Minimal Bullet Journal Setup for 2023
For 2023, I gave a self-designed bullet journal to someone else for the first time. That means the bullet journal setup for 2023 that you can see here is not my own, but for another person. This person is very dear to me and I wanted to make her happy. However, as the BuJo was to be a gift, I couldn’t ask her how she liked it, but had to decide for myself what she might like and what she might not.
Therefore, here is a minimal setup for 2023 with only three different overview pages at the beginning of the year.
For this bullet journal I have an A5 Dot Grid Notebook with white pages from Archer & Olive. The cover is a beautiful green one made of faux-leather with two fish on it. The exact product is unfortunately no longer in stock, but this journal here is very similar: Dot Grid A5 Journal
For the whole setup I mainly used 4 pens. One is a Tombow Dual Brush Pen in the colour 992 (my absolute favourite colour for neutral setups) and two Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pens with soft and hard tips. I also used a 0.05 fineliner for the decorative elements and the numbers of the calendar.
The Future Log
This Future Log hasn’t changed much since 2020 and since I’m still very happy with it myself, I’ve adopted it for this Bullet Journal as well. There are always 4 months horizontally next to each other on a double page. However, the months March to October are on a “Dutch Door”. This means that the pages are a little shorter at the top and bottom and they are like little doors between the pages. On the edges of the pages there are small tabs with the first letters of the months so that you can quickly switch between the months.
To ensure that the first and last pages fit together well, I have painted delicate branches at the top of the page, whose leaves tend to entwine into the page. This also makes it easier to see the difference between the pages and the Dutch Doors.
The font in which I have written the first three letters of the respective months, I have copied from @leelajournals. Her Instagram und YouTube channel are amazing. Please check her out and send her some love.
Here you can find my original post from 2020 when I first used this Future Log: Bullet Journal inspiration – 2021 Setup
23 Things to do in 2023 & Period Tracker
The overview with 23 things to do in 2023 replaced my goal overview last year. I find it difficult to set new goals every year. Let’s be honest, far too often they are unrealistic and frustrating. Besides, I know the person this bullet journal is for isn’t a fan of New Year’s resolutions either. So with this list she has room for all the things she would like to experience, do or try. This list has nothing obligatory and is more like a bucket list than a to-do list.
Here you can find a post with some inspirtation on what you could write on your list: 23 Things to Do Before 2023
The period tracker is the only tracker in this bullet journal and, from my point of view, also one of the few trackers where it is actually worth having an annual overview. Health is a topic that is super important and especially an awareness of how your body feels. Period trackers are a great tool to know yourself better and to be able to tell doctors aboout your health.
The tracker itself has a very simple design. Horizontally, the 12 months are next to each other and below them are as many dots as the month has days. So in January 31 dots, in February 28 and so on…
How this tracker is used is up to you. The simplest variant is to paint the corresponding circles thicker on the days when you have your period. But you can also make it more detailed, for example you can paint the circles thicker the heavier your period is or you can use different colours to track symptoms like bloating, headaches or mood changes. If you want, you can also track your ovulation. How you track these symptoms is entirely up to you. You can simply mark or circle the corresponding days as described above, or you can mark the entire period. You can also do it very minimally and write the corresponding information next to the points. I have included a small example below of how it could look.
There are no limits here. However, I would recommend drawing a small key if you want to include many different elements. This way you won’t forget which symbol should track which symptom over the year.
There are no more annual overviews in this bullet journal. January already starts on the next page.
My last tip for your 2023 setup is this: it’s best to think about what’s important to you throughout the year beforehand. Do you want to have an overview of your events for all months? Do you have a lot of birthdays to remember? Or do you have a lot of to-do’s that you must not forget or constantly repeat?
Or is all this too boring for you and you would rather have a lot of space for photos that you would like to collect in 2023?
There are great Instagram and YouTube accounts that have also posted their 2023 setup. Have a browse through them. You’ll find even more inspiration there. If that’s not enough for you, you can also take a look here: Bullet Journal – 2020 Setup or Bullet Journal inspiration – 2021 Setup
I wish you a good start into the year 2023 and a lot of fun designing your bullet journal! Until next time, Xo — L
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