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Home » ideas

Word of the Year Ideas

December 27, 2022 2 Comments

Word of the Year Ideas Featured Image | ChocolateMusings.com
200+ Word of the year ideas to inspire and motivate you | ChocolateMusings.com #wordoftheyear #wty #words #motivation

In this post, you’ll find 200+ Word of the Year Ideas to help ignite your motivation, live intentionally, and set a course for success for the coming year.

Do you set a word or phrase of the year? I never bought into it until I started using a bullet journal and started writing and recording my goals. Once I started recording my goals and tasks and started seeing the bigger picture for my life, it was almost natural to gravitate towards a word of the year.

After all, if Merriam-Webster can choose a word of the year, so can you. By the way, you can always shorten ‘word of the year’ to WOTY or WotY. You might find some interesting hashtags on Instagram, although you might find some inspiring women of the year posts instead.

Originally posted in 2019, revised in 2022.

Table of contents

  • Choose a Word of the Year
  • How to Choose
  • Word of the Year Ideas Words Starting With the Letter A, B, C & D
  • Word of the Year Ideas – E – F – G
  • Word of the Year Ideas H – I – J – K
  • Word of the Year Ideas – L – M – N – O – P – Q
  • Word of the Year Ideas – R – S- T – U – V- W – X – Y – Z
  • Ideas for Displaying Your Word of the Year
  • Once You’ve Chosen Your Word
200+ Word of the year ideas - to get you motivated, focused & ready for the new year | ChocolateMusings.com

Choose a Word of the Year

For those skeptics or who don’t know where to start, I created a list of 200+ potential candidates for your word of the year (Updated & Refreshed November 2022!). This is not a comprehensive list by any means. Instead, it’s a place to start compiling Word of the Year Ideas.

In November 2021, I updated the list to include words like accept, ask, and bold. I also included words like ‘show up,’ which is what I decided to use for my word(s) of the year in 2022.

How to Choose

Read through the list and notate which one(s) jump out to you. Then think about what you want to accomplish next year and choose a word to help you along the way.

If the word doesn’t quite fit, use a variation of the word to make it fit you and your aspirations.

Instead of Word of the Year – Choose Words of the Month or Quarter

If you can’t seem to choose a word of the year, another idea is to choose a word of the quarter or a word of the month. Choose your focus and then strive to follow that focus for that time. Coordinate your goals and habits to correspond with your word of the year/month/quarter.

Maybe you’ve read the 12-Week Year or work month-to-month on projects; if this is the case, you might choose to set a new word of the year every quarter or even choose a word of the month. Do what feels best for you. After all, your word of the year (or month or quarter) should benefit you, not hinder your progress.

Whatever you do, be sure to revisit your goals every once in a while and assess your progress. Often it’s not just a steady progression. Little corrections throughout the month, week, or day help you stay on track.

Word of the Year Ideas
Words Starting With the Letter A, B, C & D

Align your aspirations, be authentic, act and aspire. Whatever your word of the year is, here are 200+ ideas for you to find your focus. Be sure to pin some images so you can come back year after year to choose a new word.

Find your Clarity! Create consistent content, or just find the courage to choose your course for the year. Distinguish this year and dedicate your efforts by defining your word. Discover your potential and get things done through diligent work and dedication. Declare this year your own.

How can you fit your word of the year into a sentence to motivate & inspire you throughout the coming months?

Word of the year Ideas starting with the letter A- Find 200+ word of the year ideas | ChocolateMusings.com
Bold & Beautiful Word of the year Ideas starting with the letter B- Find 200+ word of the year ideas | ChocolateMusings.com
Find your Clarity! Create Consistent Content or just find the Courage to Choose your word of the year - find 200+ Ideas | ChocolateMusings.com
Distinguish this year by choosing your word - find 200+ ideas | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Accept
  • Acclaimed
  • Accomplish
  • Act
  • Admirable
  • Adventure
  • Align
  • All
  • All In
  • Always
  • Appreciate
  • Approve
  • Ask
  • Aspire
  • Attention
  • Authentic
  • Balance
  • Be
  • Beam
  • Beautiful
  • Beauty
  • Before
  • Behold
  • Believe
  • Better
  • Bliss
  • Bloom
  • Bold
  • Brave
  • Breathe
  • Brilliant
  • Bubbly
  • Build
  • Calm
  • Capable
  • Care
  • Carefree
  • Careful
  • Caring
  • Celebrate
  • Challenge
  • Champion
  • Change
  • Charming
  • Choice
  • Choose
  • Clarity
  • Class
  • Classic
  • Classy
  • Commendable
  • Commit
  • Complete
  • Confidence
  • Connect
  • Conquer
  • Content
  • Consistent
  • Constant
  • Contribute
  • Courage
  • Create
  • Cultivate
  • Dance
  • Dare
  • Dazzle
  • Decide
  • Declare
  • Dedication
  • Deepen
  • Define
  • Delightful
  • Dependable
  • Determination
  • Devotion
  • Diligent
  • Discover
  • Distinguished
  • Dive
  • Divine
  • Do
  • Done
  • Dream

Word of the Year Ideas – E – F – G

Get energized and embody efficiency with effective and elegant methods. Enlighten yourself and explore ways to excel. Choose your word of the year (200+ words to embody) | ChocolateMusings.com
FOCUS is that your word of the year? Choose from 200+ fantastic options that fit your goals so you can follow through and flourish | ChocolateMusings.com
Gather your thoughts, give time to set your goals, show some gratitude and GO achieve those good things you seek. Set your word of the year and find motivation - Find 200+ Words of the Year Ideas perfect for your aspirations. | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Earnest
  • Effective
  • Efficient
  • Elegant
  • Elevate
  • Embody
  • Embrace
  • Emerge
  • Empathy
  • Empower
  • Energized
  • Enlighten
  • Enough
  • Envision
  • Excel
  • Excellent
  • Excellence
  • Exhale
  • Experience
  • Explore
  • Fabulous
  • Fair
  • Faith
  • Familiar
  • Family
  • Fantastic
  • Favorable
  • Fearless
  • Find
  • Fit
  • Fitting
  • Flexible
  • Flourish
  • Flourishing
  • Fly
  • Focus
  • Follow-through
  • Forgive
  • Form
  • Forward
  • Foster
  • Fortunate
  • Fortune
  • Free
  • Freedom
  • Friends
  • Fun
  • Gather
  • Gift
  • Give
  • Glamorous
  • Glow
  • Go
  • Goals
  • God
  • Good
  • Grace
  • Grant
  • Gratitude
  • Grounded
  • Grow
  • Gumption
  • Guts

Word of the Year Ideas H – I – J – K

Word of the year ideas starting with H-K -Honor yourself, create new habits, generate ideas that illuminate your journey. Find joy and hope, be inspired! Choose your word of the year - find 200+ ideas to help you achieve the things you want to do. | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Habit
  • Happiness
  • Happy
  • Heal
  • Healthy
  • Heart
  • Heavenly
  • Help
  • Holy
  • Honor
  • Hope
  • Horizon
  • Humility
  • Idea
  • Illuminate
  • Imagine
  • Immerse
  • Impressive
  • Improve
  • Independent
  • Innovative
  • Inspire
  • Instruct
  • Intention
  • Intuition
  • Journey
  • Joy
  • Jubilant
  • Kind
  • Kindred
  • Kindle

Word of the Year Ideas – L – M – N – O – P – Q

Listen to your inner thoughts, be mindful of your purpose, master a talent, pursue the moments and goals that make your heart sing. Choose a word of the year to help you excel in your personal and professional life. Find 200+ words of the year ideas | ChocolateMusings.com
Create quality, profound goals, that will guide you through the year, put in one hundred percent. Choose your word of the year and make progress. Find 200+ word of the year ideas | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Laugh
  • Lead
  • Learn
  • Legacy
  • Lemonade
  • Less
  • Life
  • Lift
  • Limitless
  • Live
  • Listen
  • Look
  • Love
  • Lovely
  • Make
  • Master
  • Masterful
  • Meaning
  • Merciful
  • Mighty
  • Mindful
  • Moment
  • More
  • Motivated
  • Natural
  • No
  • One
  • One Hundred Percent
  • Open
  • Optimistic
  • Organize
  • Paradise
  • Patience
  • Pause
  • Peace
  • Persist
  • Pilot
  • Pivot
  • Pleasant
  • Please
  • Plentiful
  • Positive
  • Positivity
  • Powerful
  • Present
  • Productive
  • Profound
  • Progress
  • Prosper
  • Pure
  • Purpose
  • Quality
  • Quiet

Word of the Year Ideas – R – S- T – U – V- W – X – Y – Z

Ready for a restart? Rise and Renew - reset your efforts by choosing a word of the year. Reflect on what you want to accomplish and show resilience in the year to come. Find 200+ word of the year ideas | ChocolateMusings.com
Show up every day, seek and share your talents. Be strong and steady. Shine, create space. Whatever your word of the year is, I'm sure you'll find success in your efforts. Find your word of the year - get 200 + ideas to motivate you | ChocolateMusings.com
Seeking your word of the year? Find something upbeat and will transform you throughout the year. Try new things, create wonder, be thankful. Whatever your word of the year is - I hope you thrive. Find 200+ word of the year ideas to enhance your vision and to send good vibes throughout the year. | ChocolateMusings.com
  • Ready
  • Reason
  • Reassure
  • Reflect
  • Refresh
  • Regenerate
  • Reliable
  • Renew
  • Return
  • Reset
  • Resilience
  • Respect
  • Rest
  • Restart
  • Restore
  • Rewarding
  • Right
  • Rise
  • Rock
  • Safe
  • Secure
  • See
  • Seek
  • Self
  • Self-Care
  • Serenity
  • Serve
  • Share
  • Shift
  • Shine
  • Show Up
  • Sing
  • Skill
  • Slow
  • Smile
  • Soul
  • Space
  • Sparkle
  • Special
  • Stay
  • Steadfast
  • Steady
  • Strength
  • Strive
  • Strong
  • Success
  • Sunny
  • Sunrise
  • Supply
  • Support
  • Sustain
  • Test
  • Thankful
  • Think
  • Timely
  • Thorough
  • Thrilling
  • Thrive
  • Tranquil
  • Transform
  • Transformation
  • Travel
  • Treasure
  • True
  • Trust
  • Truth
  • Try
  • Unconditional
  • Upbeat
  • Update
  • Uplift
  • Value
  • Vibe
  • Victory
  • Vision
  • Vivacious
  • Voice
  • Welcome
  • Win
  • Wise
  • Whole
  • Willing
  • Write
  • Wonder
  • Work
  • Wow
  • Yes!
  • Zeal
  • Zest

Ideas for Displaying Your Word of the Year

Here are a few ideas to display your word of the year – as a reminder daily for motivation to keep plugging along at your goals.

Write your word on a sticky note and attach it to your mirror. This is a great place for daily reminders for any affirmations you want to repeat to yourself and a perfect place for your word of the year. You could create a framed reference of your word or phrase near a light switch or place an index card on your car’s dashboard.

Since my bullet journal is probably my most used object, I added my word of the year to the cover as a constant reminder of what I wanted to accomplish. So as a way for you to see your word of the year regularly, pay attention to what you use consistently and add your phrase or word near that object.

I advise placing your word in strategic locations around your house so you will see the word, and it can act as a reminder of the goals you want to accomplish. I’d love to hear your ideas and strategies for keeping your word of the year top of mind.

I added my word of the year - consistency - to the cover of my bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com

Once You’ve Chosen Your Word

What do you do now that you’ve chosen a word of the year? Write it down! Post it up so you can see it every day. Think about how it makes you feel and what you want to accomplish. After you write the word, create a planner spread or list of things you want to do throughout the year.

Whatever you do, make sure you see that word regularly so you’re reminded of your motivation.

Schedule time to review your progress and adjust your everyday living to align yourself with your goals. I’ll add a note to review my goals on a specific date or in my future log on a particular month so I don’t forget.

At the end of the year, be sure to jot down what you did, how you did it, and pointers for improvement. I’m sure as a result of your persistence and subtle reminders. You’ll see a difference.

Looking for More Inspiration?

Quotes are and forever will be among my favorite things in this world. So I will strive to share more with you. View my list of quote-related blog posts.

200+ Word of the year ideas - to get you motivated, focused & ready for the new year | ChocolateMusings.com

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Filed Under: Blog, Find Your Happy, Get Inspired, Get Organized & Start Planning, Journal Prompts & Ideas, Quotes & Words to Inspire, Start Planning Here, Words of the Year Tagged: finding inspiration, ideas, inspiration, motivation, word of the year, word of the year ideas, wty

Easy Themes for Your Bullet Journal When You’re Low on Time and Inspiration

October 31, 2022 Leave a Comment

Easy Bullet Journal Themes when your Low on Time and Inspiration - ChocolateMusings.com

Need some ideas for quick and easy monthly themes in your bullet journal (creative planner)? Has your inspiration run dry? I’ve got some great ideas for you! These bullet journal theme ideas are easy and quick and might help restore your inspiration.

Creative Planning – It’s Not a Need, but I Like It

I sit here tapping one finger on the keyboard. What to write? I hate when the inspiration is slow. The same goes for creating monthly themes in my bullet journal. I know I don’t need a monthly theme, but I like it.

Sometimes the monthly theme is the inspiration behind new products or other creative ventures. But what happens when you sit with your head in your hands, tapping the end of your pencil with nothing squeaking through the inspiration pipes?

If you like to use a monthly theme, you get it. If that inspiration pond runs dry, it’s hard to feel motivated in your bullet journal. I compiled several simple yet creative theme ideas for your bullet journal.

Table of contents

  • Creative Planning – It’s Not a Need, but I Like It
  • Why Do I Use Creative Bullet Journal Themes?
  • Easy Themes for Your Bullet Journal
    • Wreaths
    • Circles
    • Rectangles (One of the Easiest Themes for Your Bullet Journal!)
    • Stripes
    • Torn Paper
    • Papercraft Skyline
    • Washi Tape
    • Super Simple Connected Line Cursive
    • Easy Shadows
    • Color Theme – VERY Easy Theme for Your Bullet Journal
  • Why Creative Monthly Themes
  • When All Else Fails In Your Pursuit of an Easy Bullet Journal Theme

Why Do I Use Creative Bullet Journal Themes?

For me, a monthly theme spurs other ideas. I get to try creating something that I might not normally try. And since I create monthly, weekly, and a lot more for each month, it pushes my creativity beyond what I might find by painting a single piece. Sometimes I like my little bullet journal doodles enough to paint something bigger or better.

Here are a few of my products that have come about because of creative monthly themes. Ironically, most are functional planning stickers because I wanted to spend time creating the theme side rather than writing numbers.

(trucks, number lines, etc., flower wreaths).

Easy Themes for Your Bullet Journal

When you’re stuck for inspiration, here are a few ideas. First of all, these ideas are easy. Secondly, they don’t take much effort for a big impact. So go ahead, give them a try.

Wreaths


Here’s the thing with wreaths – you don’t have to add anything to them if you don’t want to. Make them scribble-y or perfect circles, and add leaves, flowers, dots, or nothing. Circles without flowers or leaves or other designs are great, too! I drew in florals for the August 2022 post and then added very loose watercolor on top. No need for precision!

Check out these posts:

  • 3 Simple Ways How to Draw Circle Wreaths
  • August 2022 Loose Floral Wreaths
3 Simple Ways How to Create Circle Wreaths Tutorial | ChocolateMusings.com #circles #howto #floralwreaths
Minimal Weekly Bullet Journal: Floral Wreaths Theme | ChocolateMusings.com #floralwreath #bulletjournal #weekly

Circles

I love circles. You can turn the circles into so many other things (wreaths, buttons, bubbles, paint drops, and so much more) or leave them as circles. You can make perfect circles with a circle maker or messy, imperfect circles. Either way, circles are a great choice for an easy bullet journal theme.

Check Out These Posts:

How To Create Circles in Your Bullet Journal

365 Day Tracker - Yearly Tracker for Goals and Habits in my Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com

Rectangles (One of the Easiest Themes for Your Bullet Journal!)

Stay with me for a minute on this one. The basis of most planning designs is rectangles or squares. But if you vary where each top of the rectangle starts – you can create a fun yet very simple (and easy!) design in your bullet journal.

I used uniform rectangle boxes in these layouts and added circular wreath stickers to dress up the page.

How I use my floral wreath planner stickers | ChocolateMusings.com #floralwreaths #plannerstickers
How I use my floral wreath planner stickers | ChocolateMusings.com #floralwreaths #plannerstickers
Even when the week is rough like this one - I love seeing whatever effort I made. Recording completed tasks gives a sense of pride and motivation to keep moving forward | ChocolateMusings.com
Blending and pen test with acrylic markers | ChocolateMusings.com

Check out this Plan-With-Me, where I used the same size boxes each week but changed the placement and layout. I used various rectangles in these spreads to create the week’s layout. You can add other decorations or not. These are quick and easy weekly layouts. As you can see, some of my favorite methods.

Minimal and Functional Bullet Journal Plan With Me Set Up - Monthly Pages, Weekly Pages, Journaling Spreads, Cover Spread & Brain Dump in my Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com #planwithme #plannersetup #bulletjournal
Minimal and Functional Bullet Journal Plan With Me Set Up - Monthly Pages, Weekly Pages, Journaling Spreads, Cover Spread & Brain Dump in my Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com #planwithme #plannersetup #bulletjournal
Loose watercolor butterfly minimal bullet journal weekly layout | ChocolateMusings.com #watercolor #butterfly #weekly
Dandelion Weekly Bullet Journal Spread | ChocolateMusings.com


Stripes

Add your normal boxes or layout to your monthly/weekly bullet journal spreads, then use a highlighter or marker to add stripes to the sides and behind the box. This is a great way to add a bit of color.

How to Create (and Use) One Line Per Day

Bullet Journal Time Block Spread with Highlighter Stripes | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread
How to Create (and Why to Use) a One-Line Per Day Journal in your Bullet Journal | ChocolateMusings.com #onelineperday #oneline #journal
Bullet Journal Time Block Spread with Highlighter Stripes | ChocolateMusings.com #timeblock #weekly #weeklyspread

Torn Paper

Create an easy color splash by tearing strips of colorful paper or scrapbook paper and gluing them in your notebook.

Not all thoughts are black and white - that's why we have grey matter - Bullet journal brain dump page | ChocolateMusings.com

Papercraft Skyline

Cut out rectangle shapes and arrange them like buildings on your page—very easy and crafty theme to add to your bullet journal pages.

Like the idea of creating a cityscape? Check out this post.

Layered City Scape Bullet Journal Set Up | ChocolateMusings.com
City at Night - Papercraft Bullet Journal City Skyline Theme | ChocolateMusings.com
Easy Buildings at Night Silhouette Weekly Bullet Journal Minimal Spreads | ChocolateMusings.com

Washi Tape

Using washi tape is another great way to dress up your bullet journal spreads without investing much time or artistry into your planner spreads.

October Bullet Journal Washi Tape Cover Page
October Bullet Journal Washi Tape Header Calendar Page

Super Simple Connected Line Cursive

Yep. I made up the name for that one, but I think the description is spot on. Write out the name, day, or whatever you’re using as a header – connect the line to the text, and you have a fancy yet simple theme in your bullet journal.

Super Simple Connected Line Cursive weekly - 2 weeklies to a page

Easy Shadows

Add your basic shapes or text, then use a light marker or highlighter to add a shadow to your words or design. Make this theme as easy or as complicated as you like. Add multiple layers for a retro feel to your design.

Check out this post: How to easily create faded drop shadows with Tombow markers.

Boxes for appointments and to-dos, large spaces for writing and notes below - I love the flexibility of bullet journals! | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #weeklies #weeklies

Color Theme – VERY Easy Theme for Your Bullet Journal

Choose two colors (or three) and make ‘swipes’ with a marker or paintbrush. Add the days of the week, and you’re done.

Minimal watercolor Weekly - Bright colors + drop shadows make the colors pop on this page | ChocolateMusings.com #weeklyspread #bulletjournal #bujo

Why Creative Monthly Themes

Technically, you don’t have to use a monthly theme. In fact, if you use the original bullet journal method, there are no calendars (other than a monthly log), weeklies, or themes. I think of the original method as more of a running tally of all the things. A running tally isn’t bad, but it’s not what I need. I need a place to be creative.

I certainly subscribe to the more creative side of bullet journaling (in fact, I would call it more creative planning rather than bullet journaling, but that’s a different story for a different time).

When All Else Fails In Your Pursuit of an Easy Bullet Journal Theme

When all else fails, stop looking for an easy theme for your bullet journal. Sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? But hear me out. Browse Pinterest, but not in your usual ‘Bullet Journal Theme’ search. Think of something that caught your eye recently, a bird, a flower, or a sign, and search for that object instead. While you’re browsing, look at the other elements that people use – maybe they use a starburst pattern or certain colors or geometric shapes. Jot down the things that you like about the art you see.

Perhaps it’s a bold header or a certain font. It’s not about the object you searched for. It’s about seeing inspirational elements through everything (although if you like the object enough – you might have stumbled upon your next bullet journal theme without realizing it).

Here’s what I recommend: Keep a list of themes you’d like to try. That way, you have ready-made, easy bullet journal themes at your fingertips.

Fast and Easy Bullet Journal Themes when your short on time and inspiration - ChocolateMusings.com

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Filed Under: 5 Minute Planner Spreads, Blog, Bullet Journal, Planner Spreads, Planner Theme Ideas, Simple Planner Spreads Tagged: beginner friendly, Bullet Journal, bullet journal ideas, ideas, planner themes, themes

How to Draw Circle Wreaths – 3 Simple Ways

May 6, 2019 2 Comments

How to Draw Circle Wreaths – 3 Simple Ways

3 Simple Ways How to Draw Circle Wreaths Tutorial | ChocolateMusings.com #circles #howto #floralwreaths

 

If you haven’t noticed, I LOVE using circles in my bullet journal, but I also enjoy using them for quotes or drawing floral wreaths. Drawing circles for floral wreaths isn’t as hard as it seems. Here are 3 simple ways showing you how to draw circles for floral wreaths or any other circle outlines.

Ways to Use Circles

I like to add mini-floral circular wreaths for the numbers on my weeklies. I filled My May Plan With Me with circle floral wreaths.  Floral wreaths are also a great element to add to quotes. Check out my other posts using circles in your bullet journal or art projects.

Note: I drew these circles in pen so you could see them better in the video and I would recommend drawing with a pencil so you can change elements if needed.

Watch How to Draw Circle Wreaths

Can’t see the video? View it on Youtube.

Tools Needed to Draw Circle Wreaths

Basic Art Supplies for Creating Floral Wreaths | ChocolateMusings.com

Paper
Pen/Pencil/Marker
Compass/Circle Maker (optional depending on the type of circle)
Good Music (optional)

Notes about the tools for drawing circle wreaths:

If You’re Watercoloring:

  • Paper – Canson Watercolor Paper
  • Pen –  use an archival pen like Pigma Micron Pens – be careful about how hard you press on the tips of these pens.
  • Watercolor Paints + Brushes of your choice

If You’re NOT Watercoloring:

  • Paper – if you’re not watercoloring I use HP 32 lb paper
  • Pen – if you’re NOT watercoloring, using a felt-tip pen like PaperMate Flair or the bullet tip of a Tombow Dual Brush Marker will work and creates great lines
Supplies for Drawing Circle Flower Wreaths | ChocolateMusings.com #floral #flower #wreath #circles

Need ideas for drawing your floral elements?

Check out my post highlighting my favorite Flower Drawing & Reference Books.

Favorite Flower Drawing and Reference Books (and why) + Video Flip Through | ChocolateMusings.com #floral #flower #howtodrawflowers

Create a Single Circle Wreath

Using a compass or a circle maker, choose your center point and how big you want the circle. I always mark the center point with a pencil, by marking the center point makes it easier to add circles in the future if you wish.

Follow the path around and then end your wreath. There! You have a single line wreath that you can add additional elements along the whole way or just partially.

Because there the circle maker has moving parts, it does shift a little when making the circle. I tend to pull outwards with my pen, so my pen doesn’t shift within the little circle and the ring ends up the same size. Try it out, you’ll see what I mean when circle start and ending points don’t exactly match up. A little practice will turn you into a circle-making pro!

Create Easy Floral Wreaths - Single Circle | ChocolateMusings.com #floralwreaths #flowerwreath #howto #circle

How to Draw Circles in Multiples

Following the same pattern for the single circle, create a circle once then slightly move the compass up and over and trace in the same selection as the first circle. Then move the compass again just somewhat off your first center mark. (Didn’t I say making that mark would come in handy?) Do this as many times as you like and then add your other floral & leaf elements.

Alternate Technique:

Mark the center point of your circle, that way you could make a single circle as a reference, then draw your floral elements and add more circles afterward.

How To Draw Circle Wreaths - Multiple Circles | ChocolateMusings.com #floralwreaths #flowerwreath #howto #circle

How to Draw Circle Wreaths – Freehand – Organic “Nest”

This technique might seem the most daunting, but it’s also the most fun (in my opinion). The trick is to use your shoulder not your wrist to draw the circles and let it do the work. I’ll try and explain it the best I can here, but watching the video gives you a better idea of what I do.

First of all, I raise my hand above the paper so I’m not tempted to use my wrist to make the circular motions (you’ll get weird, uneven circles if you use your wrist). I hold the pen higher than usual so that I can increase the distance from the paper and my hand.

While still holding the pen in the air and not touching the paper, I start to draw circles using my shoulder to guide my arm around. I do this a few times without writing anything, so I can gauge the movement in my shoulder and see how big I’ll make the circles with the current flow.

After I’m happy with the size of circles, I follow the same movement with my shoulder only and gently touch the tip of the pen to the paper and keep going. I usually go around 7-10 times because none of the circles will be perfect. Making several passes helps even out the circles. It also gives a more organic feel, and I think it looks like the start to a bird’s nest.

How To Draw Easy Freehand Circle Wreaths - Freehand | ChocolateMusings.com #floralwreaths #flowerwreath #howto #circle

Go and Create!

Where will you use your circle-making skills now? I’d love to see how you draw circle wreaths and how you use them! Tag me on Instagram @ChocolateMusingsCreates

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Filed Under: Blog, Creating Art - Watercolor, Painting & Drawing, Get Creative, Tutorials & How To Tagged: Circle, circles, creativity, draw, get creative, hand drawn, how to, ideas, Tutorial, video

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.

Idea Organization for your bullet journal - what I do with all the extra thoughts in my head | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #bujo #braindump

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.)

Layout Guidelines customized for each bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com

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.

savings and budget logs bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #bujo #savings

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.

journaling pages for all the thoughts in my bullet journal | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #bujo #journaling

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.

blog planning bullet journal pages | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #bujo #tasks #planning

Washi Tape Paint Bucket Samples | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #bujo #washitape

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.

misc bullet journal idea organization spreads | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #ideas #bujo

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.

misc bullet journal idea organization spreads | ChocolateMusings.com #bulletjournal #ideas #bujo

  • 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!

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Filed Under: Blog, Bullet Journal, Get Organized & Start Planning, Planner Spreads, Start Planning Here Tagged: #BuJo, Bullet Journal, collection, collections, ideas, journal pages

Give your Goals & Plans a Defined Timeline

October 31, 2017 7 Comments

End of Year Planning – Don’t Leave it to the Last Minute

Start Early on Next Year’s Planning with a Super Simple Planning Spread – Give Your Goals & Plans a Defined Timeline. November seems like a great time to set some goals for next year. Specifically the first two weeks of November. Why then? Well because Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving or other holidays have not come yet. Visiting family will not arrive yet, and if you are vacationing or leaving, you have some time before the packing begins. There is a certain quiet about this time – the air is still buzzing with excitement that comes from the end of the year activities, but parties and plans have not started up – yet.

Goals & Plans a Defined Timeline - setting up for this month, next month & next year

The other reason it makes for perfect planning for next year is that next year is close, but not too close. You have some time to think. You have some time to reflect. The time is perfect to think about what you want from the next year. I am not talking about achieving anything – though you can certainly include achievements – I am mostly talking about what you want to become as a person. Become what is important to you.  Decide to spend your time doing the things that will give you happiness, joy, and peace in your life.

Use the quiet spaces in the month to plan ahead and define your goal timelines | Start your goals with a timeline, not an obscure 'someday'

Define Your Timelines

This is my variation of the short-term, mid-term, and long-term goal planning. I was never good at using those planning terms – I needed a definition for the meaning of short-term, mid-term, and long-term. So I defined the timelines for me. It makes me work harder because I now have an accountability to time.

Short-term for me is Monthly.

Mid-term is something I want to accomplish in the next 2 months (sometimes I extend it to 3 months). In this case, I will be planning to complete by the end of the year.

“Next Year” I define as ‘by the end of next year’ – these are long-term goals**. I will define these more in-depth for the start of the year. This section is actually the reason I created this spread. I wanted to start thinking about my plans and goals for next year so they didn’t get swept away by the flurry of the holidays.

**I have an even longer-term goal type (more than a year) but I did not include that on this spread.

Break Your Goals into Achievable Times

Break your goals down into achievable times – when you expect to get these things done. Start where you are and give yourself a timeline – not an obscure ‘someday’. Stretch yourself a little, be patient with yourself and make goals realistic.

This month with my focus on simplicity, I made a planning & goals page extremely simple so I was not distracted by all the ‘shiny’ things. I tend to flit from one place to another and never get anything done. So I laid out this page with simple functionality in mind. (The bottom picture shows without lines for an even more simplified look).

Start Early on Next Year's Planning with a Super Simple Planning Spread - Give Your Goals & Plans a Defined Timeline

Whatever Your Plans, No Matter Your Goals

Whatever your plans or goals for the coming months or year might be, take a moment to begin your planning for next year, whether it be to spend more time on self-care, cook more, lose weight, de-junk your house, using a planning & goals page is a good place for jotting down your ideas for yourself.

Do this now before life becomes more hectic so when you are sitting down after Christmas laying out your January planner you smile knowingly at yourself and can think “I’ve already set my goals for next year”. Go ahead, call yourself an overachiever. Because you are ahead of the game.

View the entire Monthly Planner Set up

I’d love to hear what you do to plan out your next year’s plans & goals.

Remember to plan your life so you live beautifully.

Use the quiet spaces in the month to plan ahead and define your goal timelines.

Tricia

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Filed Under: Blog, Bullet Journal, Find Your Happy, Habits, Journal Prompts & Ideas, Planner Spreads Tagged: #BuJo, brush lettering, Bullet Journal, bullet journal spread, collection, goal setting, hand drawn, ideas, inspiration, Inspire, leuchtturm1917, modern calligraphy, motivation, page layout, plan with me, planner goals, planner layout, planning to plan, self-improvement, timeline, tips & tricks, tips and tricks

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About Me


Hi! I'm Tricia, the creative behind ChocolateMusings.com, I know how it feels to lose your inner muse. After years of darkness (which I call the dark ages of my life), I found my inner muse hiding in the forgotten corners of my soul, I vowed never to lose sight of her again.

Bullet journaling helped reignite the passion for art and living life again while organizing my days. I also discovered modern calligraphy and watercolor. Since then, my use of the bullet journal system has evlolved and I call it 'creative planning'. Here on the blog, I show you how to use your planner to ignite your inner muse and explore creativity and art while staying beautifully organized and living a joyful life.

I invite you to grab some good chocolate and dive into my musings. Let’s ignite your inner muse.

Read more on the about me page. You can also find my policies and disclosures here.

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