Bullet Journal Migration Tips (my mid-year setup)

Although starting a new bullet journal notebook again seems to be less difficult than starting the one for the very first time, bullet journal migration could be a daunting task as well.

Today I’m going to show you my bullet journal midyear setup.

So if you feel overwhelmed and just never get around a bullet journal migration, here you’ll learn:

• how to move to a new bullet journal

• when it’s the best time to migrate

• what to consider while the bullet journal migration

• my thought process behind starting a new notebook

• my mid-year bullet journal setup

• what to do with old bullet journals

Let’s get started!

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Definitely, it’s a lot harder to motivate yourself to set up a bullet journal in the middle of a year.

Maybe you’re tempted to wait for the next six months until the new year.

You know, “New Year, New Me” kind of mindset.

As a rule, a fresh start is scary.

Once again, you don’t want to mess up your fancy notebook by ripping the ugly pages off or covering up the mistakes.

However, there’s a simple way to make this scary and daunting process more fun and exciting.

Basically, all you need to do is to put together the bullet journal migration plan. And here’s how to do it.

Bullet Journal Migration: How Do You Move To a New Notebook

First and foremost, the most common question every bullet journalist asks is whether to migrate all of the beginning-of-year pages.

For example, for me, it’d be such pages like one little word page, level 10 life exercise, goals, reading tracker, savings tracker, etc.

In my opinion, absolutely yes, you should migrate them because switching back and forth between both journals is very annoying.

And trust me, you’ll need to do it in order to, for instance, complete yearly trackers.

But, instead of blindly re-copying all bullet journal pages from the previous notebook, evaluate them.

Just like decluttering your clothes, check out if you still need and/or use these bullet journals spreads.

Also, it’s a great opportunity to rethink your goals.

However, rewriting basic bujo layouts like an emergency number, birthdays, contacts, favorite meals list, recipes, etc seems to be pointless.

With this in mind, you can get another notebook and treat it like a basic journal or get printables and put them in a binder.

As a result, you end up with only dynamic bujo spreads to transfer.

Bullet Journal Migration: When Do You Migrate

Another frequently asked question when it comes to a bullet journal migration is when to migrate. 

Here you have two options:

• you start your new journal whenever you finish your old one regardless of when it’ll happen

• you start a new bujo every year, alternatively mid-year, leaving the old one for random notes, new bullet journal collections tests, or doodling.

Personally, I prefer the second option for organizational reasons.

As an experienced bullet journalist, I already know that usually, one bullet journal notebook lasts me for about 6 months.

With this in mind, I know I’ll end up with two notebooks yearly. 

Unless I go crazy with bullet journal daily logs or fancy collections.

In this case, it lasts me shorter. For the rest time, I use free bullet journal printables. 

On the other hand, if I run out of pages, I grab additional pages and glue them in the notebook.

Alternatively, I’ll keep them in the inner pocket.

Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with starting a new journal notebook in the middle of March and finishing it in the last week of January. 

After all, bullet journaling is all about your personal preferences.

Bullet Journal Migration: What To Consider

The key to a successful bullet journal is to put together a plan of what to bring with you and what to ditch.

Review Your Current Setup

First of all, review your current bullet journal setup.

To make it easier, get your bullet journal notebook and divide a page into two columns.

Now you can fill the first column with all of your old bujo spreads.

As you can see, I was able to create plenty of bujo collections within these almost 6 months.

Obviously, being a bullet journal blogger requires testing a lot of new bujo ideas. 

Nevertheless, it’s time to look a little bit closer at this list. 

I just put the tick symbol next to pages I want to migrate to the next journal and the minus symbol next to pages I want to ditch.

You may find out with time that you don’t really use all of these fancy bujo layouts.

For instance, instead of tracking my blog stats, income, and budget in a bullet journal notebook, I prefer using Google docs. 

Also, I replace some of the spreads like the cleaning schedule, fridge & pantry inventory, and meal planners with printables.

Because they are hanging on a whiteboard in my kitchen, they’re available for the rest of the family.

Additionally, I tend to combine separate bullet journal collections and put them together in a daily log. 

For instance, I want to complete a gratitude log and daily affirmation in one daily spread.

Planning for Your Next Journal

Now, you can easily plan your next bullet journal.

You fill in the second column and rewrite old pages for a new bullet journal plus new ones you feel you really need to try out.

Definitely, I want to migrate basic pages like bullet journal key, index, and future log.

Also, I’d like to add 6 months overview to have a general idea of what needs to be done in the specific month. 

Along with this, I’ll reassess my level 10 life areas to see if my goals are still relevant.

Additionally, I’ve already created a brand new bujo one little word page, while writing a blog post about a watercolor bullet journal.

The next page is YouTube video ideas. I create a mind map and brainstorm some awesome content ideas for my audience.

Then I migrate the savings and net-worth tracker.

Last but not least, I make a new page with my 100-day goals, inspired by my favorite daily journal.

Last update on 2023-09-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Bullet Journal Mid-Year Setup

Before I show you the bullet journal setup for the next six months, here’re my favorite bullet journal supplies.

As a rule, my favorite pen tools remain exactly the same:

Last update on 2023-09-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

When it comes to the bullet journal notebooks, this time I decided to try out Archer & Olive dot grid notebook. 

Definitely, you want to create a pen test page before you create any spreads.

It’s always good to know how the paper works with your favorite bullet journal pens, markers, or even watercolors.

As you can see or rather can’t see is any type of bleeding through or ghosting, except Copic Markers and Winston& Newton Promarkers.

However, these markers are professional, quite expensive (at least Copic ones) tools, and you really don’t need to use them to have fun with bullet journaling.

So without further ado, here’s my mid-year bullet journal setup.

Key

This time I decided to create only key symbols I’m realistically using on a daily basis.

So, I gave up unnecessary symbols for notes, new ideas, etc I didn’t use them anyway.

Now all I need is a simple circle shape for tasks.

However, I’m still living for a color-coding system and I choose the following colors:

• yellow – family

• blue – health & self-care

• pink – home

• green – work

and the new one:

• hot pink – YouTube

Index

When it comes to the index page, I really loved the idea of splitting the bujo index into two columns – one for monthly spreads, and the other for collections.

This index idea works great, particularly for those of you who like to experiment with different bullet journal collections.

One Little Word

Again, I had to rewrite my One Little Word for 2020 (grow).

However, now I wanted to add some watercolor artistic vibes to it.

So I came up with this minimalist art journal page, where I created abstract watercolor paintings and a simple heart doodle.

Also, I put three of the most accurate words that describe me at the moment: creative, driven, and growing.

Future Log

This future log layout remains exactly the same as in the previous bujo.

I made simple mini calendars, with a blank space for possibly 2021 events or appointments.

Level 10 Life 

Along with this, I rewrote the level 10 life spread to reassess my life areas like family, health, work, nutrition, fitness, creativity, home, exploring, finances, and self-care.

Based on the results, I’ll set my level 10 life goals.

Savings Tracker & Net Worth Tracker

From all of my previous bullet journal budget spreads I had to migrate only two: savings and net worth tracker.

It’s amazing how tracking numbers can elevate your financial health. 

Six Month Overview

Similarly to the future log, I also decided to put a six-month overview in my new bullet journal.

It’s a kind of content calendar for me. 

100-Day Goal Page

I’ve never worked with the 100-day goal page before. 

As I mentioned before, currently I’m working with this pre-made daily journal.

Last update on 2023-09-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

And it’s perfect.

It really helped me deal with being self-isolated with my son while still working from home.

Definitely, this journal is the main reason why I was able to publish pretty regular new content on this blog.

So, I’m really curious if this system will work in a bullet journal.

Youtube Page

Last but not least, this spread is all about YouTube video ideas.

It’s a kind of mind map I’m very excited to complete.

What Can You Do with Old Bullet Journals

Assuming that you use two bullet journal notebooks per year, after three years you collect six notebooks and you may ask yourself what now.

In case, you’d like to know what you can do with your old journals, here’s my opinion.

Obviously, you can keep them all.

However, it’s worth thinking about if you really need to do it. 

Of course, it’s nice to come back to your first spreads and see how you improve your bullet journaling. 

But you can make photos of the spreads you’re the proudest of and get rid of the daily logs, messy notes, and other incomplete layouts.

Bullet Journal Migration – Final Thoughts

So now I hope you’re feeling less overwhelmed by migrating your bullet journal spreads.

Basically, all you need to do is to review your current setup and see what works and what doesn’t.

Having a good plan makes a bullet journal migration tremendously less stressful.

Just think about the entire process as a milestone in your bullet journaling journey. 

Yes, it’s a fresh start. 

But at the same time, you don’t start over.

You just level up your bullet journal to become more organized, productive, and creative.

So don’t be afraid to mess up. Have fun and good luck!

What’s Next? You Want To Read These Awesome Bullet Journal Guides:

Bullet Journal Setup in 7 Actionable Steps

150+ Bullet Journal Page Ideas Perfect for Your 2023 Bujo

Bullet Journal Tips You’ll Want To Know Before You Start

Bullet Journal Migration