It’s no secret if you’ve been following me on social media or get my newsletters that I love a bit of planning, specifically in my Bullet Journal. What I love about Bullet Journaling is how versatile it is and how, depending on what’s going on between work, home, kids etc, I can tailor it to support me however I need at that time.
What I have found though is that there are some key tools I use week in week out in my layout no matter what I’m focusing on and it’ll come as no surprise that some of those tools are stamp based! But I know that it can feel quite an overwhelming thing to start, especially if you look on Instagram or Pinterest where there are some truly beautiful examples of people planners, so I thought it might be good to share some of my own too. I won’t pretend they’re as Instagram-able as some, but hopefully they do a good job of showing just how simple, effective and fun some layouts can be!
First up is a ‘working week’ weekly spread, which I think of as that only because Saturday/Sunday share a section. I’ve used the clear Washi Tape stamps to create headers that I’ve restamped the days on, and it’s such a quick and easy way of adding a bit of colour to my spreads. I sometimes use just the capital letters from the alphabet set too. The Perpetual Calendar Dial is so useful to help give me an overview of the month (without having to write out all the numbers), and whilst I try to keep specific to-dos for each day to the bigger boxes, having a smaller section to help me remember more general little tasks like things at home.
This other weekly spread is for when we’ve got a busy weekend ahead with kids activities to remember and plan around. If I have a busier week than the goals section and the mood tracker helps me stay that bit more focused and on track, and encourages me to be that bit more aware of myself too incase things start feeling overwhelming - it can happen so easily with two kids to juggle, a dog to walk and a pandemic happening around us! This ‘days of the week’ washi tape means it’s such a quick spread to pull together and with enough space to jot things down as I go.
There really are so many possibilities of using the stamps for different things within your planner so here are a few ideas of different ways I’ve seen stamps used:
Perpetual Calendar to track your menstrual cycle marking off key dates, either one dial on a monthly spread, or one big spread of 12 dials.
Using the larger weekday grid for the month Track workout days by marking when you did some exercise. Or I’ve seen people use it as a mood tracker where you can colour in each segment depending on how you were feeling that day.
The Washi Tape Stamps are probably the most versatile we do, as not only can you stamp in lots of different colours, you can colour in some of the shapes, use them as dividers or as headers for any number of sections. I was even sent this picture by a friend I work with who used them and some sticky tabs to make a Kanban-board style spread for the projects she was working on that month.
And of course, you don’t need to have written headings at all in your spreads if they’re not that useful to you - I sometimes use letters from an alphabet set or one of the icons to help give my spread some structure without taking up as much space.
There really are endless possibilities for bullet journalling, which is why it’s so fantastic, and if you’re after more inspiration I have a Pinterest board with some of my favourites, and of course there are great examples all over Pinterest and Social Media you can find with a quick search. The key ultimately, however, is just to give things a try and see what works best for you!
And if you do use stamps, and especially any of the Mint Maker ones, in whatever capacity I’d love for you to tag me @mintmakerstudio (mainly so I can have a nosey!).