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classics is basically my life right now (but tbh i’m kinda loving it!) taken from my ig: peachystudy

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friday 18.2 & saturday 19.2, semester six, week five

I spent my Thursday afternoon with a friend to prepare our grammar presentation. Presentation that I properly finished writing down this morning. Everything’s ready for our oral exam, slash 50% of our grade, for week seven. (Because week six is break week.) Anyways, I couldn’t resist, while running errands with Mum, to this Aloe plant. I named her Billy. (I didn’t have any plants at my parents anymore since I brought them all at uni with me.) I didn’t do much today, lots of reading with my latest novel (Adam Silvera’s History is all you left me) and prepared my notes for my linguistics exam (because linguistics doesn’t count as work, right?).

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01.29.17 | Studying hard or hardly studying? I’ve got a midterm on Tuesday that I’m super nervous about! There’s a lot of information to know and I’m not sure if I can remember it all 😅 |  |ig:coffeesforstudiers |  🎧 lie // the knocks ft. jerm

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everything is actually a mess

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so happy with my new desk !!  ✨ insta @emmalucys 🌵 snap emma.lucys

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A spread from a couple weeks ago! I passed the piano test (yay~) but because I no longer have to practice two hours a day, I feel like I don’t have as much to do…so I’ve stopped using my bullet journal for awhile. But I do get really confused as to what I need to do if I don’t write it down, so I’m back to bujo-ing!

This is definitely my favorite spread I’ve done so far. It’s pretty minimalistic because I’m not very good at decorating things/making things look pretty, but I’m working on it! :D Have a great week y’all!

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A messy desk as a result from today’s studying.

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15.03.2017 // my classes finish at 1:30 on wednesdays so i went for a little walk to the state library + muji (bought a few things inc. graph paper, black eraser, brush pen and another 0.5 black gel pen)

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As you probably already know, many studyblrs rely on bullet journaling to organise their day-to-day lives. I have received numerous questions about bulleting journaling ranging from how to start one to whether there is a limit of who can use it. In an attempt to summarise everything to do with bullet journals, I’ve created this post! I’m hoping to outline each possible question you could have and provide some answers.

What is bullet journaling? Bullet journalling is a customisable organisational tool which uses indicators to map out and prioritise your monthly, weekly and/or daily tasks. It can be a planner, a to-do list, a sketchbook, and a notebook. There is no limit to what it can be. You are in total control. Bulletjournal.com is a great place to start if you’re looking to find out more!

How is it better than a planner? This is very dependent on you as a person and what organisational tools you find to be most effective. If you find planners restricting in terms of customisation or layout, then bullet journaling is perhaps a good alternative. Many people enjoy the freedom and creative outlet which it gives. 

Can anyone do it?  Yes, absolutely. I’ve received messages from people saying they aren’t artistically talented and therefore don’t think they can be a bullet journalist but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Using a bullet journal doesn’t require you to be an artist. I certainly am not and still use it! I choose very simple spreads without the fancy calligraphy, doodles or complicated designs. The important thing to remember is that it is usefulness over aesthetics!!

What notebook do I need? Any notebook is perfect - that choice is yours to make. Most bullet journalists use either grid or dotted paged notebooks. However, others choose to use blank or lined ones. I personally use grid notebooks - I find this easiest to write. Whilst the brand of your notebook doesn’t matter, popular ones include Moleskine, Leuchtturm1917 or Rhodia. I use the Arc Customisable Notebook by Staples in A5 for my bullet journal. I find it offers everything other notebooks would but, instead, uses a discbound system which means you can add and remove paper. The refill paper is also thicker than other brands so bleeding or ghosting aren’t a problem. Here are some pictures of my bullet journal in case you don’t know what a discbound notebook looks like!

Everyone differs in the notebook they prefer so do some research and figure out one that might work for you. A couple of tips for choosing would be, find a design that lays flat (I seriously hate when notebooks don’t!) and find one which doesn’t have really thick/dark lines. If they are dark it can sometimes be difficult to see your writing at a quick glance, especially if you use a black pen. 

What supplies do I need? Again, there is no set supplies. You can use anything you fancy. I tend to stick with using a black Pilot G2 in 0.38 and Zebra Mildliners. Other people will use coloured pens to differentiate between subjects or special brush pens for headers. Some people also choose to decorate their spreads with stickers, washi tape and post it notes. Your choice of supplies is totally up to you - again there is no set requirement!! It is also worth noting that you shouldn’t feel pressured into buying anything just because it is popular! 

Once I’ve gathered everything, where do I start? The best way to start is by planning a few pages to go at the front of your notebook. Some people choose to start with a contents page and therefore will number each page throughout their journal. Usually, they will begin with a yearly overview or yearly breakdown. Followed by an index page where you write out the key that you’ll follow. It can be a comprehensive list or just a couple of symbols, your choice. Here are some examples. Other popular pages include yearly goals, a to-read or to-watch list, habit trackers (e.g. for mood, sleep, grades, exercise, etc), expenses lists. Here are some photos of my 2017 bullet journal and a run-down of all the pages I’ve included and plan to include during the year. Once you’ve done the initial set-up, you can get onto making either your monthly, weekly and/or daily spreads!

What other pages can I include? This is a really limitless question. You can make absolutely anything you desire. Here are a few more ideas:

pages for habit tracking:

sleeping on time; chores; exercise; spending (e.g. under $10); mood; skin care routine; water intake; updated your social media; eat fruit/something healthy; complimenting someone; did an act of kindness; using a new word; did over the recommended 10,000 steps; read at least one chapter; practiced your hobby; ‘don’t break the chain’; 100 days of productivity; 

pages to log:

movie review; music reviews; book reviews; travel; dreams; future goals; expenses; gratitude log; sentence-a-day log; tv series episode tracker; weight gain/loss/maintain; follower count; savings; accomplishments; upcoming releases; self-care practice;

pages for fun:

pen swatches; washi tape samples; doodles/sketchbook; movie tickets; flower press; photographs/polaroids; stickers; quotes; recipes; playlists; bucket list; favourite lyrics; ‘fuck it’ page (rant about things that annoy you); jokes/puns; diary; concert ticket pages; outfit inspiration/ideas; handwriting samples; six word stories; writing prompts;

pages of use:

contact information for family/friends; birthdays; gift ideas; wishlist; important events; emails/passwords (don’t write your full passwords! just easy hints); discount codes/coupons; random reflections; self-care tips; mental health tracker;

pages for planning:

monthly overviews; monthly goals; monthly reflections; weekly spread; weekly goals; weekly reflections; daily spread; daily goals; daily reflections; (just to clarify I wouldn’t suggest doing all of them but maybe a monthly overview + review and then weekly or daily spreads)

pages for students: 

exam dates; semester dates; semester information (e.g. course info/teacher/rooms/etc); revision checklist; homework tracker; colour code; assessment due dates; grade tracker; definitions; achievements;  

Where can I find inspiration? Here, there and everywhere! Tumblr is full of it, Pinterest has loads of boards dedicated to spreads and Instagram has the entire bullet journal community to look at (and join!!). Below are a few places to look at:

my bullet journal tag

my bullet journal pinterest board

bullet journals on pinterest

bullet journals on instagram

Any final tips for beginners? Just give it a go! Test it out, see how you like it. Play around with different layouts and spreads. Find out what works for you and what doesn’t. It is all about improving your own organisation and productivity. If it turns out you don’t like it, try another method of organisation!

Hopefully, this post has answered a few questions if you’ve been thinking about starting a bullet journal. It’s a great way to organise yourself whilst customising it exactly to your needs! If you want to, you can share your own spreads! Remember to use the #bulletjournal or #bujo tags!

Thank you so much for reading! If you’ve started a bullet journal that you’d like me to reblog, tag #emmastudies in the post!

Other masterposts by me:

how to create a study schedule

how to improve your handwriting

how to deal with moving schools or university

how to create a colour code

how to take notes from a textbook

how to take effective in class/lecture notes

popular apps for students

step-by-step guide to writing a five-paragraph essay

10 small tips to improve your productivity

60 stationery brands to check out

school and university related tv shows and movies

microsoft oneone tutorial

my note taking system

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03.12.17 | 19/100 Days of Productivity

Notes from my Beckett research. The Adorno I’m reading is so hard. Someone needs to write “Trying to Understand ‘Trying to Understand Endgame.’” But my professor said that this is what’s known as “earning your stripes.” 📚👩🏻‍🎓

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Time spent lovely.

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cleaned out my desk over the weekend and this is the pretty result 💖 i hope y'all are taking ur meds and drinking ur water. and eating a lotta food.

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2.28.17 | a pink post to say goodbye to february 

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My fave notes (but definitely not my fave topics) this semester! 

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Pages from my Moleskine 2017 Bullet Journal

I’m really loving this spread (not just because Sehun’s beautiful face is gracing it) but because of the gorgeous orange accents I put in it. It’s been a pretty relaxing week other than a lot of online assignments for Human Geography. 

Taken from my studygram. I think I’m going to be posting more things on instagram and adding things to my story more often so go ahead and follow it for more content!!

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IMPORTANT: 

your handwriting is part of who you are, don’t ever change it for anyone else, no matter how unaesthetic it may seem, as compared to others. it is unique. it is what makes you you. every single alphabet, every single letter is beautiful. you are beautiful. 💓

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a couple of january spreads.