2019 Bullet Journal Set Up

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December is a crazy month, with holidays, trips, family time, school being out and the new year looming there is a lot to do. Last year I set up my new bullet journal over the holidays but this year I wanted some more time to do my 2019 bullet journal set up. I wanted the time to think through what I really needed to include and learn from last year’s journal.

Go ahead and check out my 2020 set up too!

This new setup has quite a few changes including a totally new journal.

I’ve also spent some time thinking about what was important for me to track this year and what was unnecessary. I think that’s something that’s really important.

If you’re just starting your first bullet journal I want you to think about what you want to use your journal for. Are there any major goals you have for the year that you want some help tracking?

That’s the kind of stuff I put in my journal. 

If you’ve been bullet journaling for a while, think about the things you liked and that helped you. Also, take notice of the things that didn’t work.

The great thing about the bullet journal is that it grows with you. As you experiment and reflect you’ll find a set up (monthly and yearly) that work for you. 

• Related: 7 Trackers You’ll Actually Use 
• Related: New Year’s Planning Challenge

A new journal for my bullet journal setup

I originally planned on sticking with the same journal as I had in 2018, the Leuchtturm 1917, as I really enjoyed it through the year.

It has a sturdy cover, elastic, 2 bookmarks, quality paper and lies flat when open. It held up really well through all the continuous use. 

But fate had other plans. I ordered it accidentally in the grid version instead of dots and ultimately decided that the squares would be too distracting for me so I went out and got a completely different journal. 

I picked up this dotted journal from Peter Pauper Press and love the cover design. It’s so pretty! The agate design has beautiful gold veins really making it a stand out.

This journal has many of the Leuchttrum features. Things like the elastic, sturdy cover, back pocket and also lies flat (which is a must for me). However, there are a few key differences.

There is no index or page numbers so this really is a from scratch kind of journal. This was ok for me since I barely filled one of the three given index pages in my Leuchttrum. I can fill in page numbers easily enough so wasn’t bothered with that. 

There is only one bookmark and the pages do feel just slightly thicker in the Peter Pauper journal. I hope this will mean less “ghosting”. There wasn’t too much in my previous journal but it did rear its head on occasion. 

The biggest difference for me was the there are far less pages in the Peter Pauper Journal then the Leuchttrum. My new journal has 192 pages whereas the Leuchttrum has 249. This means that it will probably not last the whole year for me but that’s ok. It was 40% less expensive than the Leuchttrum when I bought it! SoI think I’ll be happy with it overall. 

I have an entire post dedicated to a comparison of these two journals so go ahead and take a look through it if you’re wondering which is best for you!

Opening pages for my bullet journal set up

Opening the journal I started off with a simple cover. I wanted to keep the annual set up very simple and without a “gimmick”. That way it would always feel like it belonged no matter what the rest of the journal turned into. 

To this end I added in a quote in block letters and then just 2019. 

You’ll see it better a bit further down the post, but I filled in the letters using my Tombow brush pens.

I wanted to make a design inspired by the cover of the journal.

Using the blue and both purples from my brights set along with the blending pen to mimic the agate swirls. I also got a gold gel pen to add in the details. 

Index

As I mentioned I needed to make my own index as this journal didn’t have one already. I kept it to 2 pages since I didn’t use the index in my previous journal often enough to warrant more pages. 

Key and Year at a Glance 

The key can be a very important part of your journal. It allows you to see what’s happening very quickly if you use it correctly.

My key is pretty simple with the basics concerning tasks, events, scheduling. I’ve also added some fun with this arrow and mandala using my Crayola Metallic Markers.

They give me life.  

I used the metallic markers at the top of each month in my year at a glance as well then added the days of the week over top with my geli-roll white gel pen. 

Future Log 

I used 4 pages for my future log and added columns for personal and business reminders. 

Related: How to Create a Future Log and Why it’s so Important

Yearly Trackers

For my 2019 bullet journal set up I created a few new trackers that were going to be specific to my goals for the year.

I have 3 business trackers, 3 goals collections and 2 currently blank pages for personal trackers or collections that I might want to add. 

Business Trackers

Keeping with the theme I’m still using the same lettering and another similar arrow and mandala for decoration. Look at it shine! 

The first of my trackers is a monthly stats tracker where I can record all the vital information for this blog. It includes space for website numbers like page views, social media followings and affiliates I’m working with. 

Next, I have a financial tracker where I’m going to have a line graph tracking revenue and income trends as well as corresponding bar graphs and one for savings through the year as well.

I have a goal of taking the family to Disney World in October so keeping an eye on savings is key towards that! 

Here you can see the block letters a bit better and the gold as well. 

I’ve also given myself space for set promotions that I will be participating in as well as projects that I’m going to be working on myself throughout the year.

I can also use this as an index of sorts. Using it to brainstorming pages regarding any of these that I end up doing. 

For more info on bullet journaling for work check out this post 

Goals

Last year I felt like I had too many trackers that didn’t push me towards anything. With that in mind for my 2019 bullet journal set up, it was important to me to have lots of space for goals. 

Any of you who did my New Year’s Planning Challenge will recognize this.

Here is where my big annual goals are going to go. Beside that is my quarterly timeline to track my milestones. 

Finally, my 30.60.90.

The action plan for the first three months of the year, and my January cover. 

If you want to read more about the 30.60.90 so you can use it you can do so here. There’s a super helpful (not to mention FREE) printable for you too.

Closing it out 

I was so excited to share this with you. I’m super happy with these spreads and layouts and hope that you’ll be able to get some great ideas for your own bullet journal coming into the new year. 

Don’t get too caught up in making it perfect, just make sure it has the things YOU want in it. And remember you can always add more later! 

Check out this awesome 2019 bullet journal set up! It's got everything you need to get started!Click To Tweet

I want to see your spreads! Go ahead and like us on Facebook and share your spreads with me. I’d love to see them. 

If you have questions regarding what you should include in your journal feel free to send me an email at rachael@plannignwithmaggierae.com. I’ll help you out. 

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