is a good ruler. Check out the notebook review post here.

The color-changing leaves are my very favorite part of this spread. Instead of using watercolor markers, I used acrylic markers. You have to work quickly with acrylic markers, but I’m surprised at how well the markers blended. I also LOVE how vibrant the colors are and that they don’t bleed through the page.

Color Changing Leaves - Blended Acrylic Paint Markers in my Bullet Journal - no bleed & vibrant colors. I love this functional & aesthetic planning page | ChocolateMusings.com

Habit Tracker & Goals

  • Blend Acrylic Markers in your Bullet Journal - A new way to add color transition and bright, vibrant colors to your bullet journal spreads | ChocolateMusings.com

If you track habits for home and work, you might consider splitting your habit tracker into two sections. For September, I split my habit trackers into two sets this month: personal & blog related. You might recognize my favorite circular habit trackers.

Around the outside, like a wreath, are 30 days of productivity and mood tracking. Each leaf around the circle coordinates with the day of the month, to easily match the date and the mood/productivity for the day.

Using the same idea from the monthly log, the goals page fades slowly from summer to fall as the colors transition from green to yellow to red to purple. Adding a black outline around the leaves gives a more whimsical feel to the spread, which I always love.

Functional & Aesthetic Fall Weeklies

  • Functional & Aesthetic Fall Bullet Journal Weekly Spread with simple leaves, trackers & space for notes | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Leaf Wreath for a fun & still functional weekly bullet journal spread | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Log appointments, keep track of productivity, & plan for the week in this bullet journal weekly spread | Simple & Functional with a bit of creative spice | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Weekly Bullet Journal - September Plan With Me Fall Leaves | Minimal, Functional, Pretty, & Creative Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads | ChocolateMusings.com

Even though each week has a different design, they all have common elements that tie the designs together. It’s my favorite way to create weeklies if you’ve seen my plan with me posts/videos. I can’t seem to settle on one design. Maybe that’s why I like bullet journaling so much is that I can change it up and never get bored.

I loved my one line per day spread from August but decided to include a one-line per day for each week during September instead of having a dedicated page for the short journal entries. 

Each day throughout the weekly spreads is separated by leaves or vines. Though I’d love to add color for each spread, I left it black and white. If I have time one day or need to doodle away some frustration after work, adding color is such a perfect way to relieve stress.

While I’m on the phone at work, I find myself doodling, so I could fill in the leaves there if I wanted to as well.

In addition to the weekday plans, the one line per day, I included a productivity tracker, meal planner, and notes section for each spread. This September plan with me turned out to be very efficient and ready to support my ambitions! I already love using my blogger productivity stickers I created to track my blogging activities.

Productivity Tip

Tip: If you are struggling with feeling productive, add a productivity tracker to record the things that you do. I think you’ll be surprised at how much you are actually doing. If you find that you’re procrastinating a task, you might find the motivation to check it off if you get to visually track that you’ve done it.

Productivity Tip: Give yourself a visual reminder of how many things you do! Track your productivity with little doodles or stickers and get motivated! Bullet Journal tips & tricks | ChocolateMusings.com

September Plan With Me Essential Pages

  • Different names for brain dump: This Month it's an Idea Bush - Keeping with my leaves theme, but I love the lightbulb bursting with leafy ideas. Bullet journal spreads & Ideas | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Journal Page - I love how these acrylic markers blend & create a bright, functional journaling page in my bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com

Rounding out the month are some other essential pages for my bullet journal plan with me spreads: the brain dump page and my journal page.

The brain dump page is called “idea bush” this month. I love coming up with alternate names for the term’ brain dump’. Check out my post “Different Names for Brain Dump,” where I share 150+ name alternatives. I’ll have to add ‘idea bush’ to the list. I also love to coordinate the name of my brain dump page with the plan with me theme of the month.

Simple leaves in fall colors embellish the journal page. Little dots around the leaf doodles add some fun detail and dress up this simple spread even more.

Your Plans?

I hope that this September finds you well, and my plan with me spreads provide you a creative muse to follow May your month bring you something good before it fades away. We all need something good in our lives.

No Matter Which Notebook I use – You’ll Always Find These Supplies Close at Hand