Bringing Your 2021 Goals to Life with a Bullet Journal
By: Lauren Nicole (@bujo.by.lo)
Do you want to forget about 2020 and have a fresh start to the new year? Do you make yearly goals but never end up sticking to them? If you answered yes to either of those questions, then this Mildliner Challenge blog post on 2021 goals is just for you!
Anyone can enter the Mildliner Challenge to show off how you like to use Mildliner Highlighters and Mildliner Brush Pens to make bullet journal spreads, study notes, calligraphy, or other art based on the Challenge’s weekly prompts.
When you enter weekly, you’ll be entered for the chance to win a Planner Prize pack, valued at approximately $100. For the prompts, how to enter, and official rules visit, zebrapen.com/mildlinerchallenge.
If you want to learn how I used the Mildliner Highlighters to organize and help achieve my 2021 goals, then keep on reading!
Step 1: Create the Header
To start off, create the “2021 Goals” and “Goal Planner” headers on two separate pages. Using the “bold” end of the Mildliner Highlighter with the chisel tip, write “2021” and “GOAL” in all capital letters at the top of two separate pages. Be sure to leave one line of empty space down the center of each header.
In that empty space, use the Sarasa Clip Retractable Gel Pen to write “goals” between “2021” and “planner” between “GOAL” in a thin, single lined calligraphy. I love using Mildliner Highlighters for this bolded header style because the bold tip gives you an evenly thick, smooth, and clean line.
Sarasa Clip is also one of my favorite stationery items because it writes extremely smoothly, which makes it perfect for calligraphy. Both of these products are also super easy to control so you’ll get a nice, clean spread every time you use them.
Step 2: Develop the Spread Layout
Next, organize the “2021 Goals” spread by drawing four separate vertical boxes with a simple banner near the top of each box using the Sarasa Clip Gel Pen. It’s best to draw the banners first, and then the boxes to get that 3D effect of the banner draping over the box.
Additionally, organize the “Goal Planner” spread by drawing four horizontal boxes stacked on top of each other and add a flag banner at the top left corner of each box. Drawing the boxes in a different orientation for each spread helps to distinguish them as separate spreads so that they don’t blend into each other.
The Sarasa Clip Gel Pen is one of the best pens to use for outlining spreads because it draws a consistently thick, bold, and dark line. The gel never skips so you won’t have to go over spots multiple times, and it dries quickly so the lines won’t smudge.
Step 3: Add Dimension Using the Mildliner Highlighter
Third, add dimension and character to the spread by introducing color. Using the “fine” end of the Mildliner Highlighter (alternatively the Mildliner Brush Pen can also be used), shade in the four banners on each spread. There are so many amazing colors in the Mildliner Highlighter set, so instead of using the same color for each banner you could also use a different color to denote each individual goal category.
The “fine” end of the Mildliner Highlighter is the absolute best to use for coloring because it distributes the color extremely well, is super pigmented, and blends nicely with itself to create a smooth shading.
The Mildliner Highlighter also works so lovely with the Sarasa Clip Gel Pens. These gel pens don’t bleed into the highlighter as you color in, so you don’t have to worry about getting any dark smudges throughout your spread. I also love that the Mildliner Highlighters have both a “bold” and “fine” end, because it allows me to use them for multiple different applications, just as I did for this Mildliner Challenge.
Step 4: Outline Your 2021 Goals
Lastly, outline the goals you want to track throughout 2021. Using the Sarasa Clip Gel Retractable Pen, write down the four goal categories you want to track into each of the banners on the “2021 Goals” spread.
Under each category, draw a checkbox for each of the specific goals you want to track throughout the year. These checkboxes are there for you to color in as you achieve these goals. Then on the “Goal Planner” spread, write the same goal categories in the four banners and write down a list of habits or actions that will help you achieve the goals you just wrote down on the other spread.
The Sarasa Clip Gel Pen works so well for this type of project because it involves making lists. This pen not only writes smoothly and doesn’t smudge, but it is also extremely pigmented, so you never have to worry about your goals fading. I decided to include the “Goal Planner” spread for this Mildliner Challenge because it’s so easy for us to write down our goals, but we rarely end up pursuing them. This way by outlining how we can achieve our goals, maybe we will have a better chance at reaching them.
I hope this bullet journal “Goals” tutorial will help keep you on track in 2021. For more bullet journal inspiration, check out How to Create a Minimalist Bullet Journal.
