According to the research, the vast majority of people who make new year’s resolutions, gives them up by 17th to 19th of January (different studies found different dates but it amazes me how close the dates are!) So 17th of January is now the official “Ditch the new year’s resolutions day”. And it’s astonishing how quickly after the new year that is!
Goals… how can we follow them after the January?
So what can poor man do? Well, we can try to get around goals with habits. We can usehabit trackers if that motivates us. We can use accountability buddies (friends, children, spouses, partners,…) Some people hire a coach even! In my experience, the problem is usually that we are too ambitious with our goals. Start small and start today:). And you can mess up as many times as you want, just get back on the horse every time you mess up.
January is the birthday month here so I don’t plan a lot of other things…
Or do what I do – I don’t touch my goals until 19th of January – the reason has nothing to do with “Ditch the new years resolutions day” but more with the fact that two of my kids are January babies so I know I will spend all my free time making stuff for them: sewing clothes, making and shopping and wrapping gifts, baking cakes, planning and executing bd parties with all the food, decorations and of course, another cake… It makes no sense to think I will do any serious thing outside that this time. If new years resolutions seem to slip away on you, you can try this system – it works for me:D.
One tool is the habit tracker…
It’s always nice to try different methods to find what works for you. You might genuinely not like resolutions at all – that doesn’t mean you can’t live your life with some intention. And maybe you prefer less control at the moment or would like to give the chance more power in your life in general. Nothing is wrong – you just need to find what you enjoy at this particular time in your life.
Accountability buddies…
We don’t need to optimize all the time but it’s good to do that intentionally – like: “I have small kids so right now so they are my priority and everything else will just go with the flow.” So if you ever get bored with just being a mom you can revisit: “Ok, kids can do without me for x amount of nights a week so I can start doing y that I have always wanted” or “I feel like we really need some date nights – let’s find a babysitter” etc… At the moment everything needs to be optimized. I don’t believe that. But it is nice to be thoughtful – this is what matter to me now and this doesn’t. If you make something your goal you might want to do something about it. But it doesn’t need to be big – I believe in small habits and changing our environments. That’s always worked best for me, at least. But more on that later on:).
As promised last week, here are some ideas for your bullet journal lists. I’ve written about them last year already and you can find the whole list of lists there but this time around, I made a video to go with it:
I hope you like it and found something useful in my bujo rambling:). If you have any questions, I like to help so don’t hesitate to ask;). Are you a to-do list kind of person yourself?
It is time to plan the upcoming year – or at least prepare to do so in the beginning of January or during the holidays… If you want to do it in a notebook or a bullet journal, here are some ideas how to go about it.
First, there are useful lists or collections as the creator of bujo calls them * key: that is a legend to the symbols you use in your journal: how will you mark down something is a task, an event, is important etc… I honestly never use it so I stopped drawing it. But if you tend to have a complicated unintuitive system, you might want a reminder what each symbol means. For me it is very intuitive and I don’t really need it. * savingstracker: another very useful and popular spread that I personally don’t use. I tend to leave my money alone if I don’t need something and usually I think twice before purchasing something so it’s not really something I would bother about. But it could be very beneficial if you struggle with your income/outcome balance;). * birthday calendar: is very practical especially so that you can see at a glance when the month with many birthdays is coming up and you can plan accordingly (save or buy gifts in advance, reduce the workload if you can to bake the cakes etc;)… * gift ideas: my favourite and indispensable spread! I often get an idea what to give to someone right after their birthday! So I write it down and it waits for the right occasion. It is also very nice to have a variety of ideas – from small to big so you have a gift for every occasion and you can match them so each kid gets roughly the same;). * period tracker: what can I say – for those of us who are done with kids or those who don’t want them (at this time) really necessary but it can be beneficial to those planning on kids if you are not one of the lucky ones who can say: “I get pregnant when he looks at me funny”… I know the theory from uni but I don’t know much about that from practice – I always had to worry about the other end of equation and watch how he looks at me 😀 * pen pals tracker: a very useful tracker if you have several pen pals – you can keep their addresses, what you’ve already sent, their preferred style, their hobbies, etc… and of course have I sent the letter yet and has she received it (I don’t have male pen pals;). I had one a few years ago and I have to make it again.
To set your year for success many people recommend to live our life with a vision and set our goals clearly and smartly. To help you with that you might consider a page of goals or affirmations or purpose, however you call it and design it. I haven’t really done that in a meaningful way but I would like to try this year. * cover page for the year: to set your intentions * notes to self / affirmations / resolutions: what you want to tell your future self – it could be motivating and uplifting or a kick in the butt – whatever you think you most often need;) * bucket list – although it is a list it belongs here, I think. It is a list of all the activities and things you want to try in the upcoming year. Some people put 100 things on the list – I was a bit more modest and only went one third of that. * review the past and plan the future: to-do and not-to-do – i.e. lessons learned / you can do the level 10/10 (basically how satisfied you are with different parts of your life), or any other method. In any case, it’s good to look at different sections of your life – not just to know where we lack but also to be happy for the things that are going right:) We often forget those;). A couple of ideas for sections: family (you can divide that into kids and love partner, siblings and parents or whoever you live with), career, travel, sport / fitness, health, money/financess, home
Now that we know where we want to go, it’s time to schedule and plan. There are a number of spreads to help you with that: * future log / important dates / year at a glance – that is usually at least a two page spread with all the month and important dates in them (birthdays, conferences, business travel, vacations,… everything that you know in advance) * schedule / time blocks / block schedule / pomodoro technique / family schedule: I have already done our family schedule because we all need it – we all use it every single day multiple times – I made one in my bujo and one on a piece of recycled card that sits on the counter and we can see when somebody comes home and who needs to take whom where and when… Very practical. But a time-block schedule can also be practical for work. And a weekly personal schedule will make fitting your hobbies into your life a bit easier (sometimes;). * home plan: if you want to make your home a bit nicer, it’s a very practical spread. This is the first year I have made it and I love it! I’ll post more about that in January. * business plan: I am not much of a business woman but I should start one if I want to take this to a next level. Not quite there yet, though;). * social media plan: I usually break this down into different sections and write one every month because that seems more manageable for me. But if you like to plan a year in advance, be my guest:).
See you tomorrow with a tutorial and more ideas on planning for the year!
3-4 minutes read- grab a planner and join me;) When I talked to my alpha how I plan for all the family things I asked him what does he think I do after I come home from the doctors appointments with kids – he said that I probably put a reminder in the calendar so I don’t forget to make the next appointment needed. But I go one step further:
Planning in a planner or bujo is fine but sometimes technology can really help…
when we come home from the previous appointment as soon as I get home I google schedule an emailto the same facility for the next appointment when needed – if they tell me to write for the next check-up in March, I schedule an email in March to be delivered during their working hours – then I just wait and in March when I have forgotten all about it I get the answer from the dentist to confirm the date of the appointment they have given us. It saves me so much time and frustration!
To check whether the date they have given us suits us you need to have a family schedule, though – check my previous post.
My alpha called this “next step genius”! I know this blog is not about optimisation but I also know moms and other busy people who want to have more time for art, might need/appreciate this;). This hack can save you so much time! I hope it helps someone:)
That’s how you get the time to do more art… 😉 or make cards for kids;)…
And this is how I find the time to make kids cards when they go somewhere;). More on that later – I just made quite some;).
7 minutes read – grab a cold drink and join me I’ve got 3 school-aged kids so believe me, I know how chaotic last days of holidays can get;). Kids grow through summer like weeds so they always need new slippers for the school, new sneakers for the gym, school supplies get lost sometimes (though I have to give them credit – they are very good at keeping their stuff for the most part), rulers get broken, pencil cases fall apart, schoolbags get holes… and of course, there are workbooks and notebooks to buy and there’s always something specific some teacher wants in particular that is nowhere to be found (like the collage paper that is not white on one side or a special kind of notebook that is sold nowhere :D)… In years of trial and error I’ve developed a system that works pretty well for us – so I thought I’d share – maybe it would be helpful to you, too:).
Although this is a picture of our museum, my kids’ school looks very much like it – it was built in the same era by the same architect so… let’s call it a school for today;). Part of the back-to-school crazy is that I don’t get to draw more than one image for the post;).
BUYING SCHOOL SUPPLIES: I have always hated standing in long lines in bookstores to buy schoolbooks (somehow I totally don’t mind standing in a long line for a nice book I want to give as a gift :D) and because I was raised in the 80ties and 90ties when kids were doing this kind of stuff on their own and we were usually at the seaside till the end of August, I quickly learned to buy everything that I possibly could in June. I still do that. And I have taught my kids that as well. As soon as we get the list of supplies needed, we go shopping for the books and supplies so they wait for us during summer. We don’t get the list until the very last day of school but we are at the bookstore on that day whenever possible. There are no people shopping in bookstores in June so the cashiers have more time to search for what you need, they are relaxed, everything is more pleasant etc:). Sometimes this is not possible because certain books come out during summer or teachers don’t make the list yet but most times than not it’s possible and it has worked very well for us. Now I’m a bit late but just a note for the next year… If you are buying stuff now, try to go during less busy hours if you can (like early in the morning) and maybe to a bit less crowded bookstores (like more in the periphery, not in the centre of the city).
All the supplies and books needed – aaaaaaa!!!!
PLANNING: set up a family schedule and just write in everything you already know when it will take place: like the dance lessons that keep the same schedule every year or the theory in music school that has their schedule already published, etc… And as soon as someone finds something out, write it in. It is much easier to plan and to adjust the things that can be adjusted (the individual classes or your evening run for example).
Family schedule with colour coded members of the family is a great idea!
SCHEDULE all the upcoming meetings and appointments in your planner or bullet journal. Fill it up with all the things we have to do – all the lists, all the appointments – PTA meetings, medical exams, vaccinations,… etc… We seem to forget this kind of stuff and if we take the time once a year, when we already need to do a ton of planning it’s much easier and it gets done.
Planner or bullet journal is a life saver in this busy time!
If you use a bullet journal (lovingly called bujo), you can also use it as a go-to place for all the LISTS: – what you need to buy – all the extra stuff (like: middle child’s slippers for school, lunchbox for the little one and backpack for the eldest,…) – what you need to print, fill in and sign: like tax stuff, scholarship application, subvention paper work etc… – maybe even a weekly menu to get you through this busy time This way you will able to do more since you will do more things at once – when you will go to the store you will print the papers at the print box or mail something in the post – you won’t have to go twice and thus save some time for art, nature or kids;).
Buying schoolbooks and supplies is not that hard if you live in the city where kids have access to a bookstore… Try them;)
DELEGATE: as much as we’d like to be super moms, we can’t do it all sometimes and even if we could it’s not a good idea because kids (and sometimes dads :D) need to learn those things, too. I am first to admit that it takes much more effort to teach a child to do something than to do it yourself but it really pays of in a couple of years. I took my kids with me when shopping for their notebooks – so they latently learned what they should pay attention to, how to talk politely and kindly to the lady at the counter, how to check the number in the book to see if they gave you the right edition (don’t ask – that’s a constant struggle here :D) etc… how you should keep the receipt and where to save it so you don’t loose it and so on and on… And they also appreciated that more because they knew it took some effort. Of course it was much harder to pick them all up from school and kindergarten, go home and make them something to eat (don’t go shopping with hungry kids! I probably don’t need to explain :D) and then head back, walk for half an hour with them to the nearest bookstore, get everything they had in that little bookstore (from the list) and then walk back home with all their books and art blocks and three kids… it would be so much easier to just make a quick visit to the bookstore on my way back from work with my bike so I don’t need to carry everything or push the stroller… But it really did pay off – now that my kids are older (15, 13 and 10), they have bought the stuff themselves – I just gave them the money but they went to the bookstore alone (ok, the younger two went together) and brought back home what they need. It saved me one afternoon! And it gave them confidence they can do that and also prepare them for school a bit. Win-win;).
How to use bullet journal when you are planning your holidays? Well, as a planner, bujo is perfectly suited for the task! I’d recommend having a few lists (and if you want to see how I did this bujo, there’s tutorial on yt for the monthly layout and for the weeklies):
Summer month ready for holidays:)
– one with critical information in case things get lost, phones stolen etc… – one with all the necessary addresses you’ll need for the stay (like hotel address, street of the museum you want to see…) – one with your friends and family addresses if you plan to send them cards (and I really recommend that you do – it brings them so much joy!) – of course, packing list – and I like to divide it into luggage list and hands-on list – even if I’m not traveling by plane – I almost always have two bags and it’s so much quicker to prepare everything when it’s already sorted – and less chance that we forget anything * you can also add a spread for memories – written or drawn or you can take a travel journal with you if you prefer or plan a long vacation with many memories;) You can use polaroids on this spreads as well – they are very popular in bujo communities. I don’t have a polaroid camera so I don’t do it but it looks really cute. If you don’t have polaroids, you can paint on a piece of paper in those measures and use it as a polaroid;).
As I promised last week, here are the fishy weeklies – I love the last two spreads – the spiral and circle one (what a surprise :D) but I’d love to know which ones are your favourites! Here is the tutorial:
A full tutorial on how to draw these 4 weekly layouts!
And if you want to just look at the pictures, here they are:
School of fish in shape of a wave going across my bujo…
I know many people don’t make bullet journal during summer months as there is less to worry about – but if you’re planning a vacation it can be really helpful (more on that on Sunday;).
A wavy vertical spread…
I love sea and everything sea themed so I like to make my summer bujo even if I didn’t need it. But I find out again and again that the more time I have, the more full of ideas my bujo is… Am I the only one? 😀
A spiral layout with one single row of fish…
Have a very nice summer and if you plan to go somewhere, you’ll be happy to know that a bunch of arty-travel ideas are coming up in July so stay tuned:).
Fish wreaths 😀 – circles outlined with swimming fish…
It’s the end of the month, it’s hot, we’re abut to go to the seaside… so what does that mean? A sea themed bullet journal, of course! If you’d like to sea, how I painted the cover, the monthly and the trackers, just click on the video bellow:)
Let’s paint some cute little simple fish for the summer bullet journal!
As promised in the video, here’s the list of materials: – pencil and eraser – ruler or straightedge – black fine liner in size 0.3 (I use Rotring refillable pen but any fine liner would work, even Pilot pen would work just fine as long as it’s waterproof when dry) – brushes, a rag and a jar of water – watercolour paints: cerulean blue and/or turquoise, Prussian blue, Ultramarine blue, indigo blue, raw sienna and ochre for the sand, burnt sienna or Indian red and dark brown in any shade you want for the turtle and a touch of Payne’s grey if you want to add to the shading on the turtle’s shell.
Sea themed bullet journal – perfect for the summer months!
I hope you like it – if you do or make anything similar, I’d love to know – write me a comment or tag me on Instagram (@very.arty.fairy)!
June is a busy month and this June will be especially busy since our eldest is graduating primary school. They have the real official dance and ceremony with dresses and decorations and everything! So this was my theme for June… If you want to see how I made it, here’s the video of the whole process (sped up so you don’t have to be there for 3 hours;).
June bullet journal is all about roses and graduation. Let’s draw it together!
I have a big monthly since I know I will need it this month…
I can’t do anything without my monthly!
We’re going to this beautiful place so I just had to paint it… You can use your bujo as a sketchbook, that’s totally legal;)
My eldest loves this spread! It is much more beautiful there in real life!
And a closeup of some of the wreaths:
Detail of some of the 160 roses that I drew for this month!
I’ve done my fair share of arty challenges over the years… I find them good for motivating myself to do art and post every day. Of course, you don’t need to post every day (but that was the part I struggle with the most) but it certainly is good to do something artistic every day… It makes life nicer.
Mermay – my favourite challenge of them all!
So in all this time I’ve gathered some tips and tricks how to be consistent with them – some are no-brainers and some are a bit more unique: – make space for your art – if you plan to do something every single day, you better make physical space to do it. You don’t need a separate room or desk (although that certainly makes things easier) but – you do need to keep all your supplies needed together, all in one area and easy to reach – it usually also works to dedicate a time when you’ll do it and if possible – tie that time to an existing habit (like: after dinner, in the morning after I brush my teeth, in the evening just before I go to bed, etc…) – plan ahead – what you’re gonna draw and keep the list handy. I find it works better for me to plan loosely (so for example for my 100 day project of drawing animals I don’t decide which animal I will paint any given day but I do have a list with enough animals on it to choose from) – allow space for spontaneity – sometimes you get an idea or inspiration hits and it’s such a bummer if you have to miss it because you have something else already planned. Don’t jail yourself. You are allowed to change the plans. You are allowed to have fun!
Very Arty Fairy 