2018 New Year Resolution

Assalamualaikum,

It's already 2nd week of 2018. I didn't get to complete my 2017 resolution which was very disappointing. So this year I have decided to make my new year resolution with goals that are more practical and achievable. Here we go straight to the point:

1. Call mum and grandma at least once a week.
2. Attend Iqra' class at least once week (suppose to have more but lets start with this for now and will definitely add on gradually).
3. Wake up early (Don't fall back to sleep after Fajr prayer).
4. Read newspaper at least once a week. (Trying to make it a habit)
5. Don't buy clothes online!
6. Discipline to journal/blog and follow the schedule. 

Speaking of journal, I decided to blog it because I would like to keep track on when I started my journal and how I plan it. Hopefully, I can schedule my time better and be more productive. 

So how I journal?

I have always wanted a bullet journal but I am afraid that I will give up half way when I am not in the mood to draw or decorate the journal. I guarantee that would happen because sometimes you just don't have the time to draw the layout for the entire month.

I do agrees that the bullet journal allows you to customize your own planner layout according to your own needs while the store bought one sometimes might not fulfill your requirement for your journal. However, to make it more practical and convenient for someone who has less patience like me, I opt for the planner with the layout printed in it. 

Last year, I had been using the Duck Planner 2017 (I have mentioned it in last year's resolution blog) and surprisingly I managed to use to the last day of 2017. There is definitely pros and cons of the planner but this is the first time I kept the planner with me to the end of the year. So this year I have got myself 2 planners, the Duck Planner 2018 (almost similar with the 2017 one) and Duck's "The Whenever Planner" (a weekly planner). 

(I got the rose gold cat sticker from Typo back in December)

"dUCk Planner 2018"

First I would like to talk about the Duck Planner 2018. When I was using the 2017 one, I felt that the monthly spreed is too small to fit in my daily activities. They only started selling the weekly refill spread in the middle of the year if I am not mistaken. I bought the weekly spread too but I did not use it because I was not very disciplined to journal. They did changed the design for the 2018 planner a little. Love the black month divider because I think it looks modern and sleek. 

The first page after the divider is the goals' page. It is sectioned into 8 category of monthly goals. Some people will appreciate it but I think I can live without. 

Then comes the monthly log with a calendar layout. This time I will not write every single detail on the calendar. I will only mark down events or appointment so it will be more tidy. I will use the notes at the side as my monthly goals' tracker. 

After the calendar layout, there are 2 blank pages and 2 ruled pages. Last year I used the blank page to write down quotes that inspires me or motivates me and I find it very useful. So I will be doing the same thing for this year. While for the ruled pages, I wanted to include a lifestyle/habit tracker. For January, I did a "Mengaji Tracker" and a "Blogging Tracker". Will definitely change from time to time after several try and errors. 

The Motivational Quote page

The Lifestyle/Habit Trackers. (Not exactly but will add on more trackers insyaAllah)

At the end of the planner there are some grid pages (there are more grid pages compared to 2017's) and followed by the vouchers. They have discounts for one dUCk's product every month, which is a smart marketing tool. 

"The Whenever Planner"

This is a weekly planner. I prefer this over adding on weekly sheet refills to the dUCk Planner because the refills put on weights to the planner. Every week comes with a weekly layout and a blank page. The weekly layout has a decent amount of space to fill in notes or any tasks that I wanted to jot down. I used the blank page to write down my to do list for the week so I can keep track on my weekly goals more effectively. 

I have also used sticky notes to add on notes that I want to separate from my to do list. 

So far I had fun with the journals because I get to practice my calligraphy and doodle a little (too much is tiring LOL). Hope that I will have the determination to continue journal throughout the year. I guess my patience in writing has come to an end. Will stop here for now and I will check off my blogging tracker for week 2.

May Allah bless your day and may this year be one of the best year of your life.