A fresh start: how to make the most of 2026, beginning with your bullet journal
There’s something so exciting about opening a new journal at the start of a year, the clean pages, possibilities, space to dream plan and reflect. Whether you’ve journaled before or returning with fresh energy, your Community In Print bullet journal is designed to be personalise, yours, for whatever you need.
To help you get started, here’s a closer look at how you may use each section, to shape a meaningful year ahead.
Dates to remember
Begin your journal by filling in key moments that you already have to look forwards to, picture it as a bird’s eye view of 2026:
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Holidays and Trips
Personal milestones
Work events or important deadlines
Keeping them all in one place makes planning much easier, giving you things to keep looking ahead, and ensuring nothing gets lost in such a busy year!
Goals, hopes and dreams for the year
This is perfect for setting intentions for 2026. These don’t have to be dramatic or unrealistic goals, just simple milestones that you hope to achieve. I personally like to pick three big goals for the year and then three mini-goals too. The mini-goals can be as simple as I want to learn to make blackberry jam this year, or I want to visit that new book shop that has opened.
I also like to split them into categories for example I use, career, personal wellbeing, and social categories, but they could be anything you like, such as:
Personal – more reading, rest, confidence, time for you
Creative – new hobbies or projects
Career – goals for growth, learning, promotions or organisation
Wellbeing – small habits or routines to keep you happy
Movement – exercise, daily routine structures, leave the house once a week
I love a new year’s resolution but I know so many people don’t. But I look at goals not as rules, but simply something there to guide your year. A reminder rather than something strict to follow, as such I tend to avoid the ‘everyday I will’ kinda goals because I fail! Keeping them flexible and amending them throughout the year helps you to achieve them, or tailor to how you develop through 2026!
Places to visit, things to do
This is a fun page with space to dream and curate your perfect year. Fill it with places you want to see, no matter how big or small!
Fill it with:
Local spots you want to explore
Cafés or restaurants you want to try out
Walks, beaches or day trips
Events such as exhibitions or markets
Personal adventures
Or even travelling the world!
Tick them off as you go for that gentle feeling of progress and make sure you are making space for adventure in the year ahead.
Monthly view
This helps you stay organised, with space for key dates each month and where you can:
Map out your plans
Track events or meetings
Set weekly targets
Jot down reminders or deadlines
It’s also a place to add a touch of you, whether through stickers drawings, or quotes, to make your month feel personal and achievable.
Daily wellness trackers
The journal includes supportive daily trackers, helping you stay focused without pressure.
Movement and mindfulness tracker
Record whether you have taken the time out of your day to give your mind and body some freedom and space, whether on a walk, taking moments of calm, or anything that makes you feel that extra bit at peace!
Water and food tracker
Ensure you drink enough water and accomplish your 5-a-day, as a gentle reminder to nourish your body!
Gratitude tracker
Spend that extra moment to note something you are grateful for that day, whether big or small. This helps to build a positive mindset and remember all of the wonderful things that happen each day.
Six-month check in
Halfway through the year, this is your moment to reflect.
You may think about:
Accomplishments
What needs working on
What you are proud of
What has changed
And maybe set more goals, or change the ones you started with for the rest of the year
This allows you to reconnect with your direction and motivate you for the rest of 2026!
Blank creative spaces
This is a space for you to fill as you wish, where your creativity can roam freely!
I like to use the spaces for:
Sketches and doodles
Colour palettes
Mood boards
Quotes
Journaling bursts
Collages
Mind Maps
There are so many things you can fill the pages with, think of them as your playground!
Notes pages
Finally, the notes section gives you room for all of the important information that doesn’t fit elsewhere, but you like to keep all in one place!
Useful ideas may be:
Login hints
Project brainstorming
Recipes
Lists
Personal or business reminders
This will become valuable and personal to you as the year unfolds, so don’t feel pressured to have to find something to write!
Designed to grow with you
The beauty of the journal is that it adapts to you. Whether for structure, mindfulness, creativity, or a bit of everything it’s there to support you through 2026. Fill it at your own speed, in your own styles, and let it be your personal space for clarity, imagination, and growth.
And of course I would love to see across the year how using the bullet journal goes, and any feedback to make it even better!
Wishing you all a relaxing January and wonderful New Year,
Devon
(Community In Print)