Welcome to my setup for September 2020! I hope you enjoy checking it out as much as I enjoyed creating it! A big difference setting up this month was that I knew my budding art skills would not do my theme justice. I’ve therefore used stickers and prints found online to decorate my spreads. Where I’ve used original artwork, I’ll provide credit, so check out those links if you like the artist’s work!* With that out of the way, let’s get onto the fun bit; my September Bullet Journal Setup!
If you read my post on September theme ideas, you’ll know I’m going with a Harry Potter theme!
Anyone who knows me is probably surprised that I haven’t done a Harry Potter theme already, but I was waiting for the perfect month. I have done a Harry Potter weekly layout previously, but I thought it was time to do it justice.
While September is perfect as the start of the Hogwarts year, it’s also a significant Bullet Journal month for me. It’s my Bullet Journalversary! I picked up my second Bullet Journal in late August last year and haven’t looked back since. As such a significant month then, I wanted a theme to be proud of, and I’ve found that here!
Creating a cover page digitally was a new challenge for me. I first found the background image (which is gorgeous) here. Then using Word and Excel, I assembled it. While it was fiddly, it was a great learning experience, and I am pleased with how it turned out.
Having not used a whole-page print off before, I’m have found it bends the pages a bit. Overall, however, I think print outs are a great way to incorporate gorgeous art that you can’t create yourself!
September Monthly Log Setup
I’ve once again gone with the calendar monthly log setup this month. As a visual learner, I find it a lot easier to use than the list setup. At the time of writing, I still don’t have three goals set but I do have a second. I’m really trying to keep my goals measurable, which makes them harder to think up, but easier to complete.
Purple and gold is a magical combination, so they’re my base colours for this theme. I also found a fun sticker collection in a discount store, so they will make repeat appearances. In addition to stickers, I also used cut-outs of Hogwarts, the Gryffindor seal, a Platform 9¾ sign and the Hogwarts Express.*
My monthly log is currently very empty, but hopefully, it will fill up soon. I have already added an event tomorrow; a job interview!
Mood & Habit Tracker Setup
My mood tracker is my favourite part of my Septemeber Bullet Journal Setup. The point hourglass idea came from this Harry Potter setup which I thought was a great way to track moods.
I’ve tried to be more positive with my moods this month. Gryffindor gains points if I’m happy or excited, while Ravenclaw is productive or satisfied with what I’ve achieved. Hufflepuff means I’m relaxed or O.K. and Slytherin indicates I’m stressed or sad.
I particularly like the inclusion of productivity and satisfaction. They give me something to aim for when I have a lot of spare time. It’s nice to feel like you’re getting something done; whether that’s here on my blog, job applications or helping out around the house.
On the same note, I’ve added doing something helpful around the house to my daily habits. As Mum and Dad are currently putting up with me at home, making sure I contribute is important! Aside from that, my habit list remains the same as it was in August.
While I need to change my habits up at some point, it doesn’t make sense to do so now. Once I have work, I can play around with my schedule and figure out what works. For now, though, I’ll stick with what’s tried and tested!
September Blog Goals
I’m not going to bore you with my sleep tracker this month as it’s the same as always! Instead, I’ll introduce you to my blog goals and how I’m going to track them.
Last month I used a complicated tracker for my blog. It worked, but it was also overwhelming and left me feeling unorganised. This month, my blog planning has moved out of my Bullet Journal to a calendar setup of posts and social media shares. All that’s left are my goals.
The problem I had at the start of August was that I was trying to do everything at once. I’ve now decided to focus on one thing at a time until I have a routine sorted out. As such, the last couple of weeks I’ve focused on posting consistently to Pinterest and creating more evergreen posts. This month I want to continue growing my Pinterest numbers and hopefully develop some freebies for you, my readers!
August | September Goals | |
Blog Views | 391 | 500 |
Blog Visitors | 216 | 250 |
Comments | 27 | 36 |
Email Subscribers | 9 | 15 |
Pin Impressions | 5143 | 6000 |
Pin Audience | 1555 | 1750 |
Pin Clicks | 22 | 30 |
Twitter Followers | 31 | 40 |
Facebook Page Likes | 8 | 15 |
Setting goals like this is a difficult balance. There’s no point being overly cautious and setting targets you’ll reach in a week, but neither do you want something unobtainable. For example, my view goal for August was also 500, but I didn’t reach it so I’ll try again.
Another significant change I’m making is that I’m not going to record my figures daily. There’s too much fluctuation on a day-to-day basis to gain any meaningful insight, and it’s easy to become dispirited by a day’s figures.
September Bullet Journal Setup in Summary…
I loved doing my September Bullet Journal setup. It made me realise how much my Bullet Journal has grown since I started it a year ago. Back then a monthly setup was two pages, and a weekly consisted of seven ruled lines! Now, I’m enjoying having some fun with my spreads and, of course, sharing them with you!
That’s all from me today, we’ve got a huge dead tree that’s fallen over in our garden, and the only way to remove it is with a bonfire, so that’s taking up most of the week! I hope you are all well. Stay safe, and as always, if you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch!
* Third-Party Artwork Disclaimer
My journal is for personal use and I am making no money from this blog. There are no affiliate links on this post. I have credited all art used in these spreads and will happily remove images if requested.