Is there anything better than a brand new notebook?? As a self-confessed stationery addict, I don’t think so! With a new notebook comes the stress of putting pen to paper and sullying those crisp white pages!
The process of setting up a new journal should be fun. I have created a few tools to help even the most novice journaler through the process, step by step!
Decide what you want to include:
he first job is to decide what pages you are going to include in your new journal. To help with this process, I have created a New Bujo Checklist .
Once you have a list of spreads you would like to include, I suggest writing the name of each of these pages onto a post it note and arranging them onto your journal pages so you can get an idea of how the journal will flow.
The essential pages for the start of my journal include:
- Key – This is where you can set what symbols / colour will represent in your journal.
- Future log – This is a place to add all the important dates and events for the coming 12 months. More info on future logs here.
- Goals – The start of a new journal is a great place to review previous goals and set new ones.
I personally don’t use an index, which I know for some is a crucial part of their Bullet Journal. Instead I mark each month in the journal using a calendar tab sticker. For important pages that I refer to often, I add a strip of washi tape to the side of the page! This seems to work really well for me… but journaling is a individual thing and you have to experiment to find what works for you.
Once I have the basics set up, I add in my monthly spread and begin my regular journaling routine of monthly, weekly and daily spreads. Click the links below to read more about each kind of spread.