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Elements to Make Your Bullet Journal Cohesive



For 2020 I decided to make my bullet journal more cohesive compared to how I have designed it in the past. While doing this I have come up with a few different ways to make all types of spreads be cohesive. In this blog post I will give ideas with explanations and images for how you to can create a yearly bullet journal that is cohesive from beginning to end. 

I plan digitally, using an iPad and the application GoodNotes Adonit Dash 3 Stylus from Amazon. These spreads were made on GoodNotes5, but are easily exported to be used on GoodNotes4. If you are curious to why I plan digitally check out my blog post Switching to a Digital Planner-Paperless Planning.

Theme

My first suggestion is to have a theme for the whole calendar year. For 2020 I chose the theme of minimal black and white with an accent of grey highlights. A theme like this helps to have a majority of the bullet journal look cohesive when you look over the whole notebook. When it comes to a theme for a whole year I would stick to something broad and not specific. This allows for the theme to be used in a variety of different ways and for all types of spreads. 

Weekly Spread Elements

My next suggestion is to have an element that you include in all of your weekly spreads. For me this is the same "What I Ate" (food tracker) section for all weekly spreads. Because I use GoodNotes to plan, I am able to copy and paste this element into each of my weekly spreads. My suggestion for this is to have a simple element that can easily be used in all types of weekly spreads. As you can see in the image below I used a simple font so that it would go with a variety of other fonts that I might use in the rest of the weekly spread. If you don't track your food then other elements that you could use are: a small monthly calendar, a weekly or daily habit trackers, weekly to do list, note section or even to buy list. The image below has even more ideas.




Titles and Headers

A way to make spreads that you use more than once is to use the same header or title each time you repeat it. For me this means using the same header/title design on my monthly workout tracker, monthly health tracker, book trackers, "Tweet My Life", and COVID-19 notes spreads. For more details on what a health tracker is check out this blog post The Only Habit/Health Tracker that You Need for Your Bullet Journal. For more information on the workout tracker that I use check out this blog post Bullet Journal Fitness and Workout Spread Ideas. Each time I repeat the spread whether that be because its a new month or because I have filled up the other page, I use the same title or header. Not only does this make it easier to find a spread when you are looking for it, but it also helps with the overall cohesiveness of your bullet journal. Below are examples of how I use this technique in my 2020 bullet journal. I have also included an image of the titles and headers that I use most often. These ideas coincide with my theme of minimal black and white.








Color Coding

Using the same color coding or highlighting throughout your bullet journal is another element that will add to the cohesiveness of the whole journal. Even though I said my theme for 2020 is minimal black and white, I do use color for two spreads. The way that I use color coding in my bullet journal is in my mood tracker and workout tracker. For me the coloring helps to easily compare from month to month. I know that it is a trend to make your habit tracker and mood tracker different each month, but I find that by not doing this I have made my bullet journal more cohesive. As you can see on the images below I also include a key for what each color stands for. Check the section above for more information on these spreads.




Symbols and Abbreviations

Similarly to color coding, using the same symbols and abbreviations throughout your spreads will also make it more cohesive. This could mean using the same symbols for tasks within your weekly spreads or to do lists. Also using the same symbols and abbreviations in tracker spreads. As you can see from the images below I use the same symbols for my health tracker every month. I have also included examples of symbols and abbreviations that you too can use in your bullet journal. I recommend reading my blog post The Only Habit/Health Tracker that You Need for Your Bullet Journal for more information on each of these abbreviations. 

As you can see from this blog post there are a number of different ways you can make your bullet journal cohesive from beginning to end. 


Stay safe and happy planning!!

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