It’s time for my November Bullet Journal Setup 2022! Lately, my bullet journal setups have been a struggle. This is the 3rd month in a row where I am late setting it up. Normally, this would be a red flag for me to check in and see what is and isn’t working. Given that I wasn’t going to setup a November layout, I knew I had to figure out why. I share a video setup where I talk about what’s going on a bit, but definitely dishing more below. But let’s start with supplies.
November Bullet Journal Setup 2022 Supplies
- B5 Archer and Olive dot grid notebook – NML10 for 10% off (Affiliate link)
- AltaNew Tall Alpha Stamp Set
- Tombow Dual Tip Brush Pen in N15
- Tombow Fudenosuke Brush Pen in black
- House stickers (digital files available for free download for email subscribers)
- Natasha Miller Letters Washi Basics Collection in Black
Check out my November Bullet Journal setup 2021 for more inspiration.
November Bullet Journal Setup Thoughts
For November, I decided to keep it simple. Simple for me apparently is stamps, calligraphy, stickers, and simple washi. I have been overthinking my designs and my layouts when, at the end of the day, I do still need functionality. So while my journal is primarily a creative outlet, I do still rely on that functionality. Which is why I ended up doing a setup for this month.
This is probably the first month since 2019 (!!!!) that I haven’t done a digital hand lettered cover page! I have been so busy, and haven’t been practicing much, so it was faster to stamp and calligraphy the rest. I’m not disappointed that I didn’t do one (you know, because of consistency), but more disappointed that I’m not getting as much practice in as before. I do feel my skills slipping but, that’s life, and currently my life has been super busy.
I have been working part time doing graphic design as part of the marketing team at a small business. It is such a great opportunity and I have been learning a TON. Never thought I would get to be doing this and I am loving it. Only downside is being on a screen most of the day means I don’t want to be on a screen when I’m not doing design work. It’s also why my journal setups have been feeling too structured and my pull toward mixed media art. I want to play with actual tools and create without boundaries. So this is definitely a balance that I need to find.
The work I’ve been doing also means I want to redo all my stuff! So lots going on behind the scenes – slowly unfortunately. But some changes to come and excited to share.
Back to the Alastair Method
Apparently, when I think about my basic bullet journal setup, I default to the Alastair Method. I used this method consistently for about a year in 2020. I do really like this method a lot and only changed to try something different. So, I am excited to use it again this month and see if it’s something I want to move forward into 2023 with.
Struggles Throughout This Setup
I want to address the struggles I had setting this up. They really surprised me! So, while I can have a tendency to rush and overlook finer details, I do consider myself a perfectionist. My biggest struggle throughout this creative journey has been overcoming this perfectionist, self-doubting tendency. When I hit publish on videos, blog posts, and Instagram posts, I have to almost look away. Scheduling is great because then I don’t actually have to be there to push the button.
So I actually found this setup to be super challenging. By my standards, this setup is a minimalist setup. Not necessarily in terms of supplies, but overall aesthetic. When I normally create my over the top layouts, I can overlook a bit of stamp ink here, and smudge there, doesn’t matter. There’s always so much going on, there’s something else to focus on.
With this layout, every smudge, every mistake, just launched itself off the page at me and annoyed me so much. It made me realize that minimalist journaling is far more challenging for me. I love a beautiful, aesthetic minimalist setup. I envy them at times. But I love colour so I would just scroll on because it isn’t my style. Well, this month I found out that it’s not necessarily a case of not being my style, but that it triggers my perfectionist tendencies and, to a degree, my anxiety. Something to potentially work on I guess but I definitely wanted to share this with you.
Keep It Simple
I guess the final words I want to leave you with is to keep it simple. If it’s too overwhelming or you’re lacking motivation, go back to basics. Those basics may be different from mine, but remember the true purpose of your journal – while mine is creativity, I got to be creative in a different way that challenged me, but still got the job done.
Even consider printing something out and gluing it into your journal. A colouring page perhaps could be fun. You have the creativity with the mindfulness exercise of colouring. And while I love sharing my journal with all of you, at the end of the day, it’s supposed to work for me. So that was this month’s focus.
If you have any comments or questions, drop them down below or over on the various social channels, I would love to hear from you!
Talk soon!
