I left 40 pages blank in 2019, and though I didn’t go back to count the wasted space in my older journals, I knew this was a trend for me. But I had two key things I wanted to streamline in my 2020 bullet journal, and I needed to take these into account.įirst, my big takeaway from my 2019 recap was to waste less pages by skipping over unused pages. Would 140 pages suffice for 2020? Looking solely at the numbers listed above, it wouldn’t seem likely. While 2016 was a partial year at 160 pages, I probably wouldn’t have gotten much past the upper limit of 181 had I started in January instead of March. The most pages I used in a single notebook was 181. It was easy to compare, because I’ve used the same notebook every year. I collected together all my old bullet journals and took a look at how much of each notebook I utilized. I needed to investigate further to know if 140 pages would really be enough. Even though 140 pages is many pages more than I used in 2019, the last year of the twenty-teens was my lightest year of bullet journaling since starting in 2016. In my 2019 Bullet Journal Recap I summarized how I used 108 pages of my Leuchtturm1917 notebook, leaving me with 140 pages for 2020. The number one deciding factor, though: do I have enough room? It is imperative to look at how many pages you have left and make your determination based on that number.
Using the same notebook for a new year of bullet journaling is a decision that, for me, took much thought. I’d like to share my process on this decision to help others (and future me) decide if a new year means a new bullet journal or not. But there were many factors I considered when making that choice. But the information is good, and I want it to live here for those who are debating continuing in the same journal or starting a new one.Īs the new year started I had to make a decision: do I start a new bullet journal or continue in my 2019 notebook? Ultimately, I decided sticking with the same bullet journal was the right choice for me. I never had the chance to post it then, between personal struggles and the start of the covid19 pandemic. See our complete collection of personalized notebooks here and be inspired to plan with some creative flair! (Just remember to pick dotted paper if that's what you're after – but we have lined and plain too.A quick note: this post was mostly written in early 2020. The best thing about a dotted notebook is that you can really let your imagination fly with just a small dotted helping hand to neatly guide your jottings, plannings, paintings or whatever else you decide to do with it. It could be as detailed as noting down each and every thing you bought and how much for, and totalling at the end, or you could draw bars for each expense group and color in or highlight as you go, to see a more visual representation of where your hard-earned cash is going. If you want to know how much you're spending and on what each month, you can create a budget tracker under expense headings that you decide on. Then at the end of the year you can have a look to see which films you awarded the most stars/popcorn boxes/review system of your choice to. With a dotted notebook, you can create your own section for such lists, list it in the index so it's easy to find, and then tick off the ones you've watched/read/listened to and add your thoughts, even your own review system. You know when you're recommended a new show to watch or novel to read, you think "that sounds good" and make a mental note but then when it comes to wanting to remember the name – nada.
Keep your books, box sets and podcasts lists Whether you use your own unique system of showing what tasks need doing and have been done, or go for the classic ticking a box, (and who doesn't love the satisfaction that comes from that) the dotted notebook is your best friend in keeping track of those important tasks. And the best thing is that you can embellish it in your own unique style with illustrated headings, borders and more! Thanks to the dots, it's easy to draw neat lines and separate the page where you want, so you can create the size and format of planner you need. Whether that's daily, weekly, monthly, or all three, it's up to you. you have on different pages.Ī dotted notebook is a great way to keep track of plans by drawing calendars that work for you. So if you number your pages (don't worry, you don't have to do them all at once!) then you can use your first double page spread as an index to quickly and easily see what months, To Do lists, different plans, notes, etc. Many people love using a dotted notebook because it's a great way to create a bespoke system of tasks, plans and events.