I was too excited to get started, so I opted for this gridded notebook I had on hand and decided to also use a separate, smaller notebook for my daily spread. It has definitely been more convenient and made me more aware of keeping notes I would have normally forgotten.

I started out by making a list of all the spreads I knew I needed, then some secondary spread ideas. I let it sit overnight and went back to it the next day. I have a spectacular ability to overwhelm myself, but my goal for the first month was simplicity.

I did look at some examples on Pinterest, but mostly just for minimalistic layouts. I'm only a week in, but I have to say that as a highly unorganized person, this bullet journal is kind of knocking my socks off. I have never felt so organized and in-tune with myself. 

If you look at my project pic, you'll see that I messed up on the very first thing I wrote. The perfectionist in me wanted to rip that page out and start over, but I just let it go and owned it and it's maybe the greatest gift I've ever given myself! 

I will say that the one thing that really sold me was the idea of this being both a way to stay organized AND a way to keep track of the small, but significant "human" things that happen daily. I know when I go back and read that I heard a song that reminded me of my dad or spent the afternoon baking cookies with my kids, I'll be so happy that I took the time to write it down. 

 

I really couldn't be happier with how this turned out and I'm feeling some big things with my bullet journal. {Thanks, Dylan!}