Taking a look at my very first bullet journal. (And yes…there is video, lol.)

What better way to come back with a video on what I loved (and didn’t) about my very first bullet journal?!

I filled up all the pages on October 31, 2018, and did already have another Leuchtturm 1917 notebook ready to go — which is where I’m currently planning my life (partially) as of now.

Stuff I didn’t like

How dirty the yellow journal got. As much as I love the cheerful yellow, I didn’t like how dirty it got by the end of its use. I also stuck a whole bunch of stickers on the cover which made it look a little like some of the agendas I had in high school. It looks really worn, which I am not a fan of.

The Futures Log (year-at-a-glance), Monthly Log & Legend/Key. These were of no use to me. I like to look at everything in clusters, so I don’t really need to divide everything up by year and month when I was solely relying on a week-at-a-glance layout. I also have been trying to incorporate Google Calendar into my life, and at work my Outlook Calendar is a requirement. I’d rather spend time filling out stuff once (and where I need to) versus either doing it twice or not doing it at all. It’s a waste of time.

Wrecking pages after constantly writing/erasing with pencil. This was mostly because I was keeping track of what to spend when in my bullet journal. My budget would change, and then I’d erase things. Over time, if you erase the pages enough, you’ll thin out the paper. I wouldn’t erase a spot more than 2-3 times, and I certainly erased certain portions more than that. I’ve chosen to keep my financial tracker in another book, and at home.

Ink bleed. I spilled water on a few of the pages, and having sunk quite a bit of cash into some lovely gel ink-based pens, that was a mistake. Some of what I’d written down was actually washed away. I’ve since gone back to using ballpoint pen, which is far more resistant.

Tabs vs. bookmarks. I stuck tabs on the pages I thought I’d need to refer to. Turns out I barely used them. Moving forward, I’ll be relying on the two page markers that come with the notebook.

Planning too far ahead. As nice as it is not to have to worry about designing layouts so close to the week they’re used, it didn’t feel like I was learning much about what I did and didn’t like. There were things that I’d see on YouTube or Instagram that I wanted to incorporate…but then I couldn’t because I designed my layouts two months in advance. I’ve pledged to decorate no more than two to three weeks ahead. Plus, it’s a relaxing activity I enjoy, so it’s another option to have if I need to let out some rage through artwork and design.

Stuff I loved

How creative you can get. I loved drawing and designing cover pages! This was so much fun. I have a few favourites but if I had to pick one, it’d be my July 2018 cover page, featuring Gudetama. It makes me smile every time I look at it.

Being able to scrapbook my memories. The majority of my plane tickets, movie tickets, any slips that take me back to a great memory — they’ve been incorporated into this journal. I love looking back at everything we did, whether that was the first half of our honeymoon in Oregon, or the time we spent in Hawaii.

All-in-one factor. I alluded to this in the last line, but it’s a scrapbook, agenda, and commonplace notebook in one. It’s too convenient to let go of.

Tangibility. I like being able to flip through everything. It allows me to disconnect from the online world, even if it’s just for half an hour each day.

What will I do with my first bullet journal?

I will be archiving all my bullet journals — aka finding a spot to stash them in so I can pull them out and look at them every now and again!

I’ve already started my second bullet journal, and I’ll be sure to do a breakdown of how I’ve incorporated my likes and dislikes list into the newest book.