Hello! This month, I’ve switched away from pinks and am using a beautiful blue floral washi tape, accented with the light blue Mildliner from the pastel (pink) set. Not much has changed as far as the layout goes from last month, but it shows me that changing up the washi and color accents really refreshes my excitement for using my journal for another month.

So this is a bit of an abridged version of van Gogh’s original quote, but I love his art, and saying the van Gogh episode of Doctor Who is the best episode in the entire series is a hill I would gladly die on (with the full disclosure that I’m still on the Eleventh Doctor’s last few epsiodes). Here’s the full quote:

For the great doesn’t happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things that are brought together.

What is drawing? How does one get there? It’s working one’s way through an invisible iron wall that seems to stand between what one feels and what one can do. How can one get through that wall? — since hammering on it doesn’t help at all. In my view, one must undermine the wall and grind through it slowly and patiently. And behold, how can one remain dedicated to such a task without allowing oneself to be lured from it or distracted, unless one reflects and organizes one’s life according to principles? And it’s the same with other things as it is with artistic matters. And the great isn’t something accidental; it must be willed.

– Vincent van Gogh (1882)

Anyways, it’s a nice quote, and I chose it to help motivate me through the next month as I try to achieve a few goals – in baby steps.

Speaking of goals, in March I didn’t use the “goals” or “to-do” sections on my calendar page, but I’ve already started writing things in for April. I found that I was more focused on maintaining the things I’d been doing through January and February than trying to add in something new. This month, however, I’m ready to add in something new/amp up my commitment to things I’ve loosely been working toward.

My expense and habit trackers for April are the same as March’s. I really love the expenses tracker that I landed on because it’s helped me to get a good view of both the general categories and specific purchases I’m making each day.

A quick note on perfection: On my habit tracker page there’s a bit of double up with the green Mildliner smack in the middle of the page, and I’m trying to get over it. I’ve never cared much about wobbly lines or spelling errors, but this is something a little difficult to cover with correction tape or ignore. I’m going to have to just deal with it until that half of the month starts getting filled in, since once there’s marks in the line, it won’t be so noticeable.

I am still going strong with the same weekly spread for April, but I think I’ve finally found the placement and style of the day headers that I really like! I feel like I change that up every week, using just a letter or the whole word, centered vs. slightly to the left, and this is really balanced well with the date number in the right corners of the boxes, so I think I’ll keep with it.

That’s all for this month’s set-up! If you want to check out my bullet journal supplies, check out my 2018 Bullet Journal Set-Up post!

If you want to check out my past montly set-ups, here’s January, February, & March!

I’d love to hear below about your April planner themes! Please share links to your blog, Instagram, YouTube, or other social media!

– Natalie

P.S. Here’s some referral links to some of my favorite sites. Use if you’d like!

• Ebates – This is a great way to earn cash back from online shopping (that you’re already doing) at many of your favorite stores! (Including Sephora & Ulta!) If you join through this link and make a purchase of $25 or more, you’ll get an extra $10 cash back and I’ll get $15, as well as your own referral code.
• thredUP – I love using thredUP to clean out my closet and shop for new pieces at a discounted price – sometimes they’re even brand new with tags! When you join thredUP through this link, you get $10 to spend and I get $10 to shop after you place your first order.
• StitchFix – This is a great way to try out some new items for your closet, without the hassle of going to the stores and the bonus of a personal stylist. If you sign up with this link, you’ll get a FREE styling fee (usually $20) on your first Fix, and I’ll get $25 credit once it ships.