This is the third blog post in my series about creating my 2018/19 Bullet Journal. Look to the previous two posts for an introduction and key features of the journal.

This post is all about the pages that I have in the front of my bullet journal. I use Pinterest to decide which extra pages I would like in my bullet journal and for inspiration about how I want them to look. These pages do not have to come at the front of your journal, they can come anywhere, and you can draw them in as you need or want them throughout your journal. I have put all of these pages at the front on my journal for next year because they all appeared somewhere in my current journal on odd pages so now they will all be together at the front. However, no doubt, when I get to the end of the academic year, there will be more random spreads in my journal that I decided I wanted or wanted to try at a random point in the year.

Remember, a Bullet Journal is experimental, it does not need to be perfect and you will always be trying new ways to find which is preferable to you.

The first page after my future log is a single page spread for ‘Resolutions’. I’m not really one of these people who is into the ‘new year new me’ thing, but I like to have a page where I can write down things I would like to achieve, do more of, or be better at. For me, these can be simple things that I would like to do more such as ‘cook more pancakes’, or they can be lifestyle aspects I would like to improve such as ‘do more yoga’ or ‘look after skin’. I do not always stick to these, but it is nice to have a reminder of the things I would like to try to do.

The other side of this double page is a spread that I only added half way through my last journal, ‘Birthdays’. I found this spread on Pinterest and I really liked the idea of it. This means I can have a yearly overview of all the important birthdays to me throughout the year and can turn to the page each month, look down the column for that month, and see which birthdays are coming up. I think that this is a simple but useful spread.

The next page is one of my favourite pages, so much so that my ‘films’ page is exactly the same this year. This is my ‘books’ page and again, I got inspiration on Pinterest. I start by drawing the page to look like three empty shelves and then I draw in the spines of books with the titles along the spine. I simply draw the outline of the spine of books I want to read, and then when I have read the book, I colour in the spine. I love how the page begins to look over the year as the books on the page add up and more get coloured in. This spread is also really useful for when I’m scrolling Instagram or Goodreads and I find a book I want to read because I can draw in the spine to remind myself. Naturally, as you can see from my current page, not all of the books I draw in get read during the year, but they may get carried over to my new spread if I think I will read them this year. As I mentioned a minute ago, this year my ‘films’ page is exactly the same as my ‘books’ page and so I think the double spread will look good.

The next spread is a double one and this is for my ‘Wishlist’. This is where I make a note during the year of things I would like to buy for myself, or ideas for birthday and Christmas presents just in case anyone should ask for ideas. I found this spread layout on Pinterest and I really liked the dandelion so have stuck with it. Design-wise, this is one of my favourite spreads.

After creating a space for ideas for myself, I then have a page in my journal for ‘gifts’. This is my space to make a note of any present ideas that I have. This is great because I’m always coming up with gift ideas way in advance and so this way I have somewhere to make a note of them so that I remember. This is a pretty basic table, but it works well and records what I need.

As one of my resolutions to keep up my blog, the next double spread is blank with the title ‘blog’. This is my space to jot any to-do lists for my blog, and also to note down ideas as they spring to mind. Last year, I did this page as a list of things to do or add to my blog, but then I wanted to be able to just write ideas and annotate them and be allowed to get a little creative when it comes to my blog, so this year I have left the pages blank to allow more freedom.

The past year has felt like I’ve done a lot of packing for uni, home, going away and visiting friends and family so this next spread is one of my most-used. This is my ‘packing essentials spread’ and here I list all of the things that are most important when packing so that I don’t forget anything vital (I have been known to forget to pack pyjamas a few times). I create my list using square tick-boxes that I can tick in pencil and then rub out so that my list is perfectly re-useable.

The last page that I have chosen to put in the front of my journal for this year is ‘quotes’. Some people love a quote, and I’m one of those people. So far, I’ve added in a couple of inspirational quotes that I love, but usually this page will probably be used for when I’m reading a book and stumble across something that I want to note down because it resonates with me or is beautifully written or expressed. The title for this page is one of my favourites in the journal.

So, there we have a run-down of the pages I have in the front of my bullet journal. I hope it has given you a few ideas for things you could add to yours. Thank you for reading.

Still to come:

• The Month – designing monthly and weekly spreads
• My tips – advice on bullet journaling and final thoughts

Previous Posts:

• An Introduction – introduction to bullet journaling, how I want this journal to be and which journal I use

• Important first pages – detailing the key and future log

Georgia x