Tag: Planning

This month’s bullet journal feature is @carolines.journal. Caroline’s work is absolutely gorgeous and super unique and creative. The bullet journaling community is a great place, and I love being able to share other bullet journalers, their journey, and some tips they have for bullet journal beginners. So, without further ado, here is @carolines.journal!

Meet Caroline of @carolines.journal

Have you ever been part of the bullet journal community? If you are reading this post, you probably are. This community is the best one I have ever experienced. Bullet journalists have inspired and empowered me in so many ways! My name is Caroline, I am 17 years old and I live in the black forest in Germany. After high school, I would like to be a designer. For me, school can get very stressful. The bullet journal helps me to bring more fun and distraction in my, often monotonous school day.

Caroline’s Bullet Journal Journey

I came across the concept of bullet journaling through a friend of mine. She showed me her planner and I instantly loved it. I must say the concept just blew my mind. How had a managed to live with the pre-printed planner before? I could just design my personal journal, that was perfectly adjusted to my needs! Within the next month, I had already found a nice notebook (from lemome) and sorted out some pens to start. Like every start, I didn´t look flawless. To be honest I don´t like my first pages at all. But with time and practice, I got better and now, two years later, I even started my new Instagram page, which is very exciting! 

On Instagram, I often see a certain structure in the way people design their journals. There is a new theme every month. I personally never applied to such “rules”, because my creative mind gets bored way too quickly with one single theme and color palette. Every page is created by a new idea and totally different. This way I get to experiment a lot with different colors and styles. 

Since I have the bullet journal always by my side, I feel like there is more space in my mind. It might sound a little weird, but now that I can note everything that I need to know, I don´t have to remember any due dates and my head can focus on other important things. Moreover, I am more structured and less stressed. Bullet journaling challenges my creativity. It also forces me to overcome my laziness and draw more to improve my art skills.

Caroline’s Tips for Bullet Journal Beginners:

I have started bullet journaling 2 years ago, so I am just at the beginning of my bullet journal journey. Nevertheless, there is some advice that I can give you.

Be proud of your work! 

Even if the result might not always look the way you wanted them to be, you probably put lots of effort into your spreads. So, don´t let that tare you down. Mistakes happen and you will get better with every single page. Don´t worry if not every line is straight. Cherish your accomplishments!

Make your own rules.

Just because everyone else uses a certain type of pen doesn´t mean that you should do it too. The best part of bullet journaling is that you can create your own masterpiece. If you don´t like the monthly setup, just leave it! Think as free as you can it will allow you to make your bullet journal special and unique! I, for example, didn´t like the dark dots from the Lemome journal and so I bought one just with blank pages. Crazy right? Don´t follow everyone else’s and make your own.

Have a plan

This is more a practical issue, but I really wish I had thought about it before starting to randomly fill the pages. It is incredibly helpful to roughly know what you want to do. Make a mind map and brainstorm all your ideas, then think of a rough order and structure. I have my grades and my schedules on the first few pages. On the last pages, I decided to put a calendar and this system works perfectly fine for me. To plan even just a little bit beforehand will make your journal more organized.

A Note From Caroline

Thank you so much for reading. I will be very pleased to answer any further questions on my Instagram page (@carolines.journal). Lastly, I would like to thank Elizabeth very much for featuring my account!

Thank you so much for sharing, Caroline! If you like Caroline’s planner or want to check her out, head on over to her Instagram Here! Thanks so much, Caroline for taking part in my bullet journal features and sharing your journey and tips with us!

If you are interested in becoming a featured bullet journaler, check out the details and apply here!

This month’s bullet journal feature is Rachael of Planning with Maggie Rae. Rachael does some seriously cool work. Additionally, she is super kind and great to talk to. The bullet journaling community is a great place, and I love being able to share other bullet journalers, their journey, and some tips they have for bullet journal beginners. So, without further ado, here is Rachael of Planning with Maggie Rae!

Meet Rachael of Planning with Maggie Rae

Hey all! It’s Rachael from planningwithmaggierae.com, and I’m so excited to be featured by Elizabeth here on Jihi Elephant. I blog about bullet journaling and easy to implement time management strategies. The goal for me is to help people make the most of their time so that they can spend more of it doing the things they truly enjoy.

I’m new on Instagram but would love it if you would follow me, @maggie.rae_!

Fun Facts:

• The last four digits of my phone number spell RACH. Thanks, mom 😊
• I have a twin sister and both our eldest children have the same birthday, the day before ours (not creepy at all…)
• My handwriting is abominable

Rachael’s Bullet Journal Journey

The Beginning

I was coasting. I was never late or forgot about appointments, and I never missed deadlines. But I didn’t plan, and I was scared of setting goals. So I did the minimum. I was lucky, though, my minimum was still a straight-A student with a part-time job that earned almost twice as much as my peers. I was doing fine but I wasn’t thriving.

After graduating university with an honours degree and having two beautiful daughters, I was still in the same spot. It hit me. If I kept doing what I was doing, I would stay right where I was. And that was a jarring realization.

Making A Change

I wanted to be somewhere different, so for the first time, I set a goal. Learn more about the method I used HERE.

So, I started planning my days in a way that would lead my life in the direction I had always seen myself going. I started with an agenda and swapped it out for a variety of different styles, but I could never find one that was just right for me.

Regardless, I needed places to put notes, tasks, goals, and accomplishments. I needed more space. But I couldn’t find anything that fit what I was looking for.

Trying The Bullet Journal

In my enthusiastic search to get my life together, I came across bullet journaling. It hit me like a ton of bricks! Of course, why wouldn’t I just make my own planner?

Uh, because I grew up believing I wasn’t creative or artistically gifted.

But the bullet journal was a productivity tool, and that was what I needed. I decided to commit and try it out. It was a decision that had a massive impact on my results at the end of every day. I was able to get a new job, which led me to open my own business and then adapting it into two more! I could stay on top of my meetings, my daily goals, my family responsibilities, and I even found that I had way more time than I ever realized I had.

My bullet journal made me more efficient and effective. And it let me dabble in some doodling. At first, I was super self-conscious. But, as I did it, I allowed myself to get creative in my journal, thus, allowing myself to think I was more capable when it came to my planning. I set bigger goals and got more confident.

What Bullet Journaling Has Done For Me

Because of my planning journey, I ended up with a business that brought in almost $400,000 in revenue in the first year. I was able to stop working in that business and start working from home and got more time with my kids. I started my blog and was able to make it profitable in less than six months. My bullet journal has been instrumental in this, and using it for goals and planning has been key!

I have a Learn to Plan Challenge on my blog you can sign up to for free if you’re ready to start making significant changes in your life too!

Rachael’s Tips for Bullet Journal Beginners:

Keep it simple, at least at first. It’s easy to get carried away with all the fun ideas and trackers that are out there. But by keeping it simple, you’ll allow yourself to get familiar with the system, what’s important and figure out what works for you.

If you’re using it for productivity, reflect often. Was your last spread easy to use? Was there a section of your monthly set up that ended up empty? Is there something missing? Adjust your approach as you go until you create the perfect system for you.

Have fun. Your bullet journal is for you and no one else, so make it exactly what you want it to be! I love how flexible the system is and how you’re able to make every single spread custom. You want to add crazy colours and designs, go for it! If you want to keep it classy in just black and white, do that. The possibilities are endless in both decorating and spread options.

If you like Rachael’s planner or want to check her out, head on over to her Instagram Here! Thanks so much, Rachael for taking part in my bullet journal features and sharing your journey and tips with us!

If you are interested in becoming a featured bullet journaler, check out the details and apply here!