How to make the Last Months of the Year incredibly Productive
It’s hard to believe that this year is actually in its final few months! It seems that 2018 has literally flew by and I can’t believe that 2019 is just around the corner. With the holidays upon us, days seem to go by faster than ever, making you feel like you have a lot less time on your hands than you’d hoped.
A lot of people have already started thinking about their new year’s resolutions! January 1st has a fascinating effect on most people, acting as an opportunity to change everything. But 2018 is not over yet. So, instead of worrying about what changes we can make next year, let’s focus on what we can still achieve in the next few weeks.
It’s hard to believe that this year is actually in its final few months! It seems that 2018 has literally flew by and I can’t believe that 2019 is just around the corner. With the holidays upon us, days seem to go by faster than ever, making you feel like you have a lot less time on your hands than you’d hoped.
A lot of people have already started thinking about their new year’s resolutions! January 1st has a fascinating effect on most people, acting as an opportunity to change everything. But 2018 is not over yet. So, instead of worrying about what changes we can make next year, let’s focus on what we can still achieve in the next few weeks.
With 77 days left in the year, you still have time to achieve more. Go through the goals you had set for yourself in the beginning of the year and check what you’ve already achieved. Then, see what’s left and decide on the most important goals. Choose the ones that you really want to accomplish before the end of the year, and focus on those. You still have time!
However, in order to be super productive and achieve as much as possible in the time you have left, it’s important to be focused and to have a plan. Today, I’d like to show you 5 ways that can help you boost your productivity and finish 2018 with a bang!
1 | Workflow Chart
I am a creature of habit. I love setting up routines and to have some sort of system for my various tasks. I find that when I have an order of operation, I finish tasks faster and in a more efficient way. I like to know what I’m doing and when, and I prefer to follow a step-by-step process whenever possible. When I have projects that require me to do a set number of tasks in a specific order, I like to use a workflow chart.
This is a chart where I create a list of each step of my process horizontally and then I can make another list, with all the different projects where this process can be applied to, vertically. Then I just cross off each step as I’m doing it. That way, I can take on multiple projects and keep up with everything that needs to be done. I apply this to my freelance work, but also to my blog and my YouTube videos.
The Workflow chart definitely helps me to boost my productivity! It helps me to keep up with all the tasks at hand and to make sure I don’t miss anything.
2 | Weekly Improvement Plan
I’ve been reading ‘The Magic of Thinking Big’ by David J. Schwartz and I’ve been impressed by how much this book has inspired me! One of the things that I’ve implemented after reading this book is the ‘Weekly Improvement Plan’. This is a plan that helps me to do things better as each week rolls around.
Usually I would do a monthly review at the end of each month, to see what has worked and how I can improve my performance in the next 30 days. However, after reading this book I realised that doing a review once a month is not enough to see the details. And it takes too long until the time comes to make changes. So instead, I decided to do a review at the end of each week. That way, I can make changes fast and be more aware of what needs to be done.
I ask myself these questions:
How can I do more?
How can I do things better?
What can I do to increase my productivity?
How can I work more efficiently?
I also have a notebook where I write any ideas I have during the week. At the end of the week, I review all these ideas and then I choose the ones that can be helpful with what I’m working on that the moment. Then I make a plan to implement those ideas in the next week.
And I tell you what… it works! I’m more aware of new ideas when they come me and I make sure to note them down, in case I forget. Also, I’m constantly checking what works and what doesn’t, to see what I can improve for next week.
Give the Weekly Improvement Plan a try and you’ll see for yourself how it can help you to achieve more in a short space of time.
3 | Journaling
After stopping for some time, I decided to start my morning routine again. However, instead of adding all these various things that I’m “supposed” to be doing first thing in the morning, I decided to adjust it to my personal needs and the time I have available.
My morning consists of me waking up at 6am every day, getting the kids ready and taking them to school. When I come back I do some of my housework and then I work from home until the kids come back. I remember before, I was pushing myself to squeeze in a morning routine that included 5-6 different things that I “had" to do. However, I realised very soon that it was not helping me. On the contrary, it was making me very stressed and upset. The reason for that was, that the time I have in the morning when the kids are going to school is my most productive time of the day. That’s the time that I have the peace and quiet I need in order to work on my projects and deadlines. Instead, I was spending it on doing my 2-hour long morning routine and by the time I was done with it, I didn’t have enough time to finish my work.
I decided to be honest with myself. I realised that I don’t have the time in the morning to exercise, read, meditate, journal, visualise, do affirmations and lots of other things that I included in my morning routine. I can still do all these things during the day if I want to, but not in the morning. So, after some thought I decided to add only one thing for 30 minutes in my morning routine and that is journaling. And that has made all the difference!
So, for half an hour every single morning I take my notebook and write down all my thoughts. I journal about whatever is in my head at the time, and that puts my thoughts in order and helps me start my day right. It is unbelievable how positively this has affected my thought process and my productivity.
If you choose one thing to do in the morning, I would highly suggest that you do some journaling. Spend some time with yourself and your thoughts and see how this will help you with your day and your productivity.
4 | Screen Time
When Screen Time was added on the iPhone, I was amazed to see how much time I was spending on Social Media every day. You might think that you go on Instagram for 5 minutes here and there, but when at the end of the day you add everything up, you’ll be surprised with the amount of time you spend on there!
So, after seeing how much time of my day I was procrastinating online, I decided to do something about it. I set up a downtime period and I added limits to specific apps during the morning, when I’m working. That way, I block all the apps that prevent me from using my time efficiently. And let me tell you, I’m amazed with the results and how many more things I manage to do in the same time that I have available each day!
Get more productive by switching off notifications, avoid picking up your phone every 5 minutes and focus on getting things done.
5 | Wake Up Early
When I wake up early, I feel that I have more control over my day. I have more time for planning, strategic thinking and getting organised. I feel more energised and more focused.
Did you know that if you were to get up just one hour earlier each morning you would gain 15 days in a year? When you put things into perspective, it’s amazing to see how many days you can ‘gain’ if you just set up your alarm a bit earlier than usual!
So if you haven’t already created the habit of early rising, start tomorrow. Build the discipline and set your alarm to wake you up very early. You’ll soon realise that you are more creative and more effective in the early morning hours. It may take a couple of days to adjust, but stick with it. You’ll be amazed with the results!
Start implementing these effective productivity-oriented strategies today and see your life transform.
What are some practices that help you stay productive? How do you make the most out of your time? Let me know in the comments below.
Improve Your Handwriting Challenge - October
I'm back with one more "Improve your Handwriting Challenge"!
It's a fun way to practice daily, keep a photo archive of your handwriting and see how you've improved through time. You can also interact online with other people doing the same challenge, and also you can get inspired by others' handwriting too.
So, for October it's going to be 31 days of handwriting prompts that will hopefully get you to start practicing your handwriting every day. The theme for this month's words is of course 'Halloween'. And I thought it was very appropriate for this time of year 🎃
I'm back with one more "Improve your Handwriting Challenge"!
It's a fun way to practice daily, keep a photo archive of your handwriting and see how you've improved through time. You can also interact online with other people doing the same challenge, and also you can get inspired by others' handwriting too.
So, for October it's going to be 31 days of handwriting prompts that will hopefully get you to start practicing your handwriting every day. The theme for this month's words is of course 'Halloween'. And I thought it was very appropriate for this time of year 🎃
HERE'S HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Follow me (Christina) @christina77star over on Instagram.
Each day there is a corresponding prompt, that you simply have to write on a piece of paper. You can also choose to have a dedicated notebook for your daily handwriting practice. Try and focus on the word and the letters as you write them. You can repeat the word as many times as you want. Look at the way that you wrote the word the first time and the way you wrote it the last time. Is there a difference? Do you think you need to work on a specific letter?
Take a photo of your practice and tag it with #improveyourhandwritingchallenge, so that it gets added to the feed.
At the end of each month look back at your practice pages and see how you've improved.
Make sure to encourage each other and have fun!
Please share this post to spread the word and invite others to join in the fun and improve their handwriting as well!
Thank you for joining in!
Christina x
Bullet Journal Ideas: 4 Weekly Spread Layouts for October 2018
Happy October everyone!
I’m wishing you all an amazing month full of planning and organisation 😉 I love when a new month starts, because it gives me the chance to re-focus and start new! October also starts on a Monday, and this is perfect for us bullet journalists! New month, new week and everything fits on the pages like a dream ☺️
As always I like to plan my weeklies for the month in advance. That way I can plan everything properly and make sure that all my appointments and tasks are scheduled.
Happy October everyone!
I’m wishing you all an amazing month full of planning and organisation 😉 I love it when a new month starts, because it gives me the chance to re-focus and start new! October also starts on a Monday, and this is perfect for us bullet journalists! New month, new week and everything fits on the pages like a dream ☺️
As always I like to plan my weeklies for the month in advance. That way I can plan everything properly and make sure that all my appointments and tasks are scheduled. For October the theme is 'Laundry' and you can see how I've setup my bullet journal for the month in this post, or you can watch the video here. For October I had to create 4 weekly layouts.
For the first weekly layout I chose to use again the dutch door system.
I used this layout last month as well and I loved it! So, I thought to use it again for October. I added 2 sections for my meals and my shopping on one side of the middle page, instead of my tracker. As you might have guessed it, the tracker didn’t work again so I’ve given up!!! 😬 I find that when I use any type of tracker I get stressed and upset with myself if I don’t do the things that I’m tracking or if I forget to fill in the tracker. Therefore, no more trackers for me - at least for now…
On the other side I added the sections for this and next week’s notes, as I always do. I find this type of layout really functional and I love the way it turned out!
For the second weekly, I used again the horizontal layout I saw from @organisedhustler . This is one of very few horizontal layouts that I really like to use, and the reason for that is that little line in the middle of the each day. It helps me to create 2 different to-do lists and separate my personal and work tasks! Love it!
The 3rd weekly spread is my most favourite of the month! I love the space, the functionality, the fact that I have room to decorate it the way I want… everything! I got inspired by the lovely @sheylara_shen ☺️ If you don’t know who she is, then you must go and check her out! I love her pages and her doodles! 😍
For the last weekly spread of the month I chose a layout that I use almost every month! I like the simplicity of it, plus the pastel colours and the doodles make it look so cute! The only thing that bothers me is that wobbly line…. 😬😫 I’ve decided for some time now not to use a ruler for my bullet journal and to embrace mistakes and wobbly lines. However, that line between Thursday and Friday is way more wobbly than I can handle, and I was ready to erase it and redo it. But, I decided to keep it and to be reminded that it’s ok not to have absolutely perfect pages. 😉 So, the line stays!
SUPPLIES USED:
Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in M, S, F
Tombow Dual Brush Markers (703, 761, 620, 243, 673, 553, 491, N75, 192, 942, 990, N89, and 992)
So, these are the 4 weekly layouts for October. I hope you liked this post and that you found some inspiration for your own weekly layouts. If you liked the theme and you'd like to recreate it, please send me some pictures. I'd love to see your pages!! You can always contact me at christina77star@gmail.com
Plan With Me: My October Setup in my Bullet Journal + Video
I’m back with another Plan With Me post and video! Setting up my bullet journal early each month helps me to plan the next month on time and to thoroughly go through my tasks and projects in order to see what needs to be done.
This is the first month that I setup in my new Dingbats notebook, and I am really impressed with the quality of the paper. If you’d like to see how I’ve setup my new bullet journal, you can watch this video. The theme for October is ‘Laundry’ and I love the way it turned out!!! 😍
I’m back with another Plan With Me post and video! Setting up my bullet journal early each month helps me to plan the next month on time and to thoroughly go through my tasks and projects in order to see what needs to be done.
This is the first month that I setup in my new Dingbats notebook, and I am really impressed with the quality of the paper. If you’d like to see how I’ve setup my new bullet journal, you can watch this video. The theme for October is ‘Laundry’ and I love the way it turned out!!! 😍
Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the post, because there's also a video, where I'm showing you exactly how I've created each spread.
The first page is as always my Cover Page. I wanted it to be fun and cute. I created a laundry line with some clothes hanging and a laundry basket. And I also added a little bunny that needed some cleaning. I always clean my kids’ toys and this particular one reminded me of my daughter and her little teddy bears. As always I chose mostly pastel colours. You can see all the supplies that I’ve used at the end of this post.
The next page is my Month at a Glance page. I really liked the way I did it for September, and I’ve realised that the one-page layout works better for me. So, I went ahead and created a similar page for October. Also, because the Dingbats notebook is a bit bigger than my previous ones (28 squares horizontally and 39 squares vertically), I could make the table a bit bigger - which is a bonus! And I added more laundry at the top, in order to continue with the theme.
On the opposite page I added my Monthly Goals, which I like to separate in ‘Personal’ and ‘Business’. After I tried the vertical layout of the categories in September, I saw that I prefer it this way and therefore I did the same for October. I also added some light blue lines to fill the page and some doodles at the bottom to tie it with the theme.
Moving on, I made a few changes with the rest of my pages this month. I decided not to create my ‘Finances’ page and my ‘Areas of Focus’ page. I am trying something different to track my finances, so that page wasn’t needed. And for the other page, I am just testing if it’s better to not include it in my monthly setup and to add everything straight into my ‘Tasks / Week’ page. As I’ve mentioned before, this is what I love about bullet journaling; the flexibility to try different things to see if they work and then choose the best layout for you.
So, I’ve decided to combine my ‘Tasks / Week’ page with my ‘Notes’ page. That way, if I need extra space to write my tasks or to be more analytical with the steps I need to take, then I can use part of the Notes page. I created a joined laundry line, to show that the pages are joined, and I’ve added light grey lines for the Notes page.
Next, comes the first weekly spread of the Month. I chose to use again a dutch door layout, because I loved using it last month.
I used the laundry theme to decorate the boxes and I added some more elements throughout the spread. I also made some changes on the middle page. On the front part I’ve added 2 sections for my meals and my shopping (instead of my tracker), and I kept the back part the same with note sections for this and next week. I really like the functionality of this page as well as the way it looks.
SUPPLIES USED:
Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in M, S, F
Tombow Dual Brush Markers (703, 761, 620, 243, 673, 553, 491, N75, 192, 942, 990, N89, and 992)
And that is one more month planned in my bullet journal. Have you setup your bullet journal for October yet? What theme did you use?
How I've setup my 5th Bullet Journal + Video
I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I was planning to setup my new bullet journal really soon, and a lot of you requested for me to create a video and a post with my new setup. So, in today's blog post I’m going to show you the process of me moving into my new bullet journal.
I mentioned in one of my previous posts that I was planning to setup my new bullet journal really soon, and a lot of you requested for me to create a video and a post with my new setup. So, in today's blog post I’m going to show you the process of me moving into my new bullet journal.
*Make sure to scroll down to the end of the post to watch the video!
I think it can be helpful to see the way I transition from one notebook to the next. To see my whole thought process of how I do it, what I move over, what changes I make and so on. Hopefully this will help you out. Maybe you are planning to move to a new bullet journal very soon as well, and you could use some inspiration. 😉
The whole process of moving to a new bullet journal can be daunting for some. In order to make things easier I believe it's best to write everything down and plan everything ahead. Before we get started with setting up our bullet journal, we must first decide on which spreads and collections we want to add to it, and in what order. So, the first thing I do is to go through my previous journals and I note down the spreads that I want to keep, change and add to my new journal.
I have created a whole workbook for that in my 'Creative Journaling' course, where I take you step by step the exact process I take to choose the spreads.
Creative Journaling
Step-by-step video lessons that will help you set up and organise your life in your new journal one spread at a time.
For the spreads that I want to change, I try to write down exactly what I want to change about them. This makes things much easier later on. So, once I know which spreads I want to add, I write them down on a list and I’m also adding the number of pages each spread needs. This can affect the order you add them in your journal, so it's important to do that. The next step is to put the spreads in the order that you want them to be in your bullet journal.
Another way to do this is with sticky notes. Doing it this way it allows you to play around more and see how things look while deciding on the order. It makes it easier to move collections around instead of writing and erasing every time. Plus once you’re satisfied with the order, you can leave the sticky notes on the pages and take your time to actually create the layout on each page.
So, after I've decided on the spreads and the order I want them, I move on to my favourite part, which is to start creating in my new bullet journal! I don't know about you, but I'm always excited when I start writing in a brand new notebook!!! 😍
For my 5th bullet journal I chose to use the Dingbats Earth Notebook. I've done a thorough review on it here, if you'd like to learn more about it. It's important to choose a notebook that will work for what you want to use it for. So, think about the size you want, the layout, the thickness of the pages and so on. I've also written a whole post dedicated on 'How to choose the perfect Bullet Journal for you'. Once you've chosen your notebook, then we're ready to go!
If you choose a notebook that is meant to be used as a bullet journal then some of the following pages might be already setup for you.
So, I start by filling in my details at the very first page of the notebook. I don't like to add too much information, and I prefer to add my email address instead of my normal address for privacy.
The Dingbats notebook has this new feature which is called 'Tab Keys'. On the Tab Key page, you can create a list of categories of the pages you'll create in your bullet journal. For example, you can write Monthly Spreads, Weekly Spreads, various collections you might have on certain topics like family, finances, health, travel etc. You can add and personalise your notebook any way you want! Then you assign a colour for each one of the above topics and you colour the corresponding tab on your key page. These tabs are on all the pages in the notebook, and so as you write in your journal you apply the appropriate colour to the tab on the page. So, even when your notebook is closed you can easily identify items through the colours on the visible edge.
I've decided to categorise my pages by the months first. And since each notebook lasts me for about 6 months, I created 6 tabs until March. I'll also leave 2 lines empty under March, just in case I use it for longer and then I can add more months. On the rest of the lines I'll add more categories as I go along.
The Colour Key has all the colours that I use for specific categories, and it has stayed the same throughout all my bullet journals. I keep my Key and Signifiers very simple. I only use a dot for my tasks and I only use more specific symbols for bithdays and anniversaries and events. I found that using various different symbols for your activities can be a bit confusing some times, and I also thought that it made my pages look a bit messy.
In the Index, I was adding the titles of the pages as I was creating them.
Usually I start by decorating the very first page of my bullet journal. I like to add a quote or a drawing that means something to me on the first page of the notebook. I prefer to do it on the first page because it's usually thicker than the rest of the pages and this allows me to be more creative and add watercolours and other mediums that would normally bleed through the normal pages. I also think that it’s nice to see something inspiring every time you open your bullet journal. I talk more about it in this blog post.
However, the Dingbats notebook has an infographic on the first page, which I like but I can't use the first page as I normally do. So, I moved to the very first page after the Index and I created my quote page there. When I start my bullet journal in the beginning of the year, I tend to go for something inspiring for new beginnings and things like that. But since this one starts mid-year I wanted something more general but still inspiring.
After I searched a bit online, I found this quote on Pinterest that I really liked and decided to recreated on my page. I like the way it turned out and even though I was a bit apprehensive for using too much black, I really like the effect.
For the next page I wanted to add a year at a glance, so I printed one of my layouts on a sticker paper and added it on the page. That's a much quicker and cleaner way to create all these months. You can find the 2018 Year at a Glance on my Etsy Shop.
I know that I'm starting from October and that a lot of people usually start from the month they are actually starting using the notebook, but I still wanted to have a whole view of 2018. And I'm also planning to create another Year at a glance page later on, for 2019.
Next I created my Future Log. I've tried loads of different layouts for my future log in the past, and even though I liked them, I wanted to try something new. So, I saw this picture by Inga on Instagram and I knew I had to use this layout for my new bujo! I decided to add different pastel colours for each month to separate them. And I'm planning to use these colours for the Tab Key I mentioned earlier, to keep everything organised. I love how it turned out and how simple everything looks.
I decided to add a Notes page after that. I wanted to have a page after my future log where I can add any possible future events / appointments that I might plan for after March. I didn't do that in my previous bullet journal and I ended up using post-it on the page. Which I guess it's one way to do it, but this time I wanted to make sure I have enough space for my plans or any notes for the months after March.
On the opposite page, I added my Goals per Month spread. I kept it very simple with a table with all the months starting from October and ending on September 2019. I think it's very important to set goals for yourself, and I've found that I'm way more productive when I set specific goals for each month separately.
For the Birthdays spread I decided this time to turn it into a one-page spread. I saw that I didn't need the extra space and I think everything looks now more structured and organised.
Next comes my Accomplishments page. I tend to do this one in every bullet journal, as I like to go back and see all the things (both personal and work related) I accomplished through the year. I usually do a very creative page that I got inspired from @helloiamprince. But this time I wanted everything to look more simple, so again I used the table for all the months starting from October. Again I contemplated whether I should do this spread until March, but I decide to create the table until September, just in case! 😉
The last spread I've created for now is the one dedicated to my book reading. If you didn't know this about me, I'm an avid reader of Sci-Fi and Fantasy books and I like to keep track of new publications and also keep a list of the books I'd really like to read as soon as possible. As you can see I completely messed this up with the months, but with the use of old good correction tape it looks alright! I used the table for the new publications and I created a lined page opposite for my to-read list 😉
So, this is how I've setup my 5th bullet journal. As you can see I've opted for a more simple layout with lots of tables and boxes to plan ahead. I also used one type of font for all my titles, whereas in previous bullet journal I was experimenting with different types of fonts and calligraphic styles. I like that everything is more put together and more coherent. Also the use of the same pastel colours throughout the setup helps to keep everything consistent. I hope you find some inspiration in all the above and you use some of the layouts for your own bullet journal. If you do so, please tag me at @christina77star. I'd love to see your recreations!
SUPPLIES USED:
- Dingbats Earth Notebook
- Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in M, B, S, F
- Tombow Dual Brush Markers (025, 243, N89, 673, N95, 062, 620, 991, 451, 815, and 723)
- Staedtler Tripous Colour black
- Zebra Mildliners
- Uni Posca white pen
- Pritt Corrector mini roller
- Year at a Glance Printable
- Sticker Paper
Bullet Journal Ideas: 5 Weekly Spread Layouts for September 2018
I think I say the same thing in the beginning of each month, but seriously I can't believe it's September already! 2018 is literally flying by! I don't know about you, but I love this time of year. My kids are getting ready for school, and I think I'm more excited about it than them! I love buying stationery and school supplies, and getting their school bags ready. I also like it because as in January, it feels like a new start, a new beginning, within the year. It's another chance to re-focus and plan and schedule the last few months of 2018.
I think I say the same thing in the beginning of each month, but seriously I can't believe it's September already! 2018 is literally flying by! I don't know about you, but I love this time of year. My kids are getting ready for school, and I think I'm more excited about it than them! I love buying stationery and school supplies, and getting their school bags ready. I also like it because as in January, it feels like a new start, a new beginning, within the year. It's another chance to re-focus and plan and schedule the last few months of 2018.
As always I like to plan my weeklies for the month in advance. That way I can plan everything properly and make sure that all my appointments and tasks are scheduled. For September the theme is 'Message in a bottle' and you can see how I've setup my bullet journal for the month in this post, or you can watch the video here.
September starts on a Saturday, and for this month I had to plan 5 different weekly layouts.
For the first weekly layout I chose to use a dutch door system.
I created the layout as normal, but I cut the middle page vertically in half, to use for my tracker and my planning for this and next week.
I find this type of layout really functional and I am going to be using it again in the future for sure.
This was the last page in my 4th bullet journal. The rest of the weekly spreads were created in my brand new one! I've chosen a Dingbats notebook for my 5th bullet journal, and I'm so excited to start using it. You can see my review and pictures of the notebook in this blog post.
For the second weekly, I decided to use a horizontal layout. If you've been following me for a while you know that I prefer the vertical layouts most of the time. I find that I can use the space better and I can create to-do lists for both personal and work related tasks. With a horizontal layout I find that I can't separate things. But I saw this layout by @organisedhustler and I decided to give it a go.
The line in the middle helps me to create 2 different to-do lists and separate my personal and work tasks! Love it!
The 3rd weekly spread is a layout I use every month. I decorated it according to the month's theme, and the only change I've made is that I extended a bit the space for my to-do lists.
Another layout that I use a lot for my weeklies is the one bellow. I love the sections that separate the vertical lists into categories. And the best part is that you can add as many sections as you want and choose the categories that work for you.
For the last weekly spread of the month I chose another horizontal layout! I like the boxes and the simplicity of it, plus I added a notes section. I might add some vertical lines, like I did in the 2nd layout, to create sections for my to-dos.
SUPPLIES USED:
Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in B, S, F
Tombow Dual Brush Markers (673, 491, 990, 533, 553, N89, N95, 451, and 800)
So, these are the 5 weekly layouts for September. I hope you liked this post and that you found some inspiration for your own weekly layouts. If you liked the theme and you'd like to recreate it, please send me some pictures. I'd love to see your pages!! You can always contact me at christina77star@gmail.com
Instagram Challenge: #doodlewithusinseptember2018
I'm excited to announce our Instagram Challenge for the month of September! 👏🏻
It's the #doodlewithusinseptember2018 Instagram Challenge created by me and Alexandra (from @alexandra_plans).
It's going to be 30 days of doodles that will hopefully get you to be creative and have fun! We're going with a 'Famous Landmarks' for this month. I seriously can't wait to start drawing!
I'm excited to announce our Instagram Challenge for the month of September! 👏🏻
It's the #doodlewithusinseptember2018 Instagram Challenge created by me and Alexandra (from @alexandra_plans).
It's going to be 30 days of doodles that will hopefully get you to be creative and have fun! We're going with a 'Famous Landmarks' for this month. I seriously can't wait to start drawing!
As we did before, all the doodles are part of one big comprehensive picture. Imagine each day to be one piece of the puzzle. So, at the end of the month you will have one big doodle picture! :)
If you decide to follow this way, you'll have to create a table with 5x6 boxes and you shouldn't add the days on the top. You can also make the boxes and dates in pencil, if you don't want the lines to obscure the end result. It's totally up to you.
Of course, if you prefer to draw the doodles in the traditional way, that's absolutely fine as well. The important thing is to have fun!
You can also download a free printable with the daily prompts here.
If you want to join us then:
- Follow me (Christina) @christina77star and Alexandra @alexandra_plans over on Instagram.
- Download the prompts below.
- Draw something according to the day's prompt, take a photo of it, and share it with us on Instagram.
- Don't forget to add the hashtag #doodlewithusinseptember2018 and spread the word.
- Everyone is welcome!
We're excited to see what you'll share!
Thank you for joining in!
Christina x
Plan With Me: My September Setup in my Bullet Journal + Video
I'm finally back from my holidays! July and August have been such amazing months, full of laughter and lots of great memories and experiences. I needed some time off and I'm really grateful that I managed to do it. But now, August is almost over and we have to start getting ready for September.
I'm finally back from my holidays! July and August have been such amazing months, full of laughter and lots of great memories and experiences. I needed some time off and I'm really grateful that I managed to do it. But now, August is almost over and we have to start getting ready for September.
This is the last month I will be setting up in my Scribbles That Matter notebook. I can't believe that I'm finishing my 4th bullet journal already and I'm ready to move on to my 5th one! If you would like me to make a video of how I set up my 5th bullet journal, let me know in the comments below.
The theme I chose for this month is 'Message in a Bottle'. You can do so much with this type of theme and I think that it turned out pretty good. I've always wanted to find a message in a bottle, while I'm walking by the sea. And on the other hand sometimes I wonder what I would write in a message that I would put in a bottle, so that the sea will travel it to someone else to find. I find this sort of thing fascinating for some reason.
For the colours, I used again a limited palette of different shades of blues, greys and beige colours, with a pop of pink and some pastel yellow. You can check all the supplies I used for this theme at the end of this post 😉
Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of the post, because there's also a video, where I'm showing you exactly how I've created each spread.
As always we start with the Cover Page of the month. I created lots of jars and bottles with different types of messages and hanging details to add more dimension and interest to the page. I think it turned out nice and cute and I'm really pleased with the result.
The theme continues into my Monthly Spread. I've noticed that I don't need a double page spread for this layout. Even though I do use the page, I saw that I can turn it into a one-page layout and still have space to write the things I need to. So, I turned the squares into 3x5 rectangles and this is the end result. Changing a layout can be tricky sometimes. I made a lot of mistakes while I created this page. And even though I always plan my pages in pencil, I still managed to mess up the boxes and the dates in the beginning. But with the use of some correction tape , it still looks good.
Because of the change I made with my monthly layout, my monthly goals moved to the page opposite. I decided to make the lists for the two different sections vertically this time, and I have to say that I prefer it this way. I'll see how it works when I'll actually use the page, and I might keep this setting for the next months as well.
I didn't create my monthly focus page this time. Even though I still like the purpose of the page, I couldn't fit it into the layouts I wanted to create for this month, so I decided not to include it in the September setup.
Next comes my 'Areas of Focus / Tasks to Complete' spread. I love planning each week separately. Allocating different tasks and projects per week is very helpful, especially when you're trying to focus and re-organise things!
On the next page I created my Finances page. I use the same layout over and over again because it's really simple and functional. I added some coins into the jar to combine the page with the theme. I also like to add coloured lines in the two sections.
As always I include a Notes pages into my monthly setup. It's good to know that I have a page to write anything I want to remember or to keep a note of, without having to create a specific layout for it. I was thinking of turning it into a 2-page spread, but I believe that the space is enough for now. Also, if I run out of space, I can still create a second page like that in a following page.
Next comes my first weekly spread of September. I wanted to include a tracker for this week, but I still wanted to have enough space for my daily to-dos. So, I thought to use a dutch door layout with a shorter middle page. I used a weekly layout that I tend to use at least once every month. It's simple and functional and it works well with this dutch door layout.
In the middle page, that I cut in half vertically, I added my tracker on one side and planning for this week and next week on the other.
The tracker is separated into 3 different sections: personal, work and house. I don't usually add trackers to my layouts because I tend to forget to fill them in, and in the end they just use up space in my notebook for nothing. Plus, I fill bad for not filling them in... But, I wanted to track some things this week, and I also thouht that having the tracker right in the middle of my weekly will help with me remembering to fill in the boxes. 😉
I really like how this turned out and I'm definitely going to be using this dutch door layout again for sure!
If you want to learn more about dutch door layouts, I have written these blog posts you can check out:
SUPPLIES USED:
Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen in B, S, F
Tombow Dual Brush Markers (673, 491, 990, 533, 553, N89, N95, 451, and 800)
And that is one more month planned in my bullet journal. Have you setup your bullet journal for September? What theme did you use? Also, if you'd like me to make a video of how I setup my 5th bullet journal, let me know in the comments below.