Can I Start A Bullet Journal In The Middle of The Year?
If you’re new to bullet journaling and wondering if it’s too late to start a bullet journal then the answer is no, you’re just on time! You’re not bound by any rule that states you need to bullet journal at a certain time or that you can’t bullet journal in the middle of the year.
The great thing about bullet journals is that you can start literally any time during the year whether that’s at the very beginning, at the end of the year or like what you want to know in the middle of the year.
As we know bullet journals can be used for many different things like keeping up with your habits, creating a to-do list, making sure you complete your chores or schedule events and keeping track of work projects.
One of the best things about bullet journals is that if you want to use them as a daily, weekly or monthly planner you can easily do so during the middle of the year – just grab a new journal, open to a blank page and start tracking. It’s simple as that!
The most beneficial aspect of starting a bullet journal in the middle of the year is where you get to play around with different designs while experimenting with what looks best for you and which ones aren’t worth keeping for next year’s bullet journal. To be honest, it’s a win-win situation.
So if you’re feeling afraid or worried, there is no need to be! Just take it as a good thing that you get this chance to start a journal from scratch – even if it is in the middle of the year.
Difference Between Bullet Journals and Planners
What differentiates a bullet journal from a normal planner is that there are only blank pages (or more specifically dotted pages) whereas a normal planner usually comes predated leaving you without much room to work around it.
When you use a predated journal, you’ll have plenty of blank pages left over, in fact, the first half of your journal will be completely blank. It doesn’t sound so great, am I right? A bullet journal, on the other hand, has no dates, so you get to decide which page you’d like to start with.
Whichever time of the year a bullet journal can be used for whatever you want to use it for, be it as an artistic outlet or simply to become more organized. Either way, starting a bullet journal in the middle in the middle of the year is definitely worth it.
Why You Should Try Bullet Journaling (even if you’re only starting now)
I’m not sure if I mentioned this earlier but I also came across the concept of bullet journals very late in the year. I was browsing Instagram one silly day and came across these gorgeous spreads of daily tasks ideas, reading spreads, and this goal list that just spoke to me, and it just blew me away.
But what inspired me the most to really look into a bullet journal was the idea of how it helps you be more organized and productive! Something I desperately needed at that time.
In general, it will motivate you to complete your task that you set out to do and also get more done in a shorter period of time. Now that sounds great, am I right?
There are many benefits of starting a bullet journal but as I’ve said before bullet journals are great for keeping you busy, active, and productive every single day while also encouraging you and giving you that extra boost of inspiration when you feel a dip coming on.
See also: Bullet Journal Benefits: 7 Powerful Reasons Why You Should Journal
How to start a bullet journal in the middle of the year?
What will you use it for?
First, decide what you like to do with your journal. Would you like to use it purely for enjoyment or as a hobby? Do you need to use it for work or school? Once you’ve answered this simple question, you’ll at least now know where and what to start with.
What supplies will I need?
In order to start bullet journaling, you’ll need a few basic supplies.
As you become more familiar with what works and what doesn’t, you’ll know how to improve your work with new supplies. For now, all you’ll need is a dotted bullet journal but you could also start with a plain blank notebook.
Next up, you’ll need pens, color markers, pencils, washi tapes, and highlighters.
Where do I start?
Now you might be wondering how do you begin a bullet journal? The answer is simple. Customize the first page of the journal with your name or an inspirational quote.
You’ll then want to use another page for an index sheet or a bullet journal key. This is basically a reference to all the symbols you will use to categorize different aspects of your journal.
The next thing you would want to do is to create a six-month calendar overview (or how many months are left in the year from where you’re starting).
You can also go ahead and include a future log. This will help you in preparing for upcoming events, things that you need to do, later on, keep track of birthdays, appointments, or just plan out the rest of it the year.
Pick a theme
If you’re in the middle of a new month or at the beginning then the next step will be to design a cover page.
Pick a theme for the entire month. This will make it much easier to keep your bullet journal coherent and well planned out.
Here are a few basic theme ideas you could include that normally turn out great:
- Flowers
- Planets
- Stars
- Sea Shells
- Fruits
- Unicorns
- Crystals & Gems
Discover new ideas
Once you’ve got all the details down, you can now begin your journal. Browse Instagram and Pinterest for more ideas that will help inspire your creations. If you’re unsure, keep it simple and then you’ll learn as you go along.
Conclusion
It’s definitely not complicated if you start any bullet journal in the middle of the year.
You can easily make it work for you and of course, if you have a lot of pages leftover from this bullet journal, just make a new separator and you can continue journalling for next year’s.
You never know unless you try which is why I think you should give this a chance.
Many others who have started a bullet journal in the middle of the year found that they were actually pretty impressed by its results and most importantly that it really didn’t matter when they started because once you get the hang of bullet journaling, soon enough you’ll become obsessed with!
So if you’re still on the fence about starting a bullet journal in the middle of the year, go ahead and try it out for a few days or even a week.
Soon enough you’ll realize it doesn’t really matter.