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

Planning May: What’s Staying vs Changing + April Flip-through

May 10, 2018 1 Comment

Planning May: What’s Staying vs Changing from April

What’s staying vs changing (and why!) in my planner for May. My favorite thing to see from other’s journals are the flip-through segments. I decided to slow it down and do a flip-through of the pages that I like and what didn’t work out for me.

Sneak peeks from the video:

After the pen for “All the Things” page
Journals for my kids (one for each!) and a little flip-through of those
Circle Badges for all the months and days showing off the preview sketches – coming soon to the shop! Thanks to @Darknss (find the handle) for the recommendations!
‘After the pen’ weeklies
Writing on spreads that are ‘too pretty’ – spread from the eclipse after the pen
Habit by number
Declutter my life two spreads (Initial & Updated)
How I bookmark/tab pages with washi tape

Watch the video below and hit the subscribe on the lower right-hand so you’ll be notified when a new video comes out.

Welcome Page

Welcome pages are funny things to me, it took a while for me to start using them because they just seemed like ‘fluff’ pages. They might be ‘fluff pages’ but other planners have welcome pages or monthly separators. It’s usually where the tabs are attached. Last July was my first-ever welcome page and I’ve used one ever since. It almost became a summer seasonal welcome page, but I combined it to the Welcome May and Summer page.

Calendar Page

When I set up my current planner in March, I made the future log pages very large, one month to a page, two months to a spread. I intended to drop monthly pages and just jump straight into weeklies. That lasted all of one month. I need visual planning!

In April I tried again to create a monthly ladder layout, I really love the concept of listing everything in linear form (that’s why I keep going back to it). I think that’s what the original bullet journal was designed with, but a calendar grid works better for me at a glance. In May I’m experimenting with smaller boxes and larger notes areas.

Coming soon! All the months in circular badge format! April’s creation inspired me so much that I sketched out (and started working on the months in this format.

April Weeklies

In April, I chose a common color scheme and theme for the weekly pages. Using a common color scheme across the pages was definitely challenging. It was a fun challenge that I’ll accept month after month. Space and circles dominated my weeklies, I do wish they had a little more structure but that is something I can do in the future. Space is always a fun theme and I like using circles too! In fact, if you didn’t see, I have a whole post about using circles.

May Weeklies

The weekly layouts are the biggest changes for the month. I didn’t foresee using a spread per week as summer nears. So I decided to condense two weeks to a spread. Each day still has space for events and notes, it’s just condensed. So far, so good. The boxes are the right size for all the things I need to do, including tasks and events. This just might be a thing when I have less to plan.

For the month of April, I switched to a Sunday start on the weeklies. In May, I am switching it back to Monday start. The May monthly calendar page shows Sunday-Saturday, but the weeklies are Monday-Sunday. The biggest reason is to keep the weekend plans together, it just seems easier (and I like to make my weekends feel bigger).

Collections

All the Things

I created an “All the Things” page to replace the failed “One Line Per Day” page. It is my new favorite page of all, perhaps ever. It was rare that I wrote on the ‘one line per day’ page daily. Instead, I write in spurts when I have a moment to reflect and think. So I would end up with several blank lines and missed details. “All the Things” uses categories instead of days. One section I’m going to add a “to journal” to keep a blurb for the things to add to my kid’s journals.

Habit Tracking by Number

I started “Habit Tracking by Number” in April. Using numbers to define my habits made a huge difference in tracking them, but not just tracking, but the motivation to do them. Each habit had a definition and something measurable!

That shift plus the shift in perspective that I needed to give these habits priority instead of trying to do them all in the last moments before I went to bed made a significant difference in my attitude towards these acts I am trying to form into habits.

Personal Habits & Business Habits

I’ll track the same personal habits for May as I did in April and add a section for habits for chocolatemusings.com. Also staying: flip-out habit definitions. I might use that idea on other pages too. And I just realized that I forgot to add a quote to my habits page, that is something I miss. I like motivational quotes on the habit tracker page. Especially the one I created in January.

Things I Miss Already & Things I Love So Far

I loved April’s theme – space, circles and the colors. Lavender fields inspired May’s color scheme, and I really enjoy it, but maybe I need to do a lavender space theme. I enjoyed the whimsy and the free-flow of the different pages. I’m looking forward to the structure of the May boxes because I tend to write until I run out of room. Maybe that’s why I like circles, they are whimsical, but have edges to keep me inside, If I want to. I really like the two-to-a-spread weeklies so far.

Question:

What pages in your journal do you change-up every month and what do you keep?

~Tricia

Creating Circles in Your Bullet Journal

May 3, 2018 5 Comments

How to Create Circles in your Bullet Journal

Creating Circles in your Bullet Journal: There are lots of ways to use circles in your journal. I have experimented with a few ways to do it. I have several tools that I’ve purchased (most are very inexpensive – as they’re usually intended for school-aged children). So creating the circles is one thing, but getting the spacing even is another thing. My favorite tool for measuring circles is the Helix tool – because it has each degree marked on the outside so once you have your calculations, just find the number and make your marks.

Creating Circles in your Bullet Journal

Do me a favor – click on the little red ‘subscribe’ button in the video. I’d appreciate it.

How I use Circles in My Pages

Here are some ways I have used circles in my bullet journal: Weekly logs, Accents for pages, I use it in my Gratitude Log, & Level 10 life my January 2018 Habit Tracker has one of my very favorite circular trackers. I am sure there are hundreds of other ways to use circles. All of my pages for April have a circle theme.

They add some fun to the layout. I know, it’s tricky creating them and getting the spacing right. Keep reading for the tools I use and the calculations to create the circles. I’ve created a circle measurement guide that you can print and keep in your bullet journal for reference. I am working on a printable for those who want to print, stick and go too!

Ready to include some circles? Here are some calculations and some examples to use:

Some Basic Knowledge:

A circle is made of 360 points or degrees, so you take the number of sections you want and divide that into 360.

To Divide by 7:

360 / 7 = 51.42…… well that’s not going to divide evenly. So now it’s time to get creative.

You could do 51 degrees for each – it will be a little harder to measure – so turn your wheel carefully.
Using the Helix: make a mark at 0, 51, 102, 153, 204, 255, & 306 the last will be just a little bigger than the rest, but it’s tiny.
You could do 50 degrees for each and have a little sliver left over – that’s what I did for the penny farthing bike in January.

To Divide by 6:

360 / 6 = 60

Layout Idea: Combine the weekend into one segment.
If you wanted everything even and are ok with a combined weekend, that works out.
You’d make your marks at 0, 60, 120, 180, 240 & 300.

To Divide by 5:

360 / 5 = 72

Layout Idea: use it ONLY for weekdays and leave the weekend for another location) this makes it a little more complicated, but it’s even!
Make your marks at 0, 72, 144, 216, 288.

To Divide by 4:

You’re now dividing into quarters – 360 / 4 = 90

Ideas for this layout: To-Dos, create two circles one with 3 and one with 4 for the week, or two with 4 and have a meal planner
Make your marks at 0, 90, 180, & 270.

To Divide by 3:

360 / 3 = 120

Layout Idea: You could have two sets of circles for the week and combine the weekend
Make your marks at 0, 120, & 240

Other Ideas:

Another idea is to create 7 circles, one for each day and split them in half for to-dos, appointments & meal planning or split it into 3’s. I used one like this for a weekly spread. I liked it! It was different than normal.

Here is one other idea – divide by 12. Think I’m crazy? It turns into a clock. An inner circle is the AM, and the outer circle is PM.

360 / 12 = 30

Make your marks at 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210, 240, 270, 300, & 330.

Multi-Layered Circles for Tracking

Now I’ve opened up a whole other realm. I will do another post about making multi-layered circles for habit tracking and mood tracking – just like the mood tracker in January.

Want a quick measurement guide for making circles? I created one for you.

Save this to your Pinterest board you’ll want it for when you create circles in your own bullet journal. Who knew you’d be reaching back to the time you were in grade school and doing math? I guess those teachers were right. You would use math every day. Well, at least when you need to count out those dots and measure circles in your bullet journal.

Plan With Me: April 2018 Limited Color Palette & Fun Space Elements

April 1, 2018 3 Comments

April 2018 Plan With Me Theme

I’m excited to share my methods in this April 2018 Plan With Me post. I hope you’ll find something to inspire you in your bullet journal.

I chose a limited palette for this 2018 April Plan With Me and combined the colors with fun space elements. Using Crayola markers to watercolor loose space elements on the thin sheets of this notebook makes a whimsical effect, and I’m over the moon with this month’s theme. I love how a limited color scheme tied everything together throughout the month. Plus, I got to draw circles all month long – in case you didn’t know, I love using circles in my bullet journal.

April Plan with Me Welcome Page Bullet Journal Spread - Fun Space Elements Theme + Limited Color Palette | ChocolateMusings.com

Marker Color Scheme - April 2018 Plan With Me - Limited Color Palette & Fun Space Bullet Journal Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

Welcome Page Colors - April 2018 Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com

April Monthly Pages + Video

In the video, I show the marker-painting technique I’ve grown to use and love in my bullet journal, plus do some real-time handlettering and quote making. Watch below! (You can also view it on my YouTube Channel – subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already (mouse over the little subscribe button in the corner of the video).

The technique for painting with Crayola markers involves a ceramic palette (in this case, a plate), Crayola Markers, a paintbrush, and very little water. Scribbling the markers on the plate creates a paint palette. Then with a barely damp paintbrush, run your brush through the marker on the plate to pick up the pigment. The key is to use as little water as you can. I love painting with markers like this in my bullet journals because it doesn’t make the pages feel stiff, like watercolor paint or gouache. Find more on the Crayola-Marker Watercolor Painting technique in this post.

Enjoy!

April 2018 Plan With Me Video Playlist:

Pages I included in the April 2018 Plan With Me:

Welcome Page – Whimsical Planets Strung from the Sky
Simple Monthly Log
Weekly Pages (Moon Cycles, Watercolor Circles x2, Watercolor planets
Habit Tracking by Number

Pages in the Plan

One reason why I love to bullet journal is that I can customize each month to suit the upcoming plans. For instance, if I’m short on time one month but have a lot of plans, I plan out easy, no-fuss spreads with large sections for to do lists or daily appointments. Other months, I may need a little more art and ‘fluff’ in my life when I’m feeling down. Like many others, I use art as a self-care device and find it a wonderful outlet.

If I don’t have a special reason to change my bullet journal for the month, I tend to stick with a welcome page, a monthly page, a habit tracker, and weekly pages. I think the theme is what makes this month so special and so much fun. Who doesn’t need a bit of whimsy in their lives?

For some reason, I didn’t end up with a good picture of the fourth week of April for this plan with me. For that spread, I arranged the loose watercolor circles at the top instead of the bottom for a little variety. That’s the other thing that I love about bullet journaling – I don’t get bored with the same layout every week.

Weekly Bullet Journal Spread - Moon Cycles - Watercolor Painted with Crayola Markers- fun and simple weekly spread and layout | ChocolateMusings.com

Easy & Loose watercolor circles painted with Crayola Markers - add a bit of color to your bullet journal without any artistic talent | ChocolateMusings.com

Monthly Favorites

One of my favorite elements in this Plan With Me for April 2018 is the monthly badge I included on the monthly log page. The way the letters bend and curve around each other and the circle outline is so fun! I tried to make a badge with every month’s name, but September’s name is way too long!

Another favorite feature for this month is the unified color scheme. If you’re struggling with making a design cohesive, limit your color palette. Each element in your design will have a common element and better unify your creation.

One last favorite for this April 2018 Plan With Me has got to be the habit by number spread. With it’s flip out key, each habit is defined by a number. I find that giving my habits parameters (or expectations) I tend to try harder to meet those habits.

2018 April Welcome Page (Part 1) - Painted with Crayola Markers in a Loose, Whimsical Watercolor Space Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

2018 April Welcome Page (Part 2) - Painted with Crayola Markers in a Loose, Whimsical Watercolor Space Theme | ChocolateMusings.com

Question:

What’s your favorite theme you’ve tried (or seen) for the month? This circle one is high on the list for me.

March 2018 Plan With Me: Two Favorite Weekly Layouts + Video

March 22, 2018 2 Comments

March 2018 Plan With Me: Weekly Layouts

This month’s weekly layouts/spreads are very simple, but I used a couple of my very favorites. Don’t get me wrong I love to try new things and paint in my journal, but I also like to plan a productive month. Sometimes you just need a month without frills and these two designs are minimal, functional, and lovely if I do say so myself. Watch the set-up video below for how I set up the weeklies this month with the two different layouts I used.

Reverse “To Do List”

One new thing included in each week is the #InMy10Minutes section. It’s kind of like a reverse to-do list. Where I take 10 minutes per day (sometimes multiple segments), and I try to get as much done in those few minutes as I possibly can. Then I take just a minute to jot down what I did. This action combats the feeling of inadequacies. It also helps me realize that even on days where I feel like I got nothing done, that is not true.

March minimal weekly layouts with #inmy10minutes reverse to do list

Don’t Get Caught Up in the Inadequacies

#InMy10Minutes In My 10 minutes 10 minute tasks, how many things can you do in 10 minutes? I took a deep breath, cleaned the sink, spruced my reflections, shined the throne, make the bathroom floor sparkle, swept and scoured the kitchen, did the dishes - what did you do in your 10 minutes

Despite the ever-growing to-do list each week, this little box reminds me of what I did do. One day I might jot down that I took 10 minutes to read my kids a story before they went to bed, listened to each of their prayers, talked with them about their plans for the next day, and kissed them goodnight. Those 10 minutes were more fulfilling than a whole day of errands, and those are the kinds of things I want to remember. Other days I might feel very accomplished and clean four rooms with a flurry of activity. And yet other days, in 10 minutes I read a chapter in a book for some much-needed downtime. Try it out! Include a section in your daily/weekly/monthly spread to remind you of all the things you DID do. Tag me on social media (@ChocolateMusingsCreates) and use #InMy10Minutes. Check out the headers/layouts in my Shop! I’m adding more all the time – so check back often.

Some Weeks Are NO JOKE!

Despite my best-laid plans, some weeks just knock you down.However, since I spent the whole of March planning ahead, a whole week out didn’t completely frustrate me, I’m behind, but not frustrated. So this is how I logged a week with strep, double ear infections, and a hacked computer.

What to do after a terrible week. Write large and turn the page.

Next Month’s Plans

Next month I’ve planned out all sorts of circles – what goes better than circles than space & planets?

Question:

Do you have a go-to spread for your weekly or daily pages?