What Is a Bullet Journal?
A bullet journal is a personalized system for organizing
daily tasks and long-term goals. Learn how to use a bullet journal to organize
your to-do lists, hopes, and other thoughts.
A bullet journal, also known as a bujo, is an analog
planning system for tasks, goals, and aesthetics. Ryder Carroll, a product
designer based in New York, developed the bullet journal method to maximize
planner functionality and expand scheduling capabilities beyond simple monthly
calendars. DIY bullet journals typically adhere to a similar template of common
elements, such as brainstorming spreads, meal planning spreads, and mood
trackers.
3 Benefits of Bullet Journaling
The bujo, which is part sketchbook, calendar, and diary,
serves as a single record of your meditations, tasks, and dreams. Using a
bullet journal has several advantages:
1. Bullet journals encourage experimentation. Bujos provide space
for reflection and creativity. Bullet journal pages may be filled with spreads
for stickers, doodles, and scrapbooking. Bujos can be minimalist or maximalist
in design, allowing users to have fun personalizing their own.
2. Bullet journals are useful. Bullet journals use daily and
monthly spreads to help users map out their schedules. The bullet journal
system, however, is more than just a calendar; as an analog form of record
keeping, bullet journals provide users with a tactile way to plan their current
to-do lists and future goals.
3. Bullet journals can help you take care of yourself. By
providing a place to clearly organize tasks and articulate your vision, the
bujo can become a vehicle for self-care and help you improve your mental
health. Write step-by-step instructions to help you break down tasks; this is
especially useful for people with ADHD.
Bullet Journal Index: 6 Things to Include
A bullet journal index lists the contents and page numbers
of your journal. The order in which you organize your bujo is entirely up to
you, but common elements in bullet journal setups include:
1. Collections: In collections, you can track anything that
isn't directly related to your current tasks. These sections frequently
prioritize your aesthetic preferences; these could include song playlists you
want to curate, goals you want to achieve in the coming year, doodles to help
you relax, memories you don't want to forget, or anything else.
2. Daily log: Divide your daily tasks however you see fit in
order to organize your actions each day.
3. Future log: Keep track of upcoming dates, appointments,
tasks, or goals in your daily or monthly log. Simply write these dates or ideas
in your future log spread, and then as you set up new monthlies, write that
relevant information in and cross it out in your future log.
4. Habit tracker: To develop habits, keep a bullet journal.
Documenting your good and bad habits, as well as when you practice them, allows
you to hold yourself accountable and shows you how frequently you engage in
these behaviors. For example, you could use a habit tracker to keep track of
your gym visits or the times of day when you lose your patience.
5. Monthly log: Your monthly log tracks larger goals you
hope to achieve from month to month. Layouts will vary (monthlies can be in a
grid style or a series of notes), and some bujos will go even further with
weeklies.
6. Spreads: A spread is each left and right page of your
open bullet journal. Two-page spreads can be used to keep track of travel
plans, birthdays, and chores.
Five Bullet Journal Ideas
If you're ready to get started with bullet journaling,
consider some of these creative ideas:
1. Personalize your cover. You can personalize your cover by
using washi tape, stickers, stencils, collages, and other art supplies.
2. Recognize that there is no one way to journal. Bullet
journal spreads can take any shape you want. There is no right or wrong way to
make one, so have fun experimenting with different ways to organize your
thoughts using this more creative scheduling technique.
3. Decide on a color scheme. To unify your bujo, you can use
a consistent color scheme or use different colors to code different sections of
your bujo.
4. Make room for doodling. You'll need some empty space in
your bujo for collections if you want to manage stress and have fun. Set aside
some spreads for doodling or lettering.
5. Make use of a dot grid notebook. These grids are softer
than those with crisscrossing vertical and horizontal lines, allowing you to
connect and use the dots as you see fit.
How to Keep a Bullet Journal
You can get ideas for your bullet journal from social media.
To begin your bujo, follow these steps:
Make your layouts. Your spreads are the foundation of your
bujo: decide what content you want in your journal and categorize it. These
spreads will keep you organized, and your table of contents will determine what
content goes on which page.
Create your own method of rapid logging. To communicate
ideas quickly, use symbols (dashes, crosses, circles, etc.) that mean different
things throughout your bullet journal. Your shorthand language is rapid
logging.
As you grow, migrate. Your bullet journal will always be in
flux, and as your projects grow, you may need to migrate content to new pages
or even a new bujo.
Reflect. Reflect on how your bujo works for you and make
changes as needed to make it as relaxing, creative, and effective as possible.