New year = new bullet journal. I only started my other one back in October and I still had a lot of space left, but I chose to start a new one for a few reasons. First off, I wanted to have everything for the whole year in one. There were a lot of things that I wanted to track yearly (books read, social media/blog stats, etc) and I really didn’t want to have to transfer it over to a new journal. And, if you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that I messed something up so bad that I would have had to rip out 20+ pages to keep it all in line. So I gave in and started fresh for 2018. I have to say that I am SO glad that I did! I love the look and I was able to include so many bookish things I want to keep track of. There’s a lot to see so let’s get to it!
The first major change I made was adding a future log at the beginning of the journal. I have so much going on ahead of time and needed a place to write it all down. I was attempting to get ahead in my journal by 2-3 months because I needed to write it all down, but then I ran into the problem of not being able to make changes. If something wasn’t working or if I needed to add something, it was too late as I had already done the spreads for that month. These pages are my lifesaver!
These pages I kept exactly the same from my first journal. They worked out too perfectly to not keep them. There is so much to write down on these spreads so I didn’t want to add a busy design. It would be too much! Of course I’m going to track the books read in the year. I did however add the page numbers in brackets so it’s easier to track my pages read in a month/year. Also the ARC page has made it so much easier to keep track of release dates! I used to put post it notes on the spine but they always fell off.
This is an interesting spread for me! The goals page looks bare and empty. I didn’t want to set too many goals in the beginning of the year and overwhelm myself. And I’m also the type of person who adjusts as my life changes. So I left some clear space to add to my list if I wanted to. The year in pixels is going to be an interesting experiment and is placed next to my goals page for a reason. Some of you may know that I struggle with anxiety. I’m working hard on my ability to handle stress and my two biggest personal goals is to BE HAPPY and STRESS LESS! The coloured in boxes will track my mood and see how things are going. So far so good!
Hands down my favourite page in this whole journal!!! I needed to keep a master list of all my top 5 Tuesday topics so why not make it bright and pretty?! I love the colours and my flowers turned out perfectly. I also got some new washi tape for christmas which makes this look amazing!
This spread is blog and social media specific. Last year I made a chart to keep track of all these things but I couldn’t really fill it in at the beginning of the year. As things (hopefully) grow, I had no clue what numbers to put on my graph. What if I filled it in to 2000 and ended up with 3000? So, I drew a box for each month of the year and will write in the numbers there. It’s not as graphically pleasing as a chart is, but it’s so much easier for me. I also keep track of all these things at the end of the monthly spread (look below) and I don’t think I’ll keep that part now that I have this. Keeping it all on one page will stop me from having to flip to each month.
Here is a collage of my my monthly/weekly spreads for January! Top left is my title page and my meal tracker for the month. I like to write my ideas down on removable post it notes so that I can move them around. It’s also fun and helpful to see what we’ve eaten so I can track when we’ve had something last and I can maybe get some ideas from past months. Top right is my month at a glance, separated by personal and blog. This is where I write down my post ideas in pencil and when it’s written and scheduled I write it down in pen. I also have my habit tracker – and I forgot to add essential oil usage to the list! I’ve gotten into essential oils big time over the last few months and I want to make sure that I’m using them on a continuous basis so that I’m getting the best out of them. Bottom left is what my weekly/daily pages look like. I keep track of things daily as well as I track my blogging and reading for the week. Lastly, bottom right is my social media/blog trackers where I track all of my books read and how my stats look.
And finally is my newest addition to the bullet journal – book thoughts! WARNING!!!! There may be some spoilery thoughts in this so don’t read what i’ve written unless you maybe want to get spoiled!!! I saw this on another bloggers post (sorry but I can’t remember who’s it was!! Please let me know if it was you and I will absolutely credit you for this idea!) I’m the worst at remembering things about books! I used to put some notes in my phone but I always forgot to look at them or deleted them on accident. This ensures that I can always find my thoughts and look back to it to remember certain things. When I write a review I always keep it spoiler free. But here I can write down specific things and look back to see a little bit more detail. I haven’t written too many spoilery things but want to in the future. This one is taking me a bit of time to get used to!
There is my new bullet journal for 2018! I’m absolutely loving this system and it helps me keep my head above water every single day. I don’t know how many bullet journal updates i’ll keep doing though. My layouts are pretty much set in stone so the only thing you would be seeing that’s different on a monthly basis is the themes and decorations. I’ll maybe do a bi-monthly update or something just to keep you all motivated to try this yourself!
Until next time, happy reading!
January 10, 2018 at 7:33 am
Your bullet journal looks awesome and so pretty! Great job!
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January 10, 2018 at 11:48 am
Thanks 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 7:36 am
OMG this is gorgeous! I keep a journal on a regular basis and I always try to make it look pretty, but it never ends up looking like this! ❤
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January 10, 2018 at 11:48 am
It takes A LOT of time to decorate each month! You can always print and paste pretty pictures 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 7:44 am
So pretty and neat!! Mine always looks like a hot mess after a month lol. Good luck!
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January 10, 2018 at 11:49 am
It never stays this pretty once it’s all filled in though! 😂
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January 10, 2018 at 8:25 am
OMG!!! Your journal looks so cool and beautiful!!! What journal do you use?
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January 10, 2018 at 11:53 am
Thanks! It’s a dotted A5 Leuchtturm 1917 journal. The pages are nice and thick and the binding holds up really well 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 11:48 pm
Thank you!! i might have to get back into bullet journaling 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 8:26 am
I love bullet journals & yours definitely does not disappoint! It’s so pretty 😊 I love the flowers. So bright and vibrant.
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January 10, 2018 at 11:53 am
Thanks 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 8:27 am
I loooove the way your bullet journal looks, really! Kind of wishing I had my yearly trackers for my blog / social media done the same way you have but it’s too late for that, haha. I’ll see how I’ll do it next year when I get there – let’s just hope I actually get there with a bullet journal still going instead of giving up on it.. :’)
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January 10, 2018 at 11:55 am
Sticking with it is the hard part. I tracked my yearly stuff differently in my last journal – it worked but it wasn’t the best. I kept having to flip back to specific months and couldn’t track it until the end of the year. You could always just add it in at the back of your journal and put a pretty picture over the pages that aren’t working for you 🙂
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January 11, 2018 at 10:22 am
Hm. I do have those trackers on one page though so I think it’ll work just fine. Yours just looks way more pretty than mine does with the simple graphic haha. 😀
But that’s definitely an option! Going to give it a shot for a couple of months and then make up my mind about it [or have forgotten about it / my bullet journal entirely; that’s the other option..]
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January 10, 2018 at 8:35 am
I love this so much!!! -Ashley
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January 10, 2018 at 11:55 am
Thanks! 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 9:12 am
This is fantastic. Seems we have done a lot of similar things in our journals 🙂 It really is the perfect way to organise and keep on top of things, isnt it?
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January 10, 2018 at 11:56 am
Yes!! This has been such a lifesaver. A lot of my spreads were inspired by other book bloggers 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 12:44 pm
Mine as well! Hope it works out and you have an amazing year in both books and blogging!
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January 10, 2018 at 2:13 pm
Thanks! You too 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 9:47 am
So pretty!
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January 10, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Awe thanks! 😊
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January 10, 2018 at 9:55 am
Ah, your bullet journal looks fantastic! 😍 I don’t have the time nor patience to do a bullet journal, but I wish I did!
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January 10, 2018 at 12:46 pm
They really do require a lot of time and patience! It’s not for everyone but even a store bought journal helps you keep organized 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 10:14 am
This looks fantastic and is really helpful for a newbie like me!! 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 12:46 pm
Glad it helps!
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January 10, 2018 at 10:20 am
Your journal pages are so pretty – I totally envy you super creative bullet journal users – I’ve had to accept the fact that mine will probably always be a Plain Jane kinda journal.
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January 10, 2018 at 2:11 pm
Hey there is nothing wrong with plain Jane! I actually envy minimalistic journals but I can’t seem to be able to make it look right lol
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January 10, 2018 at 10:45 am
this is amazing shanah! i love your bullet journal. it looks simple but also very useful and soooo pretty. i love the drawings and colors! you really did amazing work here! i wish i was that creative haha 😀
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January 10, 2018 at 2:12 pm
Awe thanks! 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 11:02 am
Your journal looks great!
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January 10, 2018 at 2:12 pm
Thanks 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 2:37 pm
🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 12:28 pm
So pretty!! Nice job.
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January 10, 2018 at 2:12 pm
Thanks 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 12:59 pm
I want to do this so bad but I don’t think I have the artist skill. Yours looks amazing!
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January 10, 2018 at 2:14 pm
You don’t need to be artistic to make it look nice! Washi tape, and crayola super tip markers goes a long way! You can also print pictures and paste them in your journal!
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January 10, 2018 at 2:22 pm
Thanks for the tips! I might just have to try this. 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 12:59 pm
I also started bullet journaling, but yours is WAY prettier than mine. I’m not a huge fan of my handwriting and my doodles don’t compare to yours. Oh well. Mine works for me even if I wouldn’t post pics of it on social media. Thanks for sharing! Love seeing stuff like this.
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January 10, 2018 at 2:16 pm
I hate my handwriting too. The handwriting I use in my bullet journal isn’t how I write normally. I had to adjust and practice to make it look half decent. Pretty journals are nice, but the whole point is to keep yourself organized. So I’m glad you’re journalling!
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January 10, 2018 at 1:13 pm
It is really an amazing idea. I am planning to start an agenda as well so in a way I can organize things much better. Well done for the bullet Journal do look amazing.
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January 10, 2018 at 2:17 pm
Bullet journals, planners and agendas are an absolute life saver! I actually get things done now opposed to walking in circles trying to remember what I had to do! Best of luck with yours 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 2:23 pm
Once again you amaze me Shanah!
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January 10, 2018 at 3:47 pm
Awe 😊
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January 10, 2018 at 3:37 pm
SO GORGEOUS. I had a bullet journal last year and I couldn’t stay consistent with it. I would go through spurts where I did it every day and others where I didn’t look at it for a week. haha My sister loves hers tho and I am always so jealous of people who are so artistically gifted 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 3:48 pm
It has taken me YEARS to get to the point where I stuck with it. I was the same way before – right into it and then not touch it again for 8 months. I hope it sticks for you soon 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 4:15 pm
I just got a Passion Planner, and I am LOVING it. It still has the qualities that I loved about bullet journaling but is also a little more structured for me.
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January 10, 2018 at 9:29 pm
I had to google what a passion planner was – SO cool!! I didn’t know something like that existed! If I had found that before I started my bullet journal then I might have gotten one of those 😃
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January 10, 2018 at 4:36 pm
YESSS I love seeing people’s bullet journals 😍😍
I want to do a post or video about my 2018 setup, but I haven’t even had time to set up or do anything in my journals because of school 😩 I totally will once I’m done with exams, though!
Lovely setup, Shanah ☺️💕
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January 10, 2018 at 9:31 pm
I hope school calms down for you soon. I’ll look forward to your post or video!
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January 11, 2018 at 3:13 am
One more week 😅👍🏼
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January 10, 2018 at 6:59 pm
I have such a basic bullet journal, basically just lists for myself. Yours looks so awesome an pretty. I especially love your book thought pages, it’s so cool and such a unique idea. 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 9:32 pm
I started with a book of lists for myself a few years ago then it turned into this. I hope you can find a way to include some bookish things in York journal too 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 7:02 pm
Wooow it looks so good!! 😍 I started using a bullet journal this year and it’s so great looking at other’s for inspiration! I really like your future log 🙂
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January 10, 2018 at 9:32 pm
Awe thanks! That’s one of my favourite pages!
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January 11, 2018 at 6:56 am
Oh wow! Your bullet journal is gorgeous! I can only imagine how much time it takes to make it look this pretty! Wish I had the patience to keep a journal 😅
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January 11, 2018 at 1:07 pm
Patience isn’t my strong point either 😂 so if I can do it you can too!
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January 11, 2018 at 9:39 pm
Your bullet journal is beautiful!
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January 12, 2018 at 12:16 am
Thanks!
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January 13, 2018 at 11:19 am
Great post! Your spreads are gorgeous. I took a stab at starting a bullet journal last year and kept it running for about 6 months, then it fizzled out. I love the idea of it and really enjoyed doing it so I started a new one Jan 1st and am still going strong!
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January 13, 2018 at 2:37 pm
Yay! I hope you keep up with it this year! I have tried for probably 5 years before it stuck for me. I would go in spurts and then not touch it for months. Best of luck!
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January 13, 2018 at 12:48 pm
I loved your theme for January! I’m a sucker for these kind of posts! It’s always so inspiring that I can’t help but click them immediately, haha!
I really liked your trackers, they look so pleasing. I was thinking of doing “my year in pixels”, but at the end I forgot and decided to track my mood monthly instead. Maybe next year I’ll do that, who knows?
I’m also happy to see that you started writing mini reviews on your journal (I started doing that a few months ago and it’s been super helpful so far)😊.
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January 13, 2018 at 2:41 pm
The year in pixels was a last minute decision. I’ve been trying to keep my anxiety and stress in check so I thought a year long look would be more beneficial. 🙂
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January 14, 2018 at 9:36 am
So amazing!! Beautiful work and so organized!
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January 14, 2018 at 1:33 pm
Thanks!
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January 17, 2018 at 2:06 pm
Amazing page layouts! I love the clean, easy to look at and read style. Great Job!
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January 17, 2018 at 3:40 pm
Awe thanks so much 😊
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January 17, 2018 at 9:55 pm
Your journal is so cute! I have one also and one of my favorite pages is a movie page where you take the movie tickets and put them on the page and rate them; its super easy and will be fun to look at once the year is over!
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January 18, 2018 at 11:30 am
Thanks! And I’ve seen pages like that and they’re adorable!!!
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January 18, 2018 at 12:58 pm
I’m new to bullet journals. Do they come with the pretty drawings inside?
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January 18, 2018 at 4:34 pm
No. I’m just buy the plain journals. But there are a few companies out there that make pretty pre made planners. Some are even specific to blogging. I forget the name though!
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January 18, 2018 at 9:30 pm
You are very artistic! I assumed they came that pretty since each person I have seen post theirs has similar flowers and decorations in theirs. So pretty!
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January 18, 2018 at 11:50 pm
I’ve been getting a lot of inspiration from other bullet journallers within the community and on google images 🙂
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January 19, 2018 at 9:56 pm
Well, its working because yours looks great!
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January 19, 2018 at 5:36 pm
Your journal is a freaking work of art. Great job!
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January 19, 2018 at 6:02 pm
Awe thanks so much! ☺️
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January 26, 2018 at 10:31 pm
Amazing post! So inspired for my journal now babe!
XO, MK
https://mackenziekateri.com/
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February 1, 2018 at 12:06 pm
This is beeautiful! my friends and I recently started blogging our bullet journals (but we are all beginners!) thanks for the inspiration:)
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February 1, 2018 at 3:10 pm
Best of luck! 🙂
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February 6, 2018 at 1:59 pm
Your journal is amazing I love it. Mine never looks like This! X
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February 6, 2018 at 2:30 pm
Awe thanks!! It took me soooo long to do it!
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February 10, 2018 at 8:42 pm
I love your journal, it’s so beautiful!
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February 10, 2018 at 11:44 pm
Awe thanks 🙂
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February 20, 2018 at 8:10 pm
I’m seriously intimidated by how beautiful and organized this is! But I’m also glad to see I’m not the only person who writes up her book notes in her bullet journal. (Mine’s a lot more plain-jane, though…)
Now I really need to get my new BJ set up…
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February 25, 2018 at 7:29 pm
Awe thanks! And writing book notes has been my lifesaver! I’ve become a little obsessive about it actually. Enjoy setting up the new Bujo!
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February 28, 2018 at 10:38 pm
Love it! Got to share this with my daughter. Awesome!
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March 1, 2018 at 10:39 am
Thanks ❤️
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March 7, 2018 at 1:57 pm
Wonderful! 🙂 whats book amino? The last part – a few bullet points about each book- Ive always wanted to do sth like that.. Who knows why I havent done it yet lol It looks super beautiful. Well done! I liked the ideas, calligraphy and the drawings a lot. Im doing my journal but is smaller, with rest info etc. I think I wouldnt manage to keep records of what Im eating daily, for example (I eat all the time xD and there are many other more important things to record in the journal such as goals, mood, etc.). My question is when do you have time for reading so much, doing/updating such beautiful journals etc?! 🙂 very inspiring. X Aggie
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March 8, 2018 at 1:27 pm
Books Amino is an app that’s dedicated to reading and writing. It’s a really great group!!
I’m very picky about the things I track in my journal. I track dinners so that I know what I’ve made during that month and what we haven’t had in a while. But generally I don’t track much. I mainly use it for daily tasks because my life is so busy!! If I write it down then I don’t forget and I’m wasting less time wandering around trying to remember what I was doing 😂
I don’t have the time for anything really – I fake it until I make it!!! 😂
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March 9, 2018 at 2:17 am
Haha thanks a lot! Nice to hear an honest reply. You are really inspiring. And thanks for the answer re books amino. I ll check this out x
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