What is a bullet journal?
Though it does require a notebook, Bullet Journal is actually a methodology. It’s best described as a mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system. It’s designed to help you organize your what while you remain aware of your why . The goal of the Bullet Journal is to help its practitioners (bullet journalists) live intentional lives, ones that are productive and meaningful.
— Ryder Carroll
In other words, it’s a notebook that holds your brain intact. You no longer have to remember what you want to remember. Only remember to remember to write it down. It helps you get tasks into an organized management system.
Who is it for?
Anyone can start and use this system. Writers, students, engineers, business owners, people with goals, etc. This is a good alternative to using digital tools for planning. It gives you a reason to step away from the phone or PC and truly plan out the month or day.
How to Start a Bullet Journal?
Starting a bullet journal can be intimidating. You see all of the complex and creative spreads out there and go, “I can’t do this.” But it’s not that complex. It’s simpler than you think. It’s just a pen, a notebook, and your tasks and events.
The Pen and Notebook
If you have a notebook laying around your home, then use that. If you have the money, to buy a new notebook, do that. Hell, just use paper when starting off. (This may not be for you.) A pen, come on, everyone has a pen in their home. Just use the one you find or use often.
Most bullet journal notebooks are grid dot paper. This helps with spreads, helping the pages feel limited as lined paper. It gives more room to make charts or graphs. It also allows for you to put information anywhere on a page and not feel obligated to put it on a line.
Once you know that bullet journaling is a system that you want to keep, you can invest in a more expensive journal or not. Walmart and Michaels sell dot grid, blank, and lined notebooks that are good quality and under $10.
The Calendar
A calendar is what will aid you in creating a bullet journal. When making your monthly log and yearly log, you will need to know how many days are in the current month and what day of the week they fall on. You can use a paper calendar or use the one on your phone.
Opening to the first page
Make an index. I’m pretty sure you won’t use it but if you do, there you have it. I don’t even bother making one. Turn to the third or fourth page. This is where it starts. I’m never really flipping around to other pages looking for stuff.
Tip: If you don’t want to use an index, use washi tape, sticky notes or paper clip to mark important pages.
Future Log
Future log is where you list all known dates, events, to-dos that need to be done in the future. It’s an overview for the year.
How to Make a Future Log
This is where you divide two or one page into 12 sections. If you have a lot going on two pages would be best for you. If not, one page will do. Now this is where you decide to do the minimal or go a creative route. Some people actually make a calendar view for each month (for visualization) and some just list the months in each section.
Note: If you are starting in the middle of the year, only break the page into the number months left in the year.
Monthly Log
This where creativity can flow or not. You can go the simple route and just number down the page 1–30 or 31 depending on the month and add in the events that you need next to the date. You can also make a calendar yourself. OR you can take a calendar print out from the internet and tape into your journal. This would ensure accuracy and save time. But if you ARE A CREATIVE person, then look to Pinterest for inspiration. There are some creative people out there. You can find a layout that works for you. There are minimalist spreads out there that just involve adding a line or two to make it look more aesthetic.
You can also add in other sections for the month, like to-do’s or a habit tracker. It’s not required, but it’s something to think about.
Tip: If tasks can be broken down, by week then divide the page into sections to allow you to see how much you have to get done in a certain week. You can also break tasks down by categories.
Daily Logs
Now, you can do daily logs. The daily log is the day of tasks and events. This is where you write down all the things you need to do. Break tasks and events down to the sub tasks. Make notes about the day.
If you feel that you don’t write anything on a daily aspect, that’s fine. You can skip days, if you don’t have time. This is like any new habit that you start, take it one day at a time. Daily log is for day to day use. Don’t get ahead of yourself. You may not log anything for a whole week or a couple of days. If there are things that need to be noted ahead of time, use your monthly log or make a to-do list on the current day.
Collections
Collections are a list of tasks or items that can fall under a topic. It can be a project, planning a trip, or books you want to read or have read.
Collections aren’t necessary for a bujo but they can help when planning for events or projects. It consolidates an idea together without having to look back at multiple pages.
Here’s a list of collections to start with:
- Morning/Evening Routine
- Project Planning
- Weekly Schedule
- Habit Tracker
- Trip Planning
- Shopping List
- Party Planning
- Cleaning Checklists
- Meal Planner
- Bucket List
Being Extra
The main point of bullet journaling is the ability to rapid log. Rapid logging is listing details as bullets and to the point notes. But sometimes looking at the pages in your bujo can be a bit boring and stale. For some this is fine. It’s to the point and gets the job done.
For others going a little further can push them to use this system more. So being extra in your bujo is okay. Just don’t let being creative and extra take away from the actual purpose of a bujo.
How to be Extra?
To be extra, you will need a little bit of creativity or the ability to copy someone else’s creativity. There are some really minimal and extremely complex bujo spreads out there. But don’t just jump into all the extra stuff in the beginning. This is where a lot of people go wrong and why people are not using or giving the system a try. I say go 2 or 3 months with the basic system, then go extra. Start slow and small.
Things to Add
- Color
- Headers
- Different fonts and sizes
- Borders and lines to separate the page into sections.
Start by adding color to your bujo. You can use different color with the headers or titles of the page/collection. Use an highlighter for headers and important notes.
I have tried to use other ideas to bring more life to my bujo, but I think that minimal will do just fine. You can buy a set of colored pens, markers, and a ruler from the Dollar Tree or Wal-mart. That’s no more than $5 purchase. If you want the brands that most of the well known bullet journalists, then by all means go for it. But you should wait and make sure that this system works for you before spending that kind of money.
For me, spending more than $10 on a notebook is crazy. To be honest, more than $5 on a notebook is crazy. I’m currently in my second notebook and it cost $8. I wanted a dot grid, and that’s what I got. I brought makers for a dollar. I brought colored pens for $3.
Do what’s reasonable to you. Don’t over extend yourself to make a perfect notebook. It doesn’t exist. Mistakes happen, so make them. Cross out that misspelled word or re number the months.
Bullet journaling is system to get tasks and events out of your head. It’s to make you aware of the things that you do on a daily, monthly and yearly aspect. Make it work for you.
Resources and Links
Bullet journal official site and YouTube channel
Bullet Journal: Getting Started
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