Welcome 2024! It’s that time of year to bring out a fresh new journal and get cracking on capturing all the glorious new mistakes I’ll be making this year (and possible some fantastic wins). 😊

I used to have the same issue every year…finding a journal that meets all my needs.

I don’t write in a journal daily.

I like to put random things in my journal.

I love lists and visual images.

I’d spend hours in Chapters pouring over all the agendas, journals, and planners.

The gorgeous covers! The clever pages and inserts. The ever practical planning systems, tabs, & lists.

And the themes! Watercolor. Milk and Honey (bees). Pressed flowers. Peacocks. Feathers.

So many beautiful options.

And I would leave empty handed because I could never decide between them.

I loved the cover on this one, and the cute little stickers in that one. Should I give up the cover or the stickers? I could never decide.

Enter The Bullet Journal

In 2019 I found the perfect solution, the bullet journal. AKA BuJo.

You’ve probably heard about them. Especially if you are into crafting or paper crafts.

Some of the benefits of the bullet journal are:

• Bullet Journals are highly customizable so I could create a journal to suit my exact needs.
• Because you have full creative control it can be an eclectic mix – it never gets boring to create in it.
• There are hundreds of ideas on Pinterest and YouTube for page ideas if you get stuck.
• You aren’t obligated to “keep up”. If you don’t want to journal this week – don’t. Since the journal isn’t pre-populated with a page for every day you don’t end up with blank pages that make you feel like you failed at keeping up.
• It’s a great creative outlet.
• Bullet journals can be as simple or complex as you would like.

Steps To Planning My 2024 Journal

Note: Links to products below are not affiliate links. If I could find them online, I included the links so you can see the products I am talking about.

1. Reflection On How I Will Use It

I took a few minutes to reflect on my last bullet journal.

I originally set it up to be a personal daily planner.

I haven’t used it much lately and I wanted to figure out why.

It was a 9” x 6” hard covered bound book filled with dot journaling paper inside.

It had a white cover with an embossed pattern on it and it said “It Always Seems Impossible Until It’s Done.” I always find that quote very inspirational!

I used it for organization and had weekly calendar spreads. I did some journaling but mostly used it for random lists, note-taking for courses I signed up for, and personal challenges.

I have many fun pages like:

• My Book Shelf & Book Notes where I kept track of books I read and did reviews of those books.
• 100 Dates With Myself. Ideas for going out on my own to help me overcome my aversion to doing things solo. Interestingly I only got to number 75…
• To Do Lists – Many of them!
• Big Plans described as “Imaging the next phase of life”. It was a vision board style page.
• Eeeek! I’m Bored – A list of things I could do if I couldn’t find anything to do.
• How Does Your Garden Grow? – One of my most recent pages where I recorded what we planted in each row of the garden and in each layer of my Green Stalk planter this past summer.

I still have some pages left in the journal, but I think it is time for something new.

I would like my journal to focus less on organization and more on the things I am focused on right now…art, my passion projects, adventures.

Less organization. More inspiration and personal growth.

I want to include more visuals and images.

I want to focus more on art this year. I considered doing strictly an art journal, but I would like to include more than just art.

I have heard a lot about vision journals and the idea intrigues me. I do vision boards regularly, but I don’t have a great space to display one in our new & downsized location.

A vision journal might be just the thing!

I spent some time trying to decide between a bullet journal, an art journal, and a vision journal before I realized…I don’t have to choose.

I can use bullet journal principals to create a journal that will include both art and visioning pages.

I am going to create a Bullet * Art * Vision journal.

2. Choose The Right Journal

Size

Because I want room for images and artwork, I am going to pick a larger size for this journal. I went with 8 1/2 x 11.

If you plan to use it mostly for journaling (like a diary) pick a size that is easily held to write in.

If you think you want to use it primarily as a planner, you may want to carry it with you. Select a size that fits easily in your bag.

Cover

I know from my last journal that I liked having a hard cover that was durable.

I drag my journal around a lot and have been known to use it as a coaster. I don’t want it to look beat up and messy six months into the year.

Apart from hard covers you will find soft covered, cloth, leather, and more. Find a style that speaks to you.

Binding

I want to do some artwork in this journal. It would be helpful it it lays flat.

The Smyth sewn book bound style journal I had last time is popular for journals and very durable. There is no risk that pages will become loose and fall out. However it made it difficult to write or draw too close to the spine of the book. I also couldn’t add thick embellishments because it kept the book from closing properly.

I settled on spiral binding that will allow me to lay the book open and access right to the edge of the pages. It also leaves room for expansion if the pages get thick.

Several styles of sewn binding allow you to lay your book flat, which is a feature many people like.

If you like to rearrange your pages consider a simple ring binder or a more elaborate interscrew binding (you see it used in a lot of scrapbooks) which has a cleaner look but still lets you reorganize and add pages.

Paper

The paper in journals can be dotted, lined, or plain.

Some journals are specifically designed with heavier weight paper for sketching, multimedia, or watercolor paints.

Think about how you plan to use your journal. I choose one with plain pages and thick paper.

I think it will work great with some of the mixed media pages I am planning!

Cost

Art stores, bookstores, and craft stores all carry gorgeous journals. They can get very pricy.

A journal doesn’t have to be expensive.

As a minimalist, I don’t keep most of my journals long-term. When I am done with them, I hold on to them for a short while. If I find that I am not going back to them or referencing them, I get rid of them.

I don’t see the value in investing $50 – $100 (or more) for a top-shelf brand-name journal that I know I will destroy eventually.

Mine came from the Dollar Store and had all the features I was looking for!

If you are the kind of person who will pass your journals on to your grandchildren, you might want to spend more.

3. Theme & Style Guide

After watching dozens of “flip throughs” of other people’s journal on YouTube to get ideas I decided to do a collage style journal using mixed media.

My prior bullet journal was limited to handwriting, washi tape, and The Happy Planner Watercolor booklet of stickers. It kept everything quick, easy and themed. Exactly what I was looking for at the time.

In this journal I want to be more creative and have more visual interest on my pages.

Counter to my minimalist nature I have held onto 2 magazines for years now.

One is The Artful Blogger, Visually Inspiring Online Journals, the May/June/July 2018 edition. The other is Bella Grace, Life’s a Beautiful Journey, Issue 29. I have included links to the magazines websites so you can get an idea of the aesthetic.

These are both high-end magazines published by Stampington & Company. They seem more like a book than a magazine. They have sturdy covers, thick pages, and incredible graphics and styling.

I bought the first one for myself in 2018. The second one I found in a stack of magazines for sale at a library fundraiser in 2022 and I couldn’t pass it by!

I think I was saving them for this moment.

I have decided to use these two magazines as the basis of the collage elements in my Vision Journal and to guide the style of the journal. They are also filled with many wonderful quotes that I will use.

4. Other Supplies

I like to gather up basic supplies while still in the planning stages of my journal.

I’m visual, so having a good idea of the materials I will be working with makes it easier for me to think about and plan the pages I want to include in my journal.

I wasn’t interested in splurging on a bunch of new supplies so I looked to what I have on hand for inspiration.

Here’s what I found:

52 Lists For Happiness; Weekly Journaling Inspiration for Positivity, Balance and Joy.

This book was a Christmas gift. I have filled out many of the lists already but there are still some that I haven’t touched yet.

I will include some of these lists in my journal.

I do love a good list!

She Shines; Sparkling Reflections of You

This is a Hallmark Journal. It has a lovely canvas printed cover and stitched binding that allows it to lay flat. Every page is a double page spread with a quote or saying and beautiful image.

I’ve had a hard time writing in this journal because it is too pretty.

Using elements from the journal in my Vision Journal is the perfect solution to save it from languishing on the book shelf.

Vintage Ephemera

My Sweetie’s dad passed away this year. When sorting out the house we found boxes of old books in the basement. Many were too moldy to even look at but some were salvageable. I gathered up a few vintage books to use in my papercrafts.

I have an old dictionary, a music book, a book of maps, a poetry book, and a few others. Sweetie’s family is bilingual so some of the books are in French, which makes them even more interesting to use.

I also have some old ledger pages, and some non-vintage ephemera that I have collected that I am also setting aside to use for my Vision Journal.

Watercolors & Art Supplies

I have a small collection of supplies that I use on the regular.

• An Aquafine travel watercolor paint set & some brushes.
• Mod podge and gesso for collages.
• Washi tape.
• Gel pens in white, gold, & silver and a black waterproof pen for use with watercolors.
• A box of Scrapbooking papers & embellishments that I paid $20 for second-hand.

5. Page Ideas

There are many possibilities for how to structure your journals and what it include. It is a very personal choice.

Many bullet journalists find it overwhelming to know where to start.

I will share my process to help you begin.

Cover Embellishments

The first decision to make is whether to decorate the cover.

In my last journal, the cover was too beautiful to touch.

This time I will be adding at least a title to the cover as it is a plain waterlily style painting with no other writing or features on it.

The Dreaded First Page

The first page is ALWAYS intimidating. You don’t want to mess it up!

As crazy as it sounds, a fear of doing the first page is a very common reason cited by even experienced journalists as to why they have not started their journals.

The best approach is to plan something simple for your first page.

The first page is not the place to start listing your life goals, set up a habit tracker, or jump right in with a calendar. Save the heavy lifting for later in your journal.

Here are some suggestions for the first page:

• This Book Belongs To -Simple to create, it is also a useful page if you ever leave your journal behind. Be sure to include a phone number or an email so the finder can return it to you!
• Life Mission Statement – If you have one, writing it at the beginning of your journal means you will be reminded of it every time you open it up.
• Special Quote – Do you have an inspiring quote that you love? Make it the first page of your journal.
• Focus Word – Many people pick a “word of the year” to help them focus on positive change. If you do this, highlight your word on your first page.
• Word Cloud – Can’t limit it to one word? Create a word cloud using free online-software.
• Me Right Now – The first page is a great place to do a snapshot of you right now by including trivia about yourself as you begin your journal. How old are you? Where do you work? What’s your favorite food, song, color, movie, or book? What are your interests. Be sure to include a photo of yourself!

To get over the hump of the first page, I will make it a simple “This Book Belongs To:” page.

Vision Journal Pages

To be clear, you can put anything you want in your journal.

Although a “Vision Journal” may lean more towards personal development and growth this doesn’t mean that you can’t use it for planning, organization, budgeting, health & fitness, hobbies, work, and more.

The beauty of the bullet journal is that you can mix-and-match any combo of pages that you want to!

I have plans to use my journal not only as a vision board, but also as an inspiration board for collage and watercolor art. There are some habit trackers I plan to include. I will also set up page to keep track of progress on a personal challenge that I already have underway.

Who knows what else will make it into my journal before the end of the year!

For the purpose of this note to you, however, I will list some pages that are ideal to include in a vision journal.

• Vision Board Pages – This one is obvious. Do a double page spread full of images and words that captures your dreams and plans for the future. Too many ideas to capture on one spread? Make it into multiple pages or do a spread for each category of your life (health, work, family, travel, etc.).
• Wheel of Life Page – The wheel of life is a simple tool that helps you rate where you feel you are (from 1 – 10) in 8 key areas of life. It helps you decide on areas you want to focus on most this year. If you are unfamiliar with it, a Google search will tell you how to create and fill one out.
• Affirmations Page – What do you want to be true about yourself and your life? Create a page full of your favorite affirmations and read it often.
• Bucket List Page – Capture all the important milestones and experiences you want to have in your lifetime.
• Travel Destination Pages – Do your visions include travel? Create a detailed page for each place you would like to visit. Add pictures and information about the food, weather, architecture, customs, and attractions that interest you. Think of it like a mini-vision board for that destination.
• Mood Board Page – Not to be confused with a mood tracker (where you capture how you are feeling right now) a mood board captures how you want feel “big picture”. Fill it up with words and images that are representative of emotions, feelings, and states of being that you want to experience as a regular part of your life. Examples are happiness, joy, accomplishment, pride, love, wealth, abundance, or health.
• Life Goals Pages – Create a page to detail your long or short term goals. Do a mini-vision board for each one. You can also create action lists and timelines for specific actions you know you want to take.

Awesome Examples

1. Vision Journal

This link takes you to a video that I used for inspiration titled How to create a vision journal for your GOALS & CREATIVE PROJECTS! (+ prompts & inspo!) – YouTube.

She does short walkthrough (about 10 minutes) of her process to create her vision journal. She uses a mix of collage and bullet journaling style that has inspired me to try the same.

2. Bullet Journal

I first discovered Little Coffee Fox for her watercolor tutorials but she also has an amazing post on bullet journaling with visual examples of 100 pages!!

Every page has a link to a post that walks you through making the page.

Creative Bullet Journal Ideas & Inspiration (100+ Pages and Spreads) (littlecoffeefox.com)

The Simple Summary

That’s it! Planning is complete.

It’s time to create!

Use these ideas to put your journal together.

If you would like to plan your own Vision Journal here are the steps to get you started.

1. Reflect on how you wish to use your journal.
2. Choose a journal that meets your needs. Think about size, how it is bound, what kind of paper it contains, the cover style, and how much it will cost you.
3. Decide on a theme and a style for your journal.
4. Gather the supplies you will need to get started.
5. Outline the pages you want to include.
6. Go! Use the “Awesome Examples” links for inspiration to get you started.