how I fell in love with my bullet journal

Something that I learned (or maybe relearned) about myself this year is that I'm insanely motivated by check marks. In fact, keeping a to-do list proved to be one of the most helpful tools for overcoming my baby blues. But until now that to-do list has been scrawled on scrap paper or kept on an app that somehow takes the fun out of crossing things off. I decided I wanted a planner that would help me be my most productive self and one that was beautiful.

Problems:
1. In a bound planner, if I miss a few days for vacation or sickness, those are wasted pages. If you need extra pages for something, too bad.
2. A binder is so bulky and...un-chic. Or you can buy a chic one for $$$ and then special pages to fit it for $$$.
3. I searched for ages trying to find the perfect layout, But nothing was perfect. I wanted perfect. I even tried to design my own to print.
4. Printing your own planner pages is super expensive.
5. When you buy a planner, you are committed for that year. No take-backs. I just wasn't ready for that kind of commitment.

Solution:
Bullet Journal

In a bullet journal, you write in as much or as little as you want. You choose if you want monthly spreads, weekly spreads, daily spreads, or all three. And, you can change your mind about any of that at any time! In a bullet journal you can add in notes and quotes, lists and doodles, you can tape in photos or tickets or whatever you like. In a bullet journal, you never waste space or run out of space--until your journal is full, of course.

I started by watching this video about a bare-bones bullet journal. It was immediately apparent that this system would solve many of the aforementioned problems with a journal. But if you google image search 'bullet journal', you'll see that a bullet journal can be so much more. It can be beautiful. My personal favorite is Boho Berry, and I took a lot of inspiration from her designs. But that's the best thing about a bullet journal- it is yours and yours alone. It is a planner designed for you by you to perfectly meet your needs. And since mine is beautiful, I enjoy using it and productivity is even more fun! I have been experimenting with different layouts in some blank pages of an older journal, but for 2016 I have a band new one that I am so excited about! When I get back from my Christmas vacation I will share my weekly and daily layouts, but here are some teaser pics for now.

Thanks to Boho Berry for the mandala tutorial!