Trying to be Organised

Hi! We're Millie and Claire and this blog is documenting our attempts to be organised.

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

2021 Bullet Journal Setup

Now that 2020 is finally over, I couldn’t wait to set up my 2021 bullet journal. This is honeslty one of my favourite things to do when the new year comes around. This year I have switched things up again as I am forever trying to find new ways to make my bujo expereince more efficient. This will be my 4th bullet journal and has by far been my favourite to set up. I have tried to go with a more scrapbook feel as this has always been a bujo aesthetic that has intrigued me.

2021 Cover Page:

Key:

Birthdays:

Future Log:

2021 Reading Challenge: Find out more about our reading challenge!

2021 Books:

Blog Schedule: Myself and Claire also have a book blog! @aworldinpages​

January Cover Page:

January Calendar:

Weekly Set Up:

I hope this give you some inspiration when it comes to your 2021 bullet journal set ups and that 2021 is a better year for everyone!

M🌸

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

2020 Bullet Journal

As the end of 2021 is fast approaching I thought I’d make a post collating all my monthly pages of the year!

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

As you can probably tell I got bored of the way I was setting my bullet journal up towards the end of the year and decided to try something new. This theme will probably be what my 2021 bujo will look like.

I hope that you have had the best 2020 possible in what has been a weird year for everyone and fingers crossed 2021 will be better.

M🌸 

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

2020 Bullet Journal Setup

Somehow, this year I am actually on the ball when it comes to setting up my Bullet Journal. Normally, it is a mad rush on the 1st to get it all done in time for the new year. This will be my third year of having a bullet journal and to be honest with you I didn’t think I would stick to it. But here we are 3 years later and still excited to set my new bujo up. I haven’t changed much this year but the main theme was to just make everything simpler and easier for everyday use. I kinda fell out of my love with my bullet journal a little bit this year and found it such a chore to set it up every week. So, I have made my weekly log simpler to set up and use in the hopes that I’ll be better at keeping on top of things.

Hello 2020...

Key...

2020 Goals...

Future Log...

2020 Reading Challenge...

2020 Reading Log...

2020 Movie Trackers...

Tv Tracker...

January Front Cover...

January Monthly Log...

Weekly Layout...

So there it is my 2020 bullet journal set up... I hope this has goven you some inspiration and that you enjoy setting your bujo up as much as I have.

M🌸

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

2019 Bullet Journal

As the end of 2019 is fast approaching I thought I’d make a post collating all my monthly pages of the year.

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

I hope you’ve all had an amazing year! My next post will be my 2020 Set Up!

M🌸

[adelinestudiess]

Generic

Lessons learnt from this summer by @minijournals

Tips and guides

Selfcare guide

Self care by @kimanoir

Self care tips for students by @theorganisedstudent

12 steps for self care

Self-care to do list

Some little self care things by @irinastudies

Self-care guide by @thetrevorproject

101 self care ideas by @microstvdy

Self care by @littleredstudies

Finals self care by @rubypolar

Instruction manual by @hufflepuffwannabe

Some self care tips by @lovefulls

Self care by @lazyhermione

15 self care ideas by @kaleylearns

Little self care things by @flowerais

Self-care by @mlstudies

Self care by @likelyhealthy

A very brief guide to selfcare by @ejlandsman

My favourite selfcare tips by @rubynerdy

26 selfcare activities by @sheisrecovering

Little habits/things to do more of by @heyrosiebee

Sleep

Guide to sleep by @educatier

Balancing sleep & education by @brbimstudying

Perfect night sleep

How to go to bed early and actually fall asleep

Water

How to drink more water ft printables

Hydration masterpost

Breaks

Take a break

Types of study breaks by @samsstudygram

Tips for getting better rest

Treat yourself

Simple ways to treat yourself by @anitastudy

Guide to treating yourself by @pennyfynotes

25 No/Low cost self care acts by @gaygirlhustle

Feel good

How to feel better by @bbangstudies

Feel good by @librarystudies

7 ways to feel better by @p-antarei

If you are having a bad day by @theblacksiren

Destress

Easy ways to destress by @parisgellerstudy

Stress relievers by @noteology

How to deal with stress by @studywithclover

Apps to help you destress by @gracelearns

Tips to manage stress by @fairy-studies-blr

Burnout

How to deal with study burnout by @eintsein

Avoid education burnout by @neuroticmedblr

Mental health

Saving your grades from a crisis by @smartstudy

Chronic illness + studying by @studysenior

Coping with mental health by @overstudies

Studying with depression by @rannedomblr

Anxiety

Anxiety distraction games by @peachou

Anxiety masterpost by @dotgrids

Relaxing doesn’t help anxiety by @merrybitchmas91

Meditation and focus

Study sounds

Others

What to do with notebooks by @tbhstudying

Podcasts for students by @studyquill

Period masterpost

Dealing with eye strain by @studylikeaslytherin

Listen by @studyblr

50 things you can do without looking at a screen

How to live a better life by @wilstudies

Fitness & health for student by @abby-studies-art

Friendly reminders taken from @cwote

Your mental health is more important than your grades

You are good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, and strong enough

Don’t just be good to others, be good to yourself too

Embrace all that is you

You will be okay

Just breathe. It will be okay.

Be proud of yourself for how hard you’re trying.

Be nice to yourself

Don’t beat yourself up. You are doing the best you can.

Be gentle with yourself, you’re doing the best you can.

Better things are coming.

Loving yourself is the greatest revolution.

Remind yourself, you deserve to be happy

Respect yourself. Don’t let others tell you who you are.

Learn to say no to people and things that make you unhappy.

Enjoy your own company.

Forgive yourself.

Never apologise for how you feel

Give yourself some credit. You’ve come pretty far.

Mental health is just as important as physical health.

Surround yourself with good vibes

Stop worrying about people who aren’t worried about you.

If you find you are surrounded by toxic people… Cut. Them. Out.

Trust yourself. You’re smarter than you think.

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

April Bullet Journal Setup

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

February Bullet Journal Setup

[aworldinpages]

The Five People You Meet In Heaven ~ Mitch Albom

This was one of my picks to read this year and I’m very glad I did. I’ve read this book a couple of times before, but it’s been a few years since. The Five People You Meet In Heaven has been on my TBR (To Be Read) list since I last closed the book. 

Going into the re-read of this book, I was quite excited. It’s no secret that I regard this book as one of the best books of all time that everyone should read. That hasn’t changed at all now that I’ve refreshed my memory. There’s some innate wonder about Eddie’s journey through heaven after his heroic death. The five lessons he learns from five separate characters speak to me every single time I read it.

I found myself getting so engrossed in the beautiful storytelling that I had to put the book down and step away just so I could pace how quickly I was reading it. Taking your time to read is probably best for this book despite the easy flow and gentle pace. The messages shared are important and worth thinking about.

I still was quite sad when I came to the end of this book. I read the last few chapters in the coffee shop of my local Waterstones (which is one of my favourite places to have a cup of tea and read) and had to stop myself looking visibly moved over the last few pages.

I haven’t read the sequel yet and I’m super excited to now that I’ve re-read the first book.

I love this book and it is my first five-star read of the year. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. So, if you haven’t read it-do it now! And if you have, maybe it’s time for a re-read?

C 🌙

[aworldinpages]

Silent Scream ~ Angela Marsons

My first book of the year is complete… however, looking back now at my choice of book I feel like I have completely disregarded the whole ‘read more books out of your comfort zone’ mantra we are meant to be trying to follow this year. As usual, I went straight back to what I know… a good old gory crime detective book. Surprise, surprise! Even though, I feel like I’ve kinda failed before I’ve even started I’m more than glad that I chose this series to start off 2019.

After multiple recommendations from my Auntie (who is a massive bookworm like myself), I decided to download the first two in the series on to my Kindle. She also gave me paperbacks of books 3, 4, 5 and 6 so I felt like I needed to at least give them a try.

Well… I was more than pleasantly surprised.

At first, I thought it was going to be your cliché, bog standard, detective novel but it was honestly so much more. Its constant twists and turns had me enthralled from the first page. Just so many layers waiting to be unravelled.

The plot predominantly follows D.I. Kim Stone, a strong willed (takes no shit from no one) motorbike obsessed detective. Alongside a gripping plotline, you also get small glimpses into her background/childhood which is very intriguing and I can only assume that we’ll gradually learn more about it throughout the series. Her childhood also causes her to be challenged and become over attached to her current case which is full of secrets and lies that have been kept in the dark for many years. Leading to five individuals lives to be hung in the balance.

The book opens with said five people stood around a shallow grave making a pact that they themselves will take to their own graves. It’s a race against time to see whether D.I. Kim Stone can catch a killer whos spree spans over decades.

I would definitely say that a strong stomach might be required as themes of child abuse and murder are divulged in explicit detail. The fast-paced manner of this read kept me on the edge of my seat and I would for sure recommend to any fellow crime thriller novel lovers like myself.

Oustandingly this was Marsons’ debut novel back in 2015 yet the way its written feels like she has been writing bestsellers for years. Not only does her protagonist quickly become someone you feel like you know, but her development of the supporting characters also having you rooting for them all from the off.

I would give Silent Scream 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️and I also look forward to reading the rest of the series which I’m sure will not disappoint either.

M🌸

[aworldinpages]

The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho

There are three things you need to know before you read my review of this book. 1. This genre is one that I have never chosen to read, I don’t think I have even looked at the shelf in the bookshop. 2. I don’t believe in any religion or god. 3. I originally started this book as something to put me to sleep.

Knowing all that, you would be surprised to hear that I did quite enjoy this book. It was recommended to me by a friend and after Millie passed it over, I thought I’d give it a go. I wasn’t expecting to like it and so picked it up as I was going to bed, hoping that it would make me sleepy. 

The prologue did not give much hope for the rest of the book as it seemed too outlandish. If you choose to believe that such acts are possible due to religion, then that’s your choice, but for me, I had to think of the miraculous acts as magical realism rather than acts of God.

Once I had sorted that out in my mind, it was actually a really easy read. What I was expecting to take me over a week, took me less than three days. The narrative recollects Paulo Coelho’s pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago after he fails his initiation into RAM (Regnus Agnus Mundi- which I have never heard of before reading this book). The goal of the pilgrimage is to find the sword that shows he has succeeded in his initiation.  

I found myself more interested in the journey than the quest. Usually, I’m rooting for the protagonist to reach their destination and complete their quest, but in this book, I didn’t particularly care because it was obvious, to me, that the journey was much more important. It was different from a lot of the books that I read, but I found myself enjoying that. 

Reading the book was very much like a journey itself, each word you read was a step forward and each chapter was the next landmark reached. Thus, it was very easy to find myself reading large chunks of the book without realising it, because it flowed continuously, like an easy-going journey. It was a change of pace.

Overall I would give this book three stars. I enjoyed it, but not enough to read again, nor do I think it changed my life in any way. It may have been four stars if I wasn’t constantly questioning the validity of some of the miraculous acts or trials. I believe that for some of the acts Paulo Coelho may believe he saw what he recorded but others were too fantastical for me to believe.

C🌙

[aworldinpages]

Introducing Us...

Hello…

A couple of years ago the two of us made this blog with the intention to post regularly reviewing books, and, ultimately just sharing our love for reading with the world. However, A-levels happened and this blog was put on the back burner for a little longer than originally anticipated. This year, however, we both want to put more focus on not only reading but also writing. This aim will hopefully be inspired by the 2019 Reading Challenge we have created in order to prevent our motivation dwindling throughout the year. (More explaining our challenge here)

Keep reading

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

Go check out our bookblr @aworldinpages . We’ve just started our annual reading challenge and will be posting our thoughts on everything we read this year. Come recommend us some books or tell us what you think of the books we’ve chosen.

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY If you would like a book that makes you feel as if there is no happiness in the world: this is the book for you. The novel retells the night of Clay Jensen who has received...

Hi...

It’s Millie and Claire, the admins of this studyblr and we wanted to let anyone who loves reading and books that we have recently started a bookblr to discuss the books we’re reading in 2019. We would love it if you could check it out and send us some recommendations or your (spoiler-free) thoughts on the books we’ve chosen to read this year.

Thank you 

M&C

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

Empty Notebooks

If you’re like us, you probably have multiple empty notebooks lying around and few ideas on how to fill them. So here’s a compilation of ideas, that hopefully will inspire you to fill those notebooks. Some may seem rather obvious, but it doesn’t harm to cover the basics.

1. Bullet Journal

For ideas on how to start your bullet journal have a look at our 2019 setups here and here.

2. Recipe Collections

A place to write down your favourite/most used recipes is useful. Having to search through various different websites/apps trying to remember what that one recipe was called is a pain. If you don’t have a notebook with dividers use sticky bookmarks to mark what type of recipe each page contains (e.g. meat, veggie, vegan, deserts etc.)

3. Dream Diary

4. Book/Reading Journal

A place to write down what books you’ve read and what you’ve thought. This journal is also a good way to keep track of what books you have borrowed or loaned, and when books by your favourite author are due to be released.

5. Finances

A notebook solely for a log of what you’ve spent or earned is very helpful in organising yourself and adulting.

6. Diary/Journal/Brain Dump

A place to write down thoughts and feelings.

7. Miscellaneous Notebook

A small notebook that can fit into any bag (and maybe a pocket) that you can take anywhere with you to write down anything that may pop into your head, shopping lists and ideas.

8. Lists

This could be a place where you keep shopping lists, to-do lists, favourite movies or tv shows you are currently watching.

9. Blog Posts

Ideas for blog posts can strike at any time or they can take a while to form, a notebook is a perfect way to keep those thoughts organised.

10. Stories/Ideas

Writers know that inspiration can strike at the strangest of moments and sometimes those ideas aren’t needed in that point of the narrative. A notebook keeps those ideas safe until needed.

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

2019 Bullet Journal Setup

January has rolled around sooner than expected and I was quick to realise I was well behind on my bujo setup 😂. This year is my 2nd year of doing a Bullet Journal which means I have experimented slightly with some new layouts to try and find something that works better for me.

Again, I am using a Leuchtturm 1917 Journal because I love how many pages it has. Giving me more room to document memories around my daily/monthly spreads.

The first page after the already printed index pages is my key page. I have kept my key the same as last year. It’s simple and concise and worked really well for me last year.

Similar to last year I created a ‘Hello 2019’ page. I chose this loading bar image because I thought it was creative yet not over complicated and didn’t take long to create.

Each year I like to make a few goals to try and stick to through the year. I have used the same layout as last year to display my 8 goals for 2019.

A Future Log in a bullet Journal, I think, is rather important. It keeps all your important dates for the year ahead in one place. I like to make sure that mine includes a birthdays section so I don’t miss anyone throughout the year.

Every year myself and Claire set ourselves a reading goal. The last two years we’ve set the target at 50 and neither of us have managed it for one reason or another. But, the main one being that by the end of the year our motivation for reading almost disappears.

In order to avoid the struggle of choosing books we’ve both decided to select 10 books each that we both have to read within 2019 and the rest of the target can be made up of our own choices. Hopefully this will prevent us from getting into our annual rut. We have also chosen 5 mini challenges to try and achieve.

My next two pages are copies of ones I used last year. They’re both simple and easy to use which is why I’ve chosen to use them again for 2019. On the left we have a bookshelf where I can add all the books I read this year. And the same for the right page which is for new movies I have seen.

This year I decided to simplify my tv tracker. Simple seems to be a reoccurring theme this year. I just want to make this year’s bujo as easy to use as possible. So, my tracker will consist of very simple graphs so I can keep track of series/episodes I have watched.

My monthly setup will be similar to last year, however, I have adapted some elements to be more convenient. Each month will have a colour theme, the same as last year, which I will correlate with my washi tapes and pen choices.

My next two pages are my monthly calendar and my weekly spread. Both have changed in ways to make sure I’m fulfilling every potential that my bullet Journal has to offer.

So, that is my bujo setup for 2019. I’m am really looking forward to journaling my way through this year and always documenting it along the way.

I wish anyone reading this a Happy 2019!

M 🌵

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

2019 Bullet Journal Setup

Another year and another bullet journal setup post. I’m mostly using the same stationery as last year: Zebra Mildliners; Muji 0.5 black gel pens; Crayola Supertips and Sharpie Markers.

This year I am using a Leuchtturm 1917 Dotted journal which is slightly bigger and has more pages than the Moleskine. Something that the Leuchtturm has that is different from the Moleskine is that it comes with an index pre-drawn and page numbers.

I’m very glad that I don’t have to draw out the grid for the index. On the first page, I have drawn an opener to the year, I kept it simple and not too ostentatious.

The next thing for me to do was the key. The key includes the same symbols I have used since the very beginning of my bullet journaling experience and is just laid out in a neater more organised way.

The Future Log is the next thing in my bullet journal and for once I haven’t preplanned the colours of each month so it is very minimalist and functional. I think more functional is my theme for this year even if I do enjoy making it look pretty. As it stands, I haven’t got much planned for 2019.

This year I want to be better organised when it comes to money, so I’ve created a grid that can be changed monthly with the help of sticky bookmarks. I’m also absolutely horrible at keeping my receipts organised so putting them in my bullet journal gives me a reason to get rid of them every month.

Next up is my annual reading challenge. 2019′s challenge is a little different than usual as both Millie and myself find our motivation dwindles near the end of the year and we can’t decide what to read next. So this time we have chosen 10 books each and some mini goals with an overall goal of 35 books. I was going to do a large spread on this but decided that it would be best to keep it succinct.

Up next is a simplified period tracker just for tracking when I am on and nothing else (I use an app for everything else). It looks a bit strange but it’s only to see the basics.

I have decided to make myself some goals for this year, just generalised goals nothing too specific but made a page dedicated to it

Another page I feel was better alone rather than buried within a month is my When Did I Last... page. I’m not very good at remembering when I last did things so hopefully, this will allow me to be generally tidier.

The last page before my monthly setup is my cinema page. I didn’t manage to go to the cinema as often as I wanted to last year, but I still managed to go a fair few times. I like to be able to see what and when I went to the cinema.

And now for my monthly setup. For my months I chose a colour and then centre my themes and choice of washi tape around them. January, like always, is pink. My monthly setup includes a front page, a double page spread calendar, a place to write down daily headlines and a weekly spread. Sometimes I add extra pages throughout my month, but not always.

So this is my bullet journal for 2019. I’m hoping this will work out for me as well as the last one and I look forward to being able to add more non-organisational pages.

Hope everyone has a wonderful 2019

C 🌙

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

2018 Bullet Journal Favourites

As 2018 has come to an end I thought I would post my favourite pages. This isn’t my first bullet journal, but I think the first that has worked well for me. My chosen layout didn’t leave me many free pages after the traditional weekly/monthly spreads. but here are my favourites.

Recipes

I decided to make a double paged spread to keep lists of ingredients for my favourite recipes that I knew I wanted to make again. It was a very simple thing to set up, just a few post-it-notes glued to page and then some washi tape added to make it look a little better.

Movies and Television

I watch a lot of Netflix and movies and am always binging some show or another, so I thought it would be useful to try out these movie/television trackers I had kept seeing on Pinterest. Turns out that 2018 wasn’t really my year for completing binges. With nothing major to procrastinate (like exams) I didn’t watch as much Netflix as I thought, hence the unfinished trackers.

Sleep Log

In June I tried a sleep log. This is something that I don’t think I’m going to replicate in future bullet journals as I don’t have any problems with my sleep patterns and it just took me more time that I wanted to figure out when I went to sleep.

Halfway There Photos

At the beginning of July I decided that as I hadn’t managed to do any memory/photo pages until this point, I would choose my favourite from the first six months of the year. In the mix are photos from when Millie and I spent a week in Paris and a photo when all our friends (even those at university) managed to meet up for Easter.

Music

This year I discovered the band Sleeping At Last and obsessively listened to their music for a few months. I knew September was going to have a music based monthly front cover so I thought I would contrast the retro vibes of the cassette with a digital music doodle. I chose my favourite Sleeping At Last song East (which I highly recommend you go listen to) and drew a pretty landscape.

Fandom Directions

Something my bullet journal is missing this year has been allusions and quotes from my various fandoms. So when I stumbled across a picture of a signpost created by someone who had very similar interests to me, I decided to try and draw one that suited my likes and also got to try out different fonts.

Heathers the Musical

Millie and I managed to get tickets to watch Heathers the Musical in London at the end of November. We were eager to go see this because we had been blown away by Carrie Hope Fletcher’s performance in The Addams Family back in 2017. I would have loved to do a double page spread with some of my favourite quotes from the musical, but had to make do with just one as I was quickly running out of pages.

Christmas

Ideally I would’ve done a christmas planning page, but I knew I would need more than one page for that, so instead I did a christmas countdown string of lights. I saw the idea on Pinterest and really liked it. I think it is definitely one of these things that looks a lot better finished than it did whilst in progress.

2018 has now come to an end and I’m actually a little bit sad to retire this bullet journal even though I have filled every last page. I’m super excited to start my new one too and adjust the layouts I have liked most. 

Hope 2019 starts off well for everyone

C🌙

[sharpiefumesandnotetaking]

Bullet Journal Favourites

These are my favourite pages from my 2018 Bullet Journal. This year was my first having a Bujo. And I have thoroughly enjoyed using one... much more than I expected to if I’m honest. Throughout the year I have had spare pages which I have filled with either travel momentous or picture of days trips. So, I decided to show you my favourite of the bunch.

Paris

Myself and Claire spent a week in Paris back in February. I loved creating this page as a reminder of all the places we visited during our stay.

New Forest

In July, my other half and I spent a week in my family’s caravan with two of our friends. We had an amazing week full of sunbathing and cry laughing. These are just a handful of the photos we took that week.

Dad’s 50th Birthday

My Dad turned 50 in May, however, we decided to wait till the summer to throw his party. We decided on a festival-themed party with lots of beer and live music.

Music Madness

Last Christmas I bought my other half Iron Maiden tickets. When he found out we decided to make a weekend of it and stay in a hotel. We saw Iron Maiden on the Friday night at the 02 and booked tickets for The School Of Rock Musical on the Saturday afternoon. It was a totally rocking weekend.

A Monster Calls

Claire and I went to see our first play together in August. Having both previously loved the Patrick Ness book and the movie adaptation, we were quick to order tickets to see it on stage. I collated some picture on us, the staging and my two favourite quotes from the book.

Heathers 💙❤️💛💚

After seeing Carrie Hope Fletcher in The Addams Family Musical in 2017 we knew that we’d want to see whatever she was going to be in next. The fact that it was Heathers made it even better. Both liking the film we thought it’d be good to see how they turned it into a musical. Above is a picture of myself and Claire alongside my favourite quotes.

Christmas Checklist

Having a Bullet Journal made planning for Christmas so much easier. I felt the most organised I had in ages. This is my checklist for Christmas Cards and Wrapping.

Now, that 2018 is coming to a close, I’ve started setting up my bujo for next year and I’m rather excited to start it all over again. I’ll post again soon showing you my 2019 set up. But for now, I hope that anyone reading this has a great New Year.

M🌵