Bullet Journal Setup for 2023
Having already created a bullet journal for a very special person for 2023, it’s now time to tackle my own bullet journal. Here you can find the post about the other 2023 setup: Bullet Journal Inspiration- Minimal 2023 Setup
My own bullet journal is very much based on my 2022 setup. Last year I was very happy with my annual setup and used them very regularly. However, since there is no article on this here yet, I will explain my spreads in detail below. It is best to consider them as tried and tested.
But let’s start with the basics first: I’m using a B5 journal from Notebook Therapy with white dot grid pages for 2023. This journal has 160 GSM ultra-thick paper which would be nice if I want to use watercolor. I have come to love B5 as a greatness over the last few years. A5 is always a bit too small for me, but A4 is much too big, so I’ve landed right in the middle. However, I already know that I will almost certainly not pack a whole year into this journal. I usually get to August or September before I have to start a new journal.
For the entire setup of my pages for 2023, I only used 4 different pens: a Tombow Dual Brush Pen in the colour 992, two Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens with soft and hard tips and a 0.05 finliner.
In addition to this, I used stamp sets to create the Future Log calendars and the letters of the annual overviews in the trackers. You can find such a stamp set on amazon here.
The Future Log
This Future Log is identical to the one I already made in 2020. There are always 4 months horizontally next to each other on a double page. In order to have all months in view as quickly as possible, the pages for May to August are shortened at the top and bottom. They are so-called Dutch Doors. At the edges of the pages there are tabs with the first letters of the respective months.
Here you can find my original post from 2020 when I first used this Future Log: Bullet Journal inspiration – 2021 Setup
The font for the months is inspired by @leelajournals. However, in order not to make the whole overview look too squiggly, 2023 is written in a very round font in the middle of the pages. I hatched the drop shadow of the numbers with the 0.05 Fineliner and coloured it with the Tombow Brush Pen.
23 Things to do in 2023
Whether you’re a fan of resolutions or not, you might like this overview! I have big changes coming up in my private life in 2023 and I can’t yet estimate how much time I will have this year to work on certain goals. Therefore, I have again decided on a list of things I want to do in 2023. In total, there will be 23 things on this list that it would be cool if I do, but that I won’t be too sad if I don’t do either. So it’s more of a bucket list of nice-to-have items than actual resolutions.
To lighten up this overview a bit and not just have a long list, I decided to place the headline in the middle of the page. It is again a mixture of a very curved lettering and a very round font that reminds me of balloons. Starting from this centre point, I then placed a few more branches that tend to grow outwards. You could also number the 23 things so that you can refer to them later in other overviews or place small check boxes in front of them so that you can tick them off.
There are no limits to the 23 things you can choose from. However, it is always easier to keep an overview if you sort the individual items by topic, for example, write items on the topic of health and sport one below the other, then everything on the topic of finances and a block for all leisure activities. You might even like it better if you insert small subheadings as separators. Here you can find a post with some inspirtation on what you could write on your list: 23 Things to Do Before 2023. As you can see, I am also missing a few items on the list. I will add to that in the first weeks of January.
Period Tracker
This year there are many annual trackers in my Bullet Journal setup. The first one is a period tracker. My hope is to get an overview of how regularly symptoms occur and when I can expect my period. I also track everything with my mobile phone, but I personally find it easier to visualise certain patterns when I have it as one big overview.
For this overview, I have written the months horizontally next to each other and put a dot underneath for a day in the corresponding month. When certain events occur (e.g. I have my period), the corresponding points (dates) are specially marked. I have not yet thought about which symptoms I want to track and how I will mark them. You can find a detailed description of how this could look in this post: Bullet Journal Inspiration – Minimal 2023 Setup
Weight Tracker
There is a weight tracker on the right side. I am currently 8 months pregnant and have gained quite a bit of weight in the last few months. My wish for the months after the birth would of course be to lose this weight again. However, I don’t want to set myself a specific goal yet, but rather let it come to me. This overview should only help me to keep everything in perspective. Of course, this overview is also great for tracking specific weight goals, for example if you want to lose or gain weight.
The months of the year are placed horizontally next to each other. Below this is a scale for the corresponding weight. One could also turn this overview upside down and place the letters of the months below the scale. However, since I will start the year with a high weight and hopefully it will decrease towards the end, it made more sense for me to have the months at the top.
As the year progresses, a marker will then always be placed below the corresponding month at the point that represents the current weight. These marks can then be linked together at the end of the year.
Since weight always fluctuates a little for natural reasons, you can track your weight in different ways. You could weigh yourself every day and enter the average weight for the month at the end of the month. However, I find this method very stressful because measuring yourself every day could cause stress.
Another option is to set fixed weighing days. This could be weekly or monthly. However, this bears the risk that your weight could be somewhat distorted by certain factors.
In this overview, I only have a maximum of 2 dots available for each month. I have therefore decided to weigh myself at the beginning and on the 15th of each month. I currently prefer this slight inaccuracy and since I really only use this page as an overview, I can ignore these fluctuations.
Workout Tracker
Exercise is important and I have often enough included a workout tracker in my monthly reviews. This year I have a yearly overview for it. It is identical to the period tracker and that is no coincidence. On the one hand, it is a super simple overview to easily mark activities. On the other hand, I hope to be able to read a connection between my period and my activity level.
Currently, for every day that I have done a workout, no matter what it was, I want to mark the corresponding day. You could also think about symbols or colours to track specific workouts like strength training, yoga or other.
My ideal next 5 Years
The right-hand side is a new overview that I have not seen anywhere before. In connection with the turn of the year, I asked myself what my next 5 years will look like. None of my goals is achieved overnight and I can’t tackle everything at once.
So in order to get a rough idea of when I would like to tackle which goal, I drew a map of the next 5 years. The years are placed next to each other and below them the corresponding months of the year.
So in the next step, I will divide my goals into time blocks and place them over the years. In addition, I enter all fixed dates, such as my birthday, to know how old I am in the corresponding year.
Overall, I have more overview pages this year than in previous years. These pages are mainly intended to help me take more care of my body and my health. Whether and how much I will use the trackers in particular, I cannot yet estimate. However, in order to see them regularly, I will always place one of the bookmarks on the corresponding pages. That way I will always find them quickly and be reminded of them. I have also set up a reminder in my mobile phone so that I can at least check my weight.
I wish you a good start into the year 2023 and a lot of fun designing your bullet journal! Until next time, Xo — L
