2024 Bullet Journal Setup

If my journals were an epic fantasy series, 2024 would be Book 9.

As I shared in my Bullet Journal evolution, my current journal has evolved from when I first started the practice in 2016. Each year, I make small improvements to make my daily journaling habit more productive and informative.

The beauty of the Bullet Journal system is that it can be modified to work with your lifestyle, workflow, and goals. Conversely, the “open world” nature of the journal’s blank pages can be difficult for many to navigate.

By showing you how I organize the various spreads in my 2024 Bullet Journal, I hope you will find the inspiration and guidance to set up your journal. Even if you take one tip or page spread idea from this article, you might find immense value in applying it to your journaling habit.

The Journal

For the fourth year running, I’ve selected the Endless Recorder with 68gsm Tomoe River paper as my journal of choice for 2024. 

I’m saddened that Endless stopped making these notebooks with Tomoe River paper, as it is my favorite type of paper for fountain pens. This year, I will be looking to source another notebook maker using the new Sanzen TR paper.

Alas, I digress. Fountain pen people problems, right?

Here’s a summary of the notebook that I’m working with and its contents:

Endless Recorder Notebook - 187 numbered pages

  • 52 weekly 2-page spreads = 104 pages
  • Monthly log pages + monthly objectives = 24 pages
  • “Currently Enjoying” monthly pages = 12 pages
  • Currently inked pages = 12 pages
  • Future log = 4 pages
  • Book Log & TBR List = 2 pages
  • 6-month reviews = 2 pages

Everything else =  27 pages

Weekly Pages

As you can see by the page count, weekly spreads account for over half the space in my journal. On any given workday, I’ll have my journal open to the current week’s spread. It’s the most functional and useful component of my daily organization. This spread allows me to set goals for the week, schedule tasks, keep track of habits, and capture noteworthy happenings.

Instead of a traditional daily log, I opt for a weekly 2-page spread that runs Monday-Sunday with each day in a column. 

On the far left-most column, I list out the weekly roles & goals first. This is a concept adapted from Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. I break down the roles I am responsible for, listing any tasks that need to be addressed under the appropriate role. At the top is “Sharpen Saw,” which is more about the habit of self-improvement and making sure my mind and body are sharp to take on the day.

Because I’m learning Spanish (1+ year streak on Duolingo), I head each day’s column with the number and day of the week en espanol. The week prior, I’ll fill in all my tasks, appointments, and habits that relate to the goals I set that week & month. The column represents the entire day, with the top being the morning, the middle the afternoon, and the bottom the evening. So, when I write things at the top of the day, I aim to do them first thing in the morning. If written at the bottom, they are things to do after dinner or before bed. If the item is time-sensitive (a meeting or appointment), I’ll put the specific time next to the short description of the event.

This column format doesn’t allow much room to be descriptive about the tasks or the appointments. This forces me to keep it short, simple, and to the point.

As typical with the Bullet Journal system, I use bullets for tasks, x’s for completed tasks, arrows for migrating tasks, circles for events, and so on.

At the bottom of my weekly layout, I write the word priority with a line that crosses both pages. Underneath that line, I usually write one thing that is the most important thing to address that day. It helps to prioritize when I have a lot of tasks and need to focus on the most important one that needs to get done that day. 

I also give each day a star rating (1-5). A 1-star day is truly terrible. Something awful happened that you’ll remember 5 years from now. A 2-star day is pretty bad. When I’m feeling sick or upset or angry and having a bad day, it’ll be a 2-star day. Most days are 3-star days. It has average ups and downs and might not be the most impressionable in the long run. 4-Star days are awesome. They leave you feeling happy, satisfied, and energized. When I think back to the “good times,” these are the 4-star days. 5-Star days are the highlights of life. They have a massive positive impact and influence your mood and energy for days, weeks, or even months to come.

During my 6-month reviews, I use the rating system to search for patterns - what happened on days I rated 4 stars versus 2-star days? What could I do to minimize sub 3-star days and earn more 4-star and 5-star days?

Monthly Log Page + Monthly Objectives

If looking at the Weekly Spread is like the street level of my journal, the monthly log page is like taking an elevator to the 32nd floor of a skyscraper and looking down at the hustle and bustle below.

I lay out the monthly log page and objectives before starting the first week of the month. It lets me look at the bigger picture, taking a step back from the weekly routines and habits. I put in the appointments, birthdays, holidays, and other important, time-sensitive happenings throughout the month. Then, I list my objectives to be completed during the month.

For me, some objectives are the same month-to-month, but they need to be renewed in commitment. For example, working out 5 days a week is an objective every month. It’s a reminder of the investment I made in my health. I organize my objectives into “value buckets,” which correspond with deeply held values.

My values are my own. You may operate on a completely different value system, and that’s OK. I list what values, I feel, are most important to me. For example: I value creativity - making things that help others somehow. I feel the most satisfaction, the most complete as a human being when I’m making things for other people to enjoy and enrich their lives.

Finding these values deep within the core of your being is not easy, nor is it a one-shot process. I review my values and objectives every 6 months to contemplate if they still hold true.

All goals, big and small, take root from these values. It’s the reason why you get up every day put the work in and make progress. The closer a goal is to your core values, the more you will strive to achieve it.

Currently Enjoying Monthly Pages

I added this page layout in late 2022 as a way to capture more beautiful moments and fun memories. A journal can be a productivity tool and it can be a tool for reflection. Instead of focusing on the “to-do,” this page is more about the “ta-da” - the magical things that happen during the month.

To train my mind to look for these things every day, I create bucket categories for them: Wins, Smile Moments, Food & Drink, Giving, Noteworthy, and Fun Ideas.

  • Wins: Achievements big and small, strokes of good fortune, anything lucky.
  • Smile Moments: Things that made me laugh out loud, made me feel great—a beautiful memory.
  • Food & Drink: Tasty things that I ate or drank
  • Giving: Any charitable donation or act of generosity
  • Noteworthy: Important things that might not have a positive emotional component, but are still relevant.
  • Fun Ideas: Imaginative nuggets that, while they may have no practical application, are still fun thoughts nonetheless.

Currently Inked Pages

Each month, I sample and write about the fountain pen inks included in the Ink Flight Box subscription. It’s a ritual to swatch the inks on Col-O-Ring ink testing cards and on the Tomoe River paper that’s in my journal. Then, I write the descriptions of each ink on the Ink Flight brochure sheet that accompanies each set of samples.

To create this page, I dip a Kakimori steel dip nib pen into each ink sample to write out the name of the ink and paint a swatch of color next to it using the broad side of the dip nib.

Future Log

A staple of basic Bullet Journaling, the Future Log takes a higher perspective than the monthly log pages. The Future Log allows you to layout the entire year in the course of 4 pages (1 quarter a page). I also use these pages to write out important birthdays and holidays.

When writing the Monthly Log, I refer back to the Future log to add any objectives or other important happenings listed there. If I come across a task that needs to be done later in the year, I’ll put it in the Future Log.

Book Log & TBR List

These are my two favorite pages in the entire notebook. I love reading and make it a yearly objective to read at least 30 books. Not only for entertainment - I read books to grow and understand more of the world around me. To keep track of all the books I read, I keep a running log. I always have a list of books that I’d like to read and find new ones often (thanks, BookTok!). So, I keep a TBR (To Be Read) list on the opposite page. 

In 2024, I’m looking forward to getting current on the Stormlight archive series from Brandon Sanderson before the new book “Wind and Truth” debuts later in the year. Also, I’ve heard so many great things about Joe Abercrombie that I can’t ignore any longer. I enjoyed Adam Grant’s books in the past, and his latest “Hidden Potential” is also on my TBR list.

6-Month Reviews

Reviewing and reflecting are important aspects of journaling that I’ve often ignored in favor of keeping my head down and blindly moving forward. However, as Stephen Covey points out in his apt analogy of productivity for productivity’s sake, we need to be sure we’re climbing the right ladder. The 6-month review ensures I’m still heading in the right direction.

On the 1-page review, I list out all the relevant metrics that relate to my goals, roles, and values. How many books have I read? How much have I saved in my 401K? How many 4-star days did I have? The metrics satisfy the “numbers & stats” part of my brain that likes to look at progress in tangible, numeric values.

Then, I use the “Wins” and “Smile Moments” to list out all the positive things that happened in the past 6 months. These range from achievements, fun events, completed projects, and fond memories. This list of positives tends to outnumber its counterpoint, which I list next.

The “negatives” are unfortunate events or obstacles encountered. Deaths in the family, illness, something breaking in the house, a difficult argument or fight.

Weighing both the good and bad, I summarize what I’d like more of in the next 6 months, and what I could use less of. In 2024, I recognize my increasing desire to travel and take an actual vacation that is longer than an overnight. Plus, I’d love to write more for myself, more for this blog in keeping a regular newsletter, and create things for you to use. I could use less inflation, as I’m sure everyone else could as well. Although I can’t do much to impact inflation, it’s good to be aware of its presence and fight against its effects the best I can.

Other Things

In the 27 pages left over, I include pages for passwords, references, project notes, and anything else that helps me work. Perhaps I’ll try out a new type of page format that I could apply in my future journal.

Conclusion

The Bullet Journal system is fluid and fits your journaling needs like a glove. It took many years to develop my system to work specifically for my needs and it continues to change as I change. My journal only becomes more useful as a resource the more I work on making it work for me.

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