My February Bullet Journal Setup

I finally bit the bullet (bad joke, I know) and created my first ever bullet journal in January this year. As I explained in my January setup post, I had resisted creating one at first because I felt intimidated by the beautiful layouts I’d seen on Pinterest. I was overwhelmed by the intricate detail, stunning sketches and of course, gorgeous typography.

In the end I decided I didn’t actually want to create a journal for it’s appearance, but for it’s practical use as an organisational tool. Something that would help me to be more productive, keep track of certain parts of my life and reinforce good habits. That change in attitude is what eventually tipped me over into a late night session drawing out my January setup.

Now, a month later, I’ve become accustomed to the bullet journalling process a little bit and I feel a little more confident to tackle slightly more detailed, slightly more arty spreads in February. Only because I think these will increase my motivation this month though; my main priority is still functionality over beauty. And so, with that context in mind, I thought I’d share with you all the spreads I’ve designed to carry me through the next 28 days and explain why I’ve made the changes I have.

In January, I had an extremely simple linear, purple, capital letters theme that looked a little something like this.

I thought I’d make February a bit brighter, using my Stabilo pastel highlighters* but still keep the typography quite simple, using a black Stabilo point 88 fineliner*. I also decided to keep the shapes linear but give them some depth by creating shadows with a grey crayola marker*.

Simpler monthly spread

Last month I had a grid layout – I didn’t use it at all. For February I decided to simply list the days and highlight the weekends in the hope that it would be more useable.

Goals and finances

This page worked well for me last month, so I’ve recreated it for February in my new design. I think these columns help me stay focussed on what I’m trying to get out of the month personally, as well as helping me to save money as I’m less likely to spend frivolously if I can see every pound I lose written down.

Compact weekly spread

Previously, I tried having a whole double-page spread for one week and that really did not work. It was too much space and I stopped using it effectively. I think having smaller columns this month will help me to see the essential tasks each week and then I can create separate to do lists on days that need a bit more structure.

Tracker spread

I’ve kept this page much the same as last month – I liked being able to see how frequently I did each thing, which activities complemented each other and which I found harder to persist with. I’ve also got a section at the bottom for colour coding my physical and mental wellbeing each day as well as my quality of sleep, so I can see how the things I track impact my wellbeing and vice versa.

Dedicated space for wellbeing details

In addition to tracking my wellbeing through colour coded squares, I thought I’d allocate a space for noting down any physical or mood related issues throughout February. Just to add a little more context when a simple coloured square won’t hack it.

Food thoughts all on one spread

Last month, all my notes surrounding food were scattered over different spreads. This month everything will be in one place – this includes my vitamin, water, and fruit and veg intake, as well as space to note down what I’ve eaten each day (in case I want to see how this correlates with my wellbeing on the previous pages).

Gratitude and inspiration pages

I’ve been loving my gratitude page for the last few weeks so of course this had to continue! Such an easy way to boost my mood and record lovely memories to look back on. Recently I’ve had a lot of blog post ideas, so I thought this deserved its own page too – otherwise my aspirations for this blog end up on scrap pieces of paper lost down the side of my bed.

Unsolved decisions and dedication to Spanish

Lastly, I felt that I was lacking a space to note down the thoughts that tumble around in my mind anxiously looking for answers. Things such as ‘make a decision about university’ that can’t be solved in one day but also can’t be left unthought about. Opposite this is my Spanish ‘word of the day’ page, which I guess is pretty self explanatory. I really want to make time for Spanish in my everyday life, even if that is only by learning one new word each day. You’ve got to start somewhere, right?

And that’s it, a roundup of my February pages complete!

I’d like to reiterate the message I ended my last setup post with: if creating a bullet journal in any form is something you feel could help you in your life, then don’t be put off by the wide variety of talent out there. Find a method that works for you, test it out and build on that each month. As long as it’s helping you to stay organised it doesn’t need to be compared to anyone else’s journal.

I hope this has encouraged or helped some of you to see that bullet journalling really can be for anyone and that your way of doing things is most certainly valid!

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If you enjoyed this post, you may like:

Starting My First Minimalist Bullet Journal

How I Consciously Chose Change

18 Things I Want To Do In 2018

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