How I Track Recipes in My Bullet Journal

January 6, 2019 2 Comments

New Recipe Book? Here’s How I Track My Recipes.

I love recipe books, and I love getting them for Christmas or going on vacation and finding new local recipe books. My most favorite recipe books are compilation books, where everyone from church or school contributes their favorite recipe, they’re compiled in a book, then you buy them for fundraising or at cost.

Recipe books accumulate in my bookshelf, so I guess you could say that I am a recipe book collector. Recently, I bought three whole30 recipe books – no, I’m not an ambassador for the program, but I’ve been doing the program. I thought it was a great example to show you how I track the new books in my bullet journal.

Here are the books I bought:

Now I’m slowly making my way through the food creations, tracking and recording in my bullet journal.

Watch the Flip-Through on How I Track My Recipes:

The Process for a New Cook Book

When I get a new recipe book, Before I start adding the list to my journal, I mark the pages in the recipe books and then forget which recipes I wanted to try. I go through every single page and mark each page with a recipe I want to try with a sticky note tag. Then I write the page number and the name of the recipe in my bullet journal in a list. I know when I write things down, I tend to remember them better.

Selecting Recipes

If a recipe doesn’t look tasty to me, I don’t try it. Sometimes I’ll go back and revisit the book and try new ones. I can create a new list or add to my current list. When I try the recipe, I mark it with a key to show me which recipes I liked and which ones I didn’t like very much.

I prefer my color keys to be very different in color. If I did all green or all red tones, or varying intensities of any given color, I would get confused with the ones I loved and the ones I didn’t like, so my colors are always varied.

Color Code Key

Using Tombow Dual Brush Markers, I assigned a color Key to this set of recipes:

Yellow Gold 026: YUM! The whole family loves – the quickest way for a recipe to land in the regular rotation.
Coral 873: I love – but the family doesn’t. That means I won’t make it as often. If I develop a particular craving for a recipe in this category, sometimes I declare a ‘fend for yourself night’ and indulge myself.
Gray Green 228: No Go – something that didn’t work at all
Orchid 623: We liked the recipe, but it requires a change to something in the recipe – I love to do this for recipes and customize them.

There are some weeks that I want to try all the new recipes and feel ambitious in the kitchen. There are other weeks that I don’t feel like cooking at all. So it’s nice to have a reference for when I want to try something new, and I don’t have to flip through all the pages in every recipe book each time I want to try something new.

What Do I Do With All the Recipes I Love?

If a recipe wins our hearts (and stomachs) or I modify the recipe enough to fit our style, I add it to our online recipe manager. I use Pepperplate.com, but I know AllRecipes.com has a recipe manager as well and there are some other choices for apps and digital recipe managers out there too. But I’ve used PepperPlate for years – I can’t even tell you how long. If they had an ambassador program, I’d jump on that boat so fast. My husband and I both have the app and we can access the recipes and ingredients. I love their meal scheduler and shopping list creator. Plus you can import recipes from different sites.

Additional Layout idea

There are so many ways to track recipes. I would LOVE to make a recipe journal. Either write out the recipes by hand or create a visual diary of the recipe. One Thanksgiving I made a spread highlighting delicious food. It’s still one of my favorite spreads to date. Here’s the mouthwatering video:

How do you try new recipes from recipe books? Or do you find them from online? Do you have a special way to organize your favorite meals?

Supplies Used:

Scribbles That Matter A5 Dot-Grid Notebook: https://amzn.to/2Lm40Za
Papermate Flair Pens: https://amzn.to/2PDWHfy
Camera Paperclip: https://amzn.to/2EvqPJ5
Tombow Dual Brush Pens: https://amzn.to/2PDy7eN

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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!

Begin Your Bullet Journal – Don’t be Afraid to Start

May 24, 2018 6 Comments

If I could open up a drawer of all planners past, there would be an excellent collection. You’d find all different kinds of planners. I tried them, and I didn’t use them. I liked the idea of them, but then I’d neglect them for a month or so and have all these blank pages in the middle of my book. Then I faced a with a problem. Do I tear out the pages? Do I leave them blank? Usually, I would abandon the planner altogether. I found the bullet journal system and haven’t looked back. Here’s my advice to you as you begin your bullet journal.

Bullet Journaling is Versatile

Starting a bullet journal can be daunting and overwhelming. Maybe you’ve thought these before:

Where do I start? (If you haven’t watched video on the original Bullet Journal by Ryder Carroll here’s the link begin here, so you understand bullet journaling’s foundation)
What should I include?
I’d like all the collections, but what do I do with them? Where do I start?
Everyone has pretty lettering and how do I get that?
I need all the fancy on my pages.

The critical thing to know is that your bullet journal will morph with you. If you need to track appointments, start with a Future Planner of some kind, a Monthly Log or Monthly Calendar and a Weekly log. That’s it! Once you are comfortable with your journal, that’s when you start customizing. My journal has morphed into an art journal/art therapy notebook. MommaBearLife.com explains this concept in her blog post. Check it out!

Future Log: 1 month to a page - large goal planning areas & space for lots of to-dos

Recap: Where to Start:

Future Log – somewhere to put future appointments and plans
Monthly Calendar / Log – overview of the month
Weekly Log – if you don’t know how much you need, start here, if you have a lot to plan or keep track of on a daily basis, switch out with a daily log, you can also use the space to write a journal entry

Minimal monthly welcome page wreath with calendar

Begin Your Bullet Journal: Follow a Set Format to Start

Begin your bullet journal with the basics. Start with your monthly calendar in a log format which is simple, straightforward and easy. Start with weeklies and work in dailies if you need them. Find a simple, easy-to-create format for your beginning weeklies. Set aside 2-5 minutes every day to plan your day or the following day to make it a habit. Eventually, you’ll become comfortable with the style of a bullet journal and morph it into your own personal style.

I don’t have a lot of plans per se in the day both when I was beginning a bullet journal and even today. There are things I to do, but I don’t have an exorbitant amount of appointments I need to meet and tasks done weekly, rarely on a set day. So using weeklies has been my go-to planning style. If you are a lot busier and have tasks that need to get done on a specific day, use a daily log, either one page or part of a page for each day when setting up your bullet journal. If you use dailies, the needed space will expand and compress based on the day.

My Inspiration

I started watching planning videos with Alexis at strangecharmed.com and found my way over to Kara at Bohoberry.com. Clark Kegley and his method of journaling also profoundly influenced me. Quickly adapting many ideas from these inspirational entrepreneurs and others and created a style to fit my needs. I started my own YouTube channel, and I love going through the planning process with you! Follow me on YouTube. To inspire you, I have a new series in the works creating headers for collections and other pages, and I am very excited to share it with you! Follow along!

Need to Track Something Instead of Appointments?

Ani over at TheAniKay.com said that she started slow – with just an exercise tracker. Then eventually added more things in, she’s recently switched to a digital planner, and I love seeing the evolution of her planning journey.

My very first and most important recommendation if you are considering bullet journaling – choose the most important thing to track for you and track it. Need to track appointments? Start with a weekly or monthly calendar and add the dates there. If your goal is to lose weight – by all means jot it down! Start with that and add the other stuff in later.

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

Unfinished Projects Bullet Journal Spread

Creative Outlet

In desperate need of a creative outlet? Choose a drawing or doodling challenge, map out a week at a time with seven boxes and doodle one thing every day. Start small. Do not try to do everything at once and do not expect perfection. My bullet journals have at least one mistake per spread, and it’s one thing I’ve learned to accept. Sometimes a whole spread, but the benefits to me of this little book for me outweigh any mistake. Begin your bullet journal adventure without a lot of frills, and begin your bullet journal for you.

Who I am & what I like to do, a definition of me, Bullet journal Collection

Collections

My VERY FAVORITE thing to track in my bullet journal are collections. Collections in your bullet journal are where you can get into a lot of fun. These are things that are uniquely you. Books read, books to read, movies watched, movies to watch. Oh, the possibilities are endless (my ultimate personal favorite is my 10-minute task list). But here’s the deal: Don’t start with everything.

My collections have come out of need. Check out AsARye.com and her array of collections starting the year. Take ideas from sources and turn them into something that works just for you. By the way, I recommend crediting anyone who you reference, they will love it for one thing, and it’s just nice.

Random thoughts and great ideas bullet journal spread idea tracker brain dump

What if You Don’t Want to Mix Them?

So then there’s the age-old question of ‘I don’t want my collections mixed in with my monthly and weeklies – where do I put them?’ A simple answer for me is in the back of the book. One idea is to start on the back page and worked forward, so your planner and your collections meet in the middle.

In March, I started a separate book for my long-term collections and enjoy it. But that is because my journal has evolved with me, don’t try to start too much all at once. Beginning a bullet journal is an ongoing process, it is not going to all happen at once.

Moving to a New Bullet Journal - in the middle of a year

All the Fancy – Begin your Bullet Journal Simply – the Fancy Will Come

There are gorgeous spreads out there, some that are jaw-dropping. I can tell you, mine did not start out that way, and not all of mine end up picture ready (I have quite a few planner-fails under my belt). The pretty lettering and the gorgeous spreads took time; I had to get used to planning out my days before I could use bullet journaling as a hobby. And it took lots of time and lots of practice.

Though I have studied fonts and writing styles for nearly my whole life, I still forced myself to learn the fundamentals of brush lettering so I could make the ‘pretty’ letters on my own. It’s still developing, and I know this: it won’t come overnight, and it will require time, effort and patience.

November Called for Structure

I love the bullet journaling system’s versatility, and you can make it adapt to your needs. For a while, I needed a very structured week/month – see November – Plan with me. I had a theme – it was 12×12 boxes. Really. That was my November theme.

Whimsy Defined December

December was all about free-flowing spreads; there were lots of sketches, lots of open spaces. December was A Christmas Story-themed.

January Used the Best of Both (in my opinion)

My yearly theme is Grow. I fully intended to do flowers and other growing items like leaves all the way through, but sometimes you have to go with what comes to you. That’s my tip now. Don’t try to force it. January’s theme was all about transportation. But I used essential elements from both November and December to have structure and art. Each page uniquely reflected a new mode of transportation. I tried out new ways of creating as well. (Watercolor with markers? Yes. – I show you how I do it on my YouTube Channel). I think the combination of November’s function and December’s form created a cohesive feel that met both my planning and my artistic needs.

January Review - Whats Changing in my Bullet Journal next month

The point is when you begin your bullet journal, it seems scary but if you start with my recommendations of a future log, monthly calendar, and weekly log and then the pages won’t stay blank for long, and soon you’ll find a unique style that fits you. In the meantime, you are welcome to use any inspiration you need from me.

February

The second month of the year tried too many things, and it flopped. Many of these tried-and-not-yet-true details didn’t even make it to the blog (yet), but I learned a lot from them. I hope to revisit some of the ideas, tone them down, and use them later.

March Gave Birth to Two New Journals & April started a Color-Trend

As mentioned above, in March I separated my planning journal from my long-term collections journal. At the rate I was going, I’d start a new journal every six months. The books in my bookcase tracker would hardly have enough time to gather dust before I flipped to a new book!

Hoping to slow the speed at which I flew through the pages in my notebooks, all long-term collections claimed a new house; I have to say, I like it. In April, I started color-coordinating my designs. It developed into a whole Pinterest board (one of my very favorites), and I love it.

April Monthly Plan With Me, I limited my color palette to create a greater stretch of creativity. Love the results! The circular April Monthly will be available in the Chocolatemusings.com shop!

Condensed May + Traveler’s Notebook

Conserving more space (because I didn’t need it), May’s spreads took up all of 10 pages, two of which are welcome pages. Two weeks to a spread works well for my free-spirited summer-itis. Keeping a condensed version of my standard planning style keeps me in the habit of planning and journaling and keeps my conscious guilt-free as I’m not leaving blank pages or too much empty space.

June has a few month-related collections, but the planning is very minimal. That’s what happens in the summer, and I am pleased because I know that when I need more planning space, I add it back into this little notebook and when I don’t need as much space, I consolidate.

May Monthly Layouts & welcome pages - ombre watercolor fades using Crayola Markers - Plan With Me

Sometimes I want to have a template and print it rather than creating it over and over. That’s where my traveler’s notebook came into play. I built one for about $12 and use it for collections or lists and change them out regularly. Over the last couple of months, I’ve used my Alphabet inspiration booklet insert to create new typefaces and practice styles. It’s available in my shop!

What’s the point?

The point is this little system is entirely up to you. Do what suits you best, find your style, experiment, let yourself have fun and know you can change it. Don’t get so stuck on making it perfect or doing too much. The evolution of my first bullet journal to now is eye-opening and utterly fantastic. The bullet journal notebook is the first planner I’ve fully completed, and I look forward to creating many more. I hope you bite the bullet and begin it.

The ultimate point is to begin your bullet journal and put aside your fears of starting. I promise the hardest thing is to make that first mark in your book. Once you do that, you’ll never look back, or maybe you will, and smile because it’s a grand adventure.

Remember to plan your life, so you live beautifully.

~Tricia

How to Turn a Ring Planner into a Traveler’s Notebook for $12

April 15, 2018 3 Comments

Traveler’s Notebook

So, I did a thing. I’ve wanted a Traveler’s Notebook ever since Kara from BohoBerry.com introduced them on her channel. If I logged my hours looking at different options, well, I don’t even want to know how much time I’ve spent. That’s why I didn’t record my hours. (Watch the video on her channel here).

I could never convince myself to just to buy one, without testing it out to see if I liked it. I create my own pages sometimes, and especially for my blog, it is easier to use printed templates than it is to recreate it every time (trackers which are big and cumbersome on a page).

Separation of the Journals

This month, I separated my long-term collections from my planning journal so I could keep the collections for a more extended period and hopefully stretch out the planner journal longer too. (Read the post here.) But how great would it be to have a financial planner insert, current travels insert, maybe an art journal or a doodle calendar insert?

I had pushed aside the thoughts of buying a traveler’s notebook and thought I was past it. Until we ran some errands today and stopped at Hobby Lobby. That store and Michael’s are the bain of many well-crafted financial spread trackers. I wandered down the tote aisle, and I found a planner tote. Had it been black and white, I would have bought it. I thought I was safe, but then I turned around.

But it Has Rings!

Then I found a planner (with rings) that was on clearance for $10 when it was usually $40. Remembering a video that I had seen a while back from Alexis (strangecharmed.com) on how she removed the rings from a binder and used it for her disc-bound system. Even though it’s a how-not-to video, I followed what she did, and it was perfect. (Watch that video here.)

The Process Before & After

Alexis’ process of removing the rings worked perfectly. I didn’t even have to hammer as she did (probably because my planner was more cheaply made than hers). I didn’t have the little discs on the outside, but they were glued on the inside to some cardboard. They were quickly removed with a pair of pliers.

Once the rings were removed, I still needed to thread the elastics through. I thought about poking a hole through the outside and feeding the elastics through those holes (and it would have been easier if the holes went all the way through the cover). But I didn’t want to poke holes if they weren’t already there.

How I Threaded the Cord Through

This is where it got a little complicated. I measured the cords (and actually measured them way too long to start). There needed to be a way for the ties to go through one hole and out the other. I found some bamboo skewers in my kitchen drawer with a pointy end and fed it through the hole.

Well, that worked, but how do I get the laces through? I tried to tape them to the skewer. The tape came free in the middle while I was lacing it. Again, hubby to the rescue! He got a tiny drill bit and drilled a hole through one of the skewers so I could thread the stick like a needle. It worked perfectly.

Now for the Rest

So I pushed the skewer through the slots again and pulled the cord through. Yes! I had one elastic for my notebook. Well, I tend to go over the top with everything I do. I wanted 6 inserts because I’m crazy. I tried the needle trick again, but it got stuck in the wrong place! Hubby suggested I tie the one already pulled through to the others and just drag them. It wasn’t the prettiest solution (the knot was too big), but it worked.

Tie It Off

After consulting my friend, Patti, (asarye.com) who has a ‘real’ traveler’s notebook (by the way it is GORGEOUS check it out) on how tight the bands were, I tied them off and added my journals. For $12 and a little finagling, I think it worked out great! I love the black and white stripes on the outside and the polka dot on the inside.

How I’ll Use It

I added one A5 notebook to the inside. I could comfortably fit two notebooks (without any inserts) if I wanted. Or I could just have one journal and {up to} 5 inserts. It looks like I’m going to have to get designing some inserts! One other amazing thing about this cover is now I can take my journals from Ampersand By Kiki B out and about with me – they will be all snug in their cute, striped cover.

The Result

I am super thrilled with the way this turned out. Loosening those top ‘buttons’ I thought was going to be the hardest thing, but that turned out pretty easy with the mini-screwdriver. Hubby was a fantastic help and threading the laces through using the skewer was such a good idea!

My only concern is that the inside will tear as the bands are slightly tugged on, I will have to think about that!

Question:

When you’ve said ‘I did a thing’ what did you do?

If you’ve bought a traveler’s notebook – where did you find yours?

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

~Tricia

Save this layout to Pinterest for later – while you are at it, follow me on Pinterest for more inspiration!

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Supplies Used:

I found the cover and elastics at Michaels for about $12 and I had the other tools at home.

Why Use a Future Log – Even If It’s Late.

January 2, 2018 3 Comments

Happy New Year! Why Use a Future Log – even if you’re late starting

I recorded many videos the middle of December – and didn’t have them all ready to go – some until this morning. I wanted to do it, but there was just something keeping me from completing it. Not sure if it was that little voice of doubt in the back of my head, if I didn’t have the right kind of music playing in the background, or if I simply wanted to watch some more of those good ‘ole classic Christmas movies. I want to represent to you that planning can take place anytime, even if you miss a big date like January 1.

Do you ever feel that way? I have seen so many people say the same thing for planning. Here’s your question – why use a future log if it’s starting later than the ideal date?

Want to see an overview for my month? Read the post here & watch the pre-planning video.

Future Planning Can Take Place at Any Time – Even if You Missed A Big Date

Planning can take place at any time. Even if you missed January 1 or the start of a month. I want you to rest assured that just because you missed the first day to ‘go live’ with your plans, it doesn’t mean that you have to scrap the idea. Pick up where you are and move forward. I am here to tell you that it is perfectly ok. Our lives are not perfect nor are our plans. Real life gets in the way of a perfectly planned one. But don’t let that stand in your way, make plans anyway, no matter when you start.

Bullet Journaling Taught me it was Okay to Move Forward

Believe it or not, And what’s more, taught me to accept it. I used to worry about making a mistake and wanting to rip out pages from the bound book. (Though I never would rip out a page because it would compromise the integrity of the stitching in the book and further ruin it.) Planning petrified me because I wanted the start date to be perfect, my writing to be immaculate, and everything laid out ‘just so’. On my first bullet journal, I messed up on the first line of text. I learned to accept whiteout and move on.

I’ve been really mulling that concept over – and even more so when a perfect stranger reached out to me for advice on how to start. I gave my advice and then I started thinking about the advice I would give myself. I think I will be developing a series dedicated to such thinking. You’ll notice in my video below that I mess up on the lines starting with October.

Bullet Journal Future Log - Why use a log if you are late starting

Here’s My Advice for Starting:

When starting a journal, don’t worry about all the things. 1) Start with A future log, 2) a monthly calendar and try out a 3) weekly log to start. I don’t plan enough to do a daily log, so I don’t. That’s it. Start with just those three. Then you’ll find that you want to include other ideas in your journal. Those become collections.

Here’s my advice when you start late on planning:

Plan anyway. It will be ok. If it makes you feel better, do a future log starting from January (no matter where you are in the year) and work forward. That’s what I did in my first bullet journal. I started in April and it felt weird to start my future log in April, so I included January-March for good measure and wrote down big events that happened in those months as a review then I started my first monthly with April.

Once you turn the page, it’s not going to matter. And the last piece of advice: it will be an evolution. Your style will evolve. You will become more comfortable with what you like and don’t like, so I would say skip the frills for the first bit and just focus on including the things you want to include on your spreads (trackers, all the days on one page, a place for meal planning, etc.)

Why Use a Future Log – Even If You Are Moving to a New Journal Soon

I’d like to present my Future Log – I decided to include a future log in this planner even though I would be in this book for just a couple more months. For one thing, I reaaaaally wanted to include a bullet train in my bullet journal since my monthly theme was transportation based. For another thing, I thought I might be more free-minded with my future planning if I knew I would move to a new journal. I would write things I actually wanted to do instead of just the things that I had to do. In this case, I will appoint wishes versus musts.

So here are some reasons why you should use a Future Log even if it’s in the middle of a journal or in the middle of the year:

Plan the future – yes, please! Plan the future in front of you and not the past behind. You want to start something because you want to just do it already, but you are letting your past hold you back. So what if you didn’t start on an ideal day? Make today be that ideal day.
Don’t miss big dates – who wants that?
Dream Big – writing something down makes it more real in your mind, chances are if it is on the calendar, you might work a little harder to achieve it. Even if you migrate it, that dream just became a goal.
Add your goals so you are working on an actual timeline instead of a mystical date in your head.

4 Reasons to Future Log even if you start planning late in your Bullet Journal

For the Set-Up: Watercolor – with Markers?

Trying out some new techniques for watercoloring this month – with Crayola Super Tip Markers. It’s a really fun technique and I think this would work for most other markers too – like the Tombow dual brush tip markers.The super tips are really inexpensive and now are more versatile in my life. There are specific marker palettes that you can use, but a simple dinner plate works well for me. I’ve also thought that a piece of transparency film would work well too if you didn’t have a smooth finish plate you could claim from your kitchen.

Watch the video below for how I set up my future log. I’d love to know what your future planner looks like. I’m going to brainstorm some ideas and showcase a few of my favorites in a post to come.

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully.

~Tricia