The thing I've always told myself when I started bullet journaling was that I shouldn't use things that don't work for me. This is something that I think makes others stop using the system. They're set on creating this perfect diary that does everything and while they're sitting tracking their daily water intake they're missing the true point of the journal. Use what works for you, and only you.
Plus it doesn't have to look like an Instagrammers wet dream. IT CAN BE MESSY!
Ya know the whole point of a bullet journal, that weekly spread that tracks your daily tasks? I don't use that. I don't need to, I don't take my journal to work so there's no point me tracking my daily tasks. Instead, this is how I use my bullet journal.
The above image is my usual monthly spread. This is where I write most of my notes, and dates, and appointments of my personal life. If I need to remember I have the dentist on Thursday it goes on here instead of a whole weekly spread drawn out for that one appointment on that one day. The monthly spread is also where I put any of my trackers I want to use that month, most of them I forget to fill out so I don't tend to use more than one a month. I tried tracking my sleep this month because I saw a cute spread on Pinterest, but I tracked it for 5 days and forgot. Not doing that again!
A tracker I have been keeping up with though is my pixel mood tracker. A pixel a day to express your mood, simple enough that I've managed to keep it going all year. 250 of these little pixels so far and I'm thoroughly disappointed with the fact that I was sick on the 26th of last month because I wrecked my good 26th of the month pattern. Oh well, there's always next month!
I also have been physically tracking the books I've read this year. While I do use Goodreads, I also like to add them in here because it looks damn pretty that's why. It also shows you how many books and magazines I've started but have yet to finish so far this year.
Another main way I've been using my bullet journal is to track these posts. My blog has a dedicated spread each month so I can organise posts for this month and the future months, and plan out imagery. Above is a peek into Augusts schedule. The plan, the future list, and the image plan all laid out so I can hopefully get my butt into gear and get them scheduled before the day they're due. August worked, September not as much. Let's see how October goes!
I only use what works for me. I don't use standard weekly spreads because I don't need them. If you've struggled using a bullet journal in the past, try again and get rid of the crap you don't need!
