August Bullet Journal with an Office Supply and Beauty Haul
August Means Back-to-School…Right?
What a time to be a teacher! I finally got a chance to relax a bit in July, and then August snuck right on up to say hello. It’s August. Officially. What this normally means in my mind is that I need to start getting around for Back-to-School. Like an alarm that went off in my mind, I woke up early on August 1st ready to start thinking about school. I even walked outside to let out our dog, Laker, and saw that the bush that turns fire-engine red in the fall indeed had three new red leaves. It was crisp in the air. Fall decided it was going to show up early. Like other teachers this summer, I never really shut my brain down long enough to feel like it was summer. Earlier in June, I participated in moving an in-person writing camp to an online format, and I finished up an online summer book club with The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson for all middle schoolers in my district. Summer flew by. It always does. I went from being eager and anxious about my district announcing the Return-to-Learn plan on August 3rd, and then I spent some time this week processing what it would mean for me for the upcoming year.
I do know August 3rd still has not provided a ton of answers. My district is offering two main options for students: 1.) A tiered return approach and 2.) A fully virtual option. The tiered approach will work by trimester or every 12 weeks. The first twelve weeks will be online, the second twelve weeks will be a hybrid model of online and in-person learning, and the last twelve weeks will be fully in-person five days a week. This is all contingent on the phase or status of COVID-19 here in Michigan. I wanted to spend the first week of August figuring out how I am handling my own morale and motivation considering returning to the classroom, and I wanted to focus on the items in my routine that are favorite things to use. This post is an August products favorites haul of sorts and inside peeks into the day-by-day schedule that I am using with my new Daily Passion Planner.
Some of Favorite August Things
Some of these things are brand new, while some of these things have been around for a long time. I wanted to include the products I am enjoying this month into the monthly journaling post. Why? These things have nothing to do with journaling, but they have everything to do with my routine and everyday inspiration. This month, I am slowing down to really appreciate the people, places, and things that make my heart happy and give me inspiration. This post contains the “things” part of that appreciation.
1. Literacy is My Jam T-Shirt-My friend Mrs. Roberts from Adventures in Literacy is on a mission to build small, free libraries in her neighborhood. How accurate is it to remind me that literacy is my Job and Motivation (JAM) each time I wear this t-shirt. I will be wearing this t-shirt on days when I need that added mental boost. It is also a great reminder to look at the good that people are doing all around you.
2. Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams-I LOVE this middle-grade novel. It is my screensaver on the computer because of the wonderful note that Alicia D. Williams wrote inside the cover when I met her at NerdCampMI. Everyone should read this book. Every classroom should have this book in their library. I reach for this book to reread over and over again.
3. Stabilo Boss Original Highlighters Pastels 6 Color Set- These go on the paper so smoothly. I love the unique shape, and they fit great in my small hands. They are also light enough to carry around without being daunting.
4. Zebra Mildliner Markers-These markers are dual-tipped, and the pigment is worth the payoff. You can get these at Target or Amazon. The smaller tip has a brush-like end. I also really like the new Passion Planner markers (they are almost dupes for Mildliners) because they have a fine tip at the end for smaller notes or drawings. The Passion Planner markers don’t feel as heavy in your hand.
5. AMIKA: The Wizard Detangling Hair Primer-It acts as a heat protectant and detangler just out of the shower. It also has an amazing smell that stays throughout the day. My hair is thicker at the top than at the bottom, and a detangling spray is a must before blowdrying.
6. Drunk Elephant Beste No.9 Jelly Cleanser in Cantaloupe-This cleanser doesn’t overly foam and leaves my skin super soft. I love that it is safe to use on my skin and is pH balanced. Anyone else out there with really sensitive skin? It takes off my makeup at nighttime on the first wash. It is pricy, but it lasts a long time. I always think skincare is something that is worth the investment because it impacts my attitude first thing in the morning. I wear less makeup because my skin is in good shape.
7. Clinique Happy perfume-I wear the same perfume every day almost always. I have a couple of other scents I enjoy, but I love Clinique Happy because it reminds me of summer. It also is soft enough that I am not overpowering a room when I walk in wearing this scent.
8. Yoobi Pencil Case (Target)- This pencil case is special for two reasons. It folds out almost flat when you take it out, and it can stand upright in my purse so it doesn’t take up space. They have a whole collection of these in the Target school section. I also like that the brand Yoobi supports others by giving back to different organizations.
9. Variety of Peachy-Nude Lip Shades-I may have an obsession with this shade of peachy brown tones. I love the Fenty Gloss, the new E.L.F. Ride or Die lip balm, and MAC’s lipstick in Teddy. I always keep 4-5 of these in my purse just in case. I know we are wearing masks, but I also feel more put together when I slide on a gloss or a lipstick.
10. Nars Blush in Orgasm-This shade is a fan favorite and my go-to when I want to look awake for yet another Zoom call meeting. I find that it applies better with a smaller blush brush.
11. Benefit Georgia Peach Blush-I love this shade from Benefit! It is a natural flush on my skin tone and has a peach scent. It is one of those blushes that goes on easily without having to blend a lot of it into your skin. It does have a slight shimmer, but it is not an overwhelming amount of shine. I still wear highlighter with this blush.
12. Too Faced Just Peachy Mattes Palette-I think this palette might be my new obsession. This palette has a scent, but more so, I am in love with the shades of peach. It has a neutral for my lid, and bolder peach tones for a variety of eye looks. They blend out perfectly. I first saw this on Jackie Aina’s makeup and beauty YouTube channel, and I have been waiting to splurge to try it out.
13. Essie Peach Side Babe-I wanted a peach shade for my toes. Essie formulas are safe and go on easily. I think this will work into the weekly pampering routine for this upcoming week.
14. Teavana Peach Tranquility Tea-This is my new drink in the evening time so I am not taking in so much caffeine. It is like drinking a delicious peach in a cup. I know they offer this at Starbucks as well, but it seemed like a deal to buy the little sachets from the store when there is 15 in a container. I like having another option besides a caffeinated sugary beverage. It is also available at local grocery stores that distribute Teavana.
Planning
By now, you may have seen the color trend of peach throughout this post. August is about smelling peaches...not the roses. I am also transitioning this month from my old bullet journal into a new one to start planning for school. I always like to grab a new journal when I am about 30-40 pages out of finishing one journal. I then keep both around for a while to transition one bullet journal to another. I also like to buy the corresponding pen loops to go with each one because these little BIC pencils are my favorite to write and doodle in any notebook.
Now, the part I have been waiting for! I want to introduce a new edition to my planning tools! I spent most of the month of July just feeling stuck. Friends would say, “Don’t worry. Inspiration will come back.” However, I have always been a person that influences how I feel the most. I thought about why I felt so stagnant. I felt unmotivated, unproductive, and kind of lost when it came to preparing for back-to-school with no answers as to what the plan was going to be at the time. I also felt like because I was overwhelmed, I didn’t find my summer inspiration like I do each season. Insert the new Passion Planner. I bought the Daily Undated Lush Green. I love this company because they give back to tons of organizations, but also because their products make so much sense. The green leaves were something that reminded me of summer. I will look at the cover in a couple of months and think back to blue skies, green grass, and deep breaths. They also offer all of their planning pages for free so you can try their system before investing in a journal. If you like what you see from my planner, download your free pages here. The Daily Planner features steps to complete a Your Passion Roadmap and a Gamechanger Goal. It has space for four monthly layouts and then TONS of daily pages.
In case you were wondering: Yes, I am carrying two journals. One for planning and morning pages, and the other for my own learning and growing. I could easily carry just the Daily Undated Lush Green planner, but I also love how they look together and complement each other.
The daily pages have taken some getting used to in terms of using all of the spaces. I love bullet journaling because I get to determine my own structure each week. However, when I am unmotivated, I need more structure in my planning routine and schedule. The Daily Undated Lush Green planner was the perfect answer to finding positivity and getting my productivity back on track in terms of feeling like I am working toward my goals on a daily basis.
Here is how I am using each area of the daily pages:
Today’s Focus: What I am looking forward to that day or the biggest goal that will make me feel like I accomplished something
My Gamechanger Goal: The goals I want to do in that connect to my Your Passion Roadmap. I may only have one goal in this section for a day, but it is a great reminder that each day we are able to try to do small things that add up to big goals. This is so important when we feel stuck, and we don’t feel like we are making any progress.
Personal: House chores, bills, reminders, and life stuff go here. I like that you only have five spaces because it makes it so your to-do list doesn’t get overwhelming.
Work: Tasks, planning, and to-dos go here, and again, I like that there are only five spaces because teacher to-do lists can become overwhelming and lead to burnout easily (Especially during the back-to-school time!)
Free Space to Grow: I didn’t know what to do with this section at first! Now, I use it to write inspirational quotes, affirmations, daily habit trackers (like water), gratitude, and small notes for later.
Self-Maintenance: What I did that day in order to take care of myself physically, emotionally, or mentally. This is my self-care section.
Best Thing That Happened: The day’s highlights! This is a great small reminder to focus on the positive each day.
Today I Learned: I had a hard time with this section. Also, I felt a little awkward that as a teacher (who loves all things learning) had to be reminded to see the lesson that each day teaches us. Each day has a lesson for us. Some days teach us to slow down. Some days give us more questions than answers. Some days feel like we are making no progress and standing in mud. I love this little section because it forces me to see the lessons in each day.
Today in One Word: I choose a word. I don’t put judgment on if it doens’t make sense.
Mood: Simply circle how you feel. I think this will be great moving into the fall because I need to keep track of the days when I don’t feel my best or a little down. Back-to-school is a joyous time and is one of my favorite times of the year, but then October settles in and I can get tired and burned out easily. Fall burnout is real for so many teachers. I have a feeling that this fall burnout may occur faster because of online learning and learning new ways of teaching in a short period of time.
I also love the hour-by-hour setup. I have caught myself in July sleeping in a bit late, and I think this is a great way to schedule my day to get back on track. Yes, teachers do sleep training each year. If I don’t need to adhere to a particular schedule, I block off a certain amount of time for a task or block some time that I am dedicating that time for self-care. I can see this space being a great way to get creative and draw some doodles and add some color. Passion Planner has awesome examples on their Instagram and Pinterest.
Sample Time Blocks:
TV time with my husband/Planning time to spend with family or working on personal projects
Work time on school work
Work time on blog work
Moving my body for 30 minutes
On the opposite side each day, you have The Space of Infinite Possibility. This has a dot grid (my favorite), so you can draw, brainstorm, or journal. I am doing my morning pages here for each day as I love doing a braindump first thing in the morning. I braindump to-do lists, ideas for blog posts, and general feelings. Return to learning in an online format takes some processing, and I want to make sure I am still doing my morning routine of getting those thoughts down on paper and out of my head.
The Daily Planner lasts for about four months if used every day. I plan on using it in August, September, October, and November. This will get me through online learning, and I also feel it will get me back on track in terms of my bigger goals. In November, I may shift to the weekly format, but right now my mantra is taking my planning and productivity process day-by-day. I know that sometimes we have seasons of questions and answers, but I think it is important to have a goal that is pushing you to be better, happier, and more positive.
