Bullet Journal Show & Tell – @BooksofNotes

Kat Cuthbert, the creator of @BooksofNotes, has been one of my favorite sources of Bullet Journal inspiration for months. Her layouts are both functional and asthetically-pleasing. One of my other favorite features of her account is how she uploads positive, gentle self-care reminders on her story. Kat remains an excellent person to follow for all of your planner needs.

Kat’s a 29-year-old Bullet Journaler/cat enthusiast. She spends her time bullet journaling, writing, learning to code, and yelling at people to stay hydrated. Her interests extend to science, space, being an almost-vegan (who won’t yell at you), and advocating for disabilities and accessibility.

When did you first discover bullet journaling?

Pretty soon after it became big and Lifehacker covered it – I was working in Arts Administration and had just taken on running an art gallery. My work life was a little disorganized and bullet journaling required just a notebook and pen. My boss liked to make jokes about my “black book” and how I was the most organized one in the office – so apparently it worked!

How has your bullet journal evolved or changed since you first began?

The very first iteration was literally just a lined notebook and a pen for work. Then, in 2014 I became ill and had to quit my job. As I slowly learned to work around my new limitations, my bullet journal became a place to help manage my day, track my symptoms and allow me some gentle creativity. It still serves the same purpose now, though I’ve been in many different types of notebook. The style has pretty much always been minimal with an eye on keeping it aesthetically pleasing – I’m more likely to use it that way!

How would you describe your bullet journal style?

Minimal and with function before form. It needs to be easy to use and work for my brain!

Have you tried any other planner systems? If so, what keeps you Bullet Journaling?

You know, I haven’t tried much else – but I can be fairly certain that they wouldn’t suit. My journal changes to fit my needs so frequently that something pre-prescribed would be too restricted.

How has sharing your bullet journal on social media affected how you plan?

It hasn’t much, other than it’s a little more polished and I’ll try new spreads that I like. I used to go through phases of “I have to make it look good for Instagram!” but those have subsided since. I know the pressure can feel immense for some, especially newbies. But the journal really is solely about you and this is something I try to always keep in mind.

Who inspires your bullet journaling style or layouts?

Ohh, quite a few – @yukikosakamura, @honeyrozes, @wezz.bujo, @susiebjournal, @hollylovesplanning, @journautical, @minimal.plan… The list is endless.

Do you have any advice for first-time Bullet Journalers?

Start simple with the basics, and add in new spreads or features as you need them. And look to Instagram or Pinterest for inspiration, but if you’re getting overwhelmed, take a little break. This journal is for you and it needs to work with and for your brain, no-one elses!

What are your go-to bullet journal supplies?

For 2019 I’m in an A6 Leuchtturm dot grid – this is the second time I’ve been in an A6 and it’s working perfectly for me. I love being able to have it in my bag! Supplies-wise: my trusty Muji gel pens in 0.5 and 0.38, a few colored pens, usually either a Crayola Supertip, a midliner or some off-brand one I found. I’m very sparse with colour so usually will use just one colour pen per spread. Oh, and my favourite letter stamps from Flying Tiger – they were £2!

What are the Good Sh**t Notes?

Ahh, it’s my newsletter! The name comes from a spread I use each month – The Good Sh*t. It’s like a gratitude journal but to record the smaller good things, because some days brushing your teeth need celebrating. The newsletter itself goes out every fortnight and I chat about topics like radical self-care, self-development, purposeful planning, mental health… It’s less a letter about planning than it is for some gentle motivation, reflection and inspiration. Plus I LOVE hearing back from people. There is something wonderful about knowing they actually read it AND liked it enough to reply!

How do you incorporate goal setting?

Gently. My goal setting isn’t particularly formal – more that I have a general idea of where I want to head and then set some priorities based on that. Things need to be flexible because of how my brain and body work (sometimes they are a bit uncooperative!) so rigid goals just don’t work. I have a tracker each week for some regulars I like to keep in my schedule – sitting down with a coffee and my daily crossword, taking my tablets etc – but anything larger is much more flexible.

What’s one “hack” you use?

A daily water tracker. I wouldn’t drink anything if I didn’t have it right there on my daily page.

How do you incorporate self-care? How has Bullet Journaling affected your mindfulness or self-care routine?

Self-care and my mental and physical health are basically why my journal exists. It allows me to track the basics – meds, whether I read something, if I did some kind of moving, my mood, fatigue and pain scores – and helps hugely with my ‘executive function’. I struggle to get day to day things done without routine and structure and my journal means I can assess where I am that day and plan accordingly. It genuinely has helped me through some mental health crises and helps me to be much gentler on myself.

Where can we find you on social media?

You can find me on Instagram @BooksOfNotes and the soon to be launched booksofnotes.co.uk