Are you the type of person that likes your journal to be just the way you can see it in your mind? Do you plan each set up prior to drawing it out? Or are you the free flow type rapid journal user, full of tasks lists and scribbled memos?
I’m somewhere in between. My mind likes order and I like the creativity of drawing out layouts but I need my journal to be quick, searchable and mostly that it works for me and that it is something that I think is pretty or that I like.
2020 is the start of a new decade., so you know, no pressure there 😉
For 2020 I started a new journal. I said goodbye to the brilliant white pages of the Archer and Olive journal I had been using in 2019 and went to the Scribble & Dot notebook.
Scribble & Dot Bullet Journal
Scribble & Dot make this beautiful Dachshund A5 planner with 160gsm paper that lays flat when opened and has soft grey dots on an off white page. One of the things that bothered me about my Archer and Olive was just how whit the pages are. So if you are looking for a warmer tone, I definitely recommend Scribble & Dot. They are also based in the UK so shipping for me is easier than hunting down the Archer and Olive that I want.
2020 Set Up
My 2020 cover page is a dutch door with washi tape on the page below. I don’t use an Exacto knife but I see a purchase in my future. I watched the setup video by Shayda Campbell and I loved her resolution idea so I popped a version of that in my journal. If you want a step by step video this is a great one.
From here I jumped straight into a Year at a Glance page. I do use this a lot throughout the year. I thought I wouldn’t but my 2019 page got covered in smudges from use. We also got a Spirograph set for the Holidays so I used my Signo gold gel pen and my Sakura 0.4 micron pen to create the page detail:
It made sense to create a date book from here. I liked the idea of a date book at the front of my journal as you can see exactly where you are supposed to be or important dates at a glance and quickly.
From here it made sense to make a goals page. Spirograph to the rescue!
Finally, I like having my year broken down into quarters. I feel like my annual goals or dreams are more achievable when you are just looking at a 3 month period. So I made this layout but I may adapt it as we move through the year.
You can see that my colour theme is mostly grey, gold and black. I did and I didn’t enjoy the colour within my Archer and Olive so for this journal I just wanted to have a more minimal palette and just enjoy a smaller creative flow.
Goodbye 2019, Hello 2020
How did you fare with your journal last year? 2019 was an amazing year but despite purchasing a journal I coveted, I struggled with my journal. I couldn’t quite find a flow that I enjoyed. At different times of the year I used my journal differently. I realised I didn’t like so much watercolour in my journal, preferring to stick watercolour paper in my journal rather than paint directly on the journal pages.
Have you used your journal to create habits? Did you enjoy your journal last year? What did you love or loathe about it?
So I have to finish by asking, what’s your favourite spread that you must include in a new journal?
