New Journal Tip - up front spreads

A little foresight can go a long way in setting up a new bullet journal. This is especially true of features, such as important pages, that you intend to return to frequently.

When I set up a new notebook I leave 3 or 4 empty spreads upfront. After the Index and the Future Log, these empty spreads are for important pages I plan to frequently reference. These could be my blogging schedule, a passwords spread, a log for miscellaneous income, a business plan, birthday/anniversary lists, a Christmas list, a reading list, a reusable weekly spread, anything I might look back to regularly.

With this approach I might still mark an important page if it comes up later in the journal, using washi tape or something (as shown in this video of 10 Bullet Journal Hacks). But if I reserve a spot in the front of the notebook I don't have to mark a page. This way I get the advantage of easily finding an important page without having to manually do anything to the notebook itself.

What other set up ideas have you tried? Comment here and be sure to subscribe.

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Plan with me: July 2018 ultra-streamlined

The July 2018 version of my minimalist monthly spread for the bullet journal method. The layout combines a weekly log with monthly log and includes a Dutch door variant, as well as two trackers.

I wanted to write out the dates of the month only once since the Universal Journal style seeks to avoid repetitious writing. In this set up, the Dutch door provides the space to prepare two separate trackers (habit and wellness) which share the same dates column with the calendar page. The result is a sleek 3-in-1 integration. Check out this simple 8 counter sytem I created for hydration tracking on the wellness tracker.

With the dates column down the center of the page, the calendar could serve as a normal calendar or a combination monthly spread with weekly spread. It depends, of course, on how much space you need for either of these. I might still shift to using a separate weekly spread but I haven't need that as yet as my daily logs are doing well so far (which is a long standing debat…

Bullet Journal, Ultra-Streamlined

While the capabilities of the bullet journal system are impressive, one of the best features is its customizability. If you don't want to spend hours preparing an organizational method that's supposed to save you time, keep reading.

Over at the official BulletJournal.com you'll see a short video describing the basics of the Bullet Journal method. There are also some good technique ideas on their blog.

You can search on Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube, and many other places to find ideas for your journal. There are a lot of ideas to personalize your journal that look great. But for those who want a quick, streamlined way to set up your Bullet Journal, and don't need it to be an expressive space, you're in the right place.
Style Basics What is the ultra-streamlined style? Essentially, it's an approach to bullet journaling intended to minimize the time to set up and use the method. Some tips for the ultra-streamlined style:
avoid using unnecessary tools (extra tools …

Decluttering your bullet journal, and maybe your life

As in any area of life, your bullet journal is a place that can get messy even while helping you. An organized schedule involves more than just keeping something on record. It's also a matter of making that record easy to find when you need it. Your approach to journaling is often a reflection of your mindset for life. Do you want a less cluttered mind? You can cultivate this very thing with your journal.

In case you haven't noticed, a minimalist approach, by definition, is meant to keep the unnecessary to a minimum. Mind boggling, I know. But you have stuff you need to keep track of. Sometimes a lot of stuff. So let's look at some details where we might be able to declutter your journal.

Margins Have you ever seen a book where every possible inch of space is printed on every single page? I saw a page like this once in a presentation that was about the value of margin space. This was about margin space in life, not merely on the page. Filling every possible second with som…

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