How to adapt the planning system to suit you

I’ve been bullet journaling* since May 2017 so I have some mileage and I approximately know what suits me and what doesn’t. But I still find and try new ideas all the time. So this post will hopefully help you to adapt the system you use to suit you better – I offer you questions that will help you develop the planning you’d love. Because we’re different and we love different things and different things are useful to us. But how do we know what will suit us? If you wonder what kind of notebook to use, I answer this question in my video here but for the general set-up I try to offer you some (hopefully) useful questions down below:).

When you’re first trying out, find different ideas and combine them to your taste…

*First a disclaimer: I don’t use bullet journal the way the inventor Ryder Carrol intended it to but more like most people these days show it on IG – as a “glorified to-do list”, “an artistic endeavour” with some trackers and a calendar/planner.

Different yearly layouts – different ways to set up your yearly plan according to your needs – more about that on my youtube channel.

His idea is great for people who would like to reflect in real-time on what they are doing and how it aligns with their values etc… I am sure I could benefit from that at certain points in my life but right now I know why I do things – that’s not the issue – the issue is how to get everything done and how not to over plan;). And bullet journal has helped me with that (the limited space forces me to pick my battles😉 – and because Ryder said that whatever works for us is ok, I guess it’s ok;). I like his kind and generous approach, by the way – do what works for you – and not the “this is not the way I meant, you are all doing it wrong” as in some other cases;). I guess Ryder rides the waves;).

More yearly spreads – you can watch the explanation on my youtube channel.

Now, let’s see how to adapt your bullet journal – I’ll post an article about bullet journal components where I explain in detail all the parts so you can find what would work for you. I have written a lot of examples so hopefully, you could find yourself in some of them and imagine how it might work for you so stay tuned. But until then, here are a couple of questions to think about:
– Do you have a problem with finding things in an index? Then you might prefer to have all the lists on one side of the journal. Do you like to jot down everything as you go along – then you might want to have it all chronologically…
– Do you have a symbol library in your head that feels very intuitive or do you have to set it up first? That will tell you if you need a key or not and how to set it up. Our brains don’t work the same, symbols change in cultures, use what is most intuitive for YOU!

Even just a black pen and a plain highlighter can make a nice spread. The flower stamp was coloured with the highlighter and printed onto paper.

– How much space do you need for a day/week/month? I started with one week on one page but realized that is just not enough space for me – to jot everything down and make a cute sketch somewhere that would make me want to use the damn thing;). So now I use a double-page spread for one week and that seems to work for me perfectly. If I was to not decorate and use the whole two pages for my week, I would fill my days too much. It has to be just the right amount of space for me – so I can fit what I need to get done but not more!!! This one you might have to try out first to see what you prefer but I saw a lot of people use a two-page spread for a weekly so it might be a good place to start.
– How elaborate do you want your spreads? How much time do you have to actually do it? I found out that I tend not to use bujo when I feel like I have to do an elaborate spread each week or when I just treat it as a to-do list with no doodles or artistic endeavours. I just don’t enjoy it if it’s not a little bit pretty.

For lovers of colour, watercolour is wonderful! This paper is thin plain notebook paper so it can’t handle a lot but one quick layer is ok. Just don’t use a lot of water and paint quickly;).

– Do you intend to colour in it? I love colourful pages! I found out I am muuuuch more likely to use it if it’s colourful! And I enjoy it much more! It doesn’t need to be elaborate but it has to be colour! Elaborate b&w drawings don’t do it for me. I used that for a long time but I really love using watercolours or at least coloured pencils in it. Colour coding is very intuitive for me – but it’s not for everybody (my “alpha male” has no idea how colours should go in a rainbow:D). How about you? Would a setup of paints frustrate you? Do you mind if your pages get wrinkled? Then, the colour might not be the best option for you or you need a more expensive journal with watercolour paper that can handle a lot of water… Don’t feel pressured to use colour, though! You can still make beautiful spreads just with black (or brown) fine-liners and or brush pens!

More elaborate spreads take more time, naturally… Plan accordingly;) – you don’t want bujo to become another chore on your to-do list – it doesn’t need to be like this, certainly not every week! But if it’s your excuse to make some art, draw some doodles… then go to town and enjoy your “you-time”:)