If you’ve been on Pinterest or Tumblr in the past few months, chances are you’ve been exposed to the wonder that is bullet journaling. My best friend, my mother and two of my aunts are even getting in on the trend with me as part of our New Year’s resolutions. And guess what? It’s completely manageable.
It may look intimidating, but it’s remarkably simple to begin. That’s right: you too can achieve the colorful and organized greatness of all the study blogs you follow and envy. Gone are the days of scrolling through endless beautiful grid pages and rainbow highlighters, yearning to be as on top of things as they are, only to go back to your sad college-ruled notebook and scattered Post-Its.
In essence, bullet journaling is a way to bring mindfulness and organization into your daily life. It is a system created by a smart fellow named Ryder Carroll, and it even has its own website dedicated to mastering the basics, which I encourage you read.
The bullet journal encourages what is called rapid logging. The theory Carroll subscribes to is that traditional journaling becomes exhausting after a few weeks, and feels like much more of a chore than it should. This, he says, causes people to bail out after maybe a week of journaling no matter how enthusiastic they may have been at the beginning. Rapid logging entails bullet points, page numbers, short sentences and topics to keep it simple, fast and light.
Getting started
All you need to begin is a notebook and a pen or pencil. I have gone with a purple Moleskine grid notebook. It works wonderfully even though I’ve admittedly already stained the front of it with ink. The grid really allows for easy creation of graphs, charts and drawings more than a standard lined notebook would. You’re going to want to find pens that don’t bleed or smear; these Staedtler triplus fineliner pens do the trick.
I started with the basic set of 10 assorted colors and plan on getting even more once I can afford it, although the basic 10 haven’t left me wanting anything additional.
Long story short: you outline your months, weeks and days in bullet points for your basic framework, including your events and tasks. From there, include specialized pages of absolutely whatever you want.
But first, start with your key. I mark new tasks with a bullet, completed tasks with an “x,” rescheduled tasks with an arrow, and events with an open circle. I also star things that are a priority, put an exclamation point next to things that are urgent and a little “eye” next to things I want to explore more. (OK, I told myself the eye was cute and that I was going to use it all the time…
I have yet to use it in the four weeks I’ve been journaling. You can probably forgo it.) Also create an index because you’ll be numbering all your pages for an easy way to find things even months after you create them.
After you create your index and key, you can also create a monthly calendar view for the entire year, where you can put any big events like birthdays or vacations so you can review your year at a glance.
Next, I made a monthly outline for January to use as another overview, this time listing any events or obligations that would directly affect my whole day. Don’t clutter this section with shopping trips or homework assignments unless it’s a really big deal—that’s what your daily logs are for. I’ve done mine in a list form, but many people create full monthly calendars. Again, whatever you want to do.
Daily logging
Now, on to the main act. Daily logs will most likely comprise the bulk of your journal. Here is where I make my bulleted list of tasks for the day and outline any events I have. Don’t stop there. The beauty of this format is that you can track anything you want in your daily log.
Want to ensure you drink eight glasses of water each day? Make a little graph and color it in as you drink. Some people track the high and low temperatures or the weather for the day in the daily log, too. Put in a fun or inspiring quote to help you get through the week.
I have also begun writing a little paragraph about my day on days when something noteworthy happens. That is nice because even though the bullet journal isn’t technically formatted to be the classic journal in which you document your innermost feelings of the day, it totally can be.
Nothing happened on Tuesday, but your life got flipped upside-down on Wednesday? Write about it! For someone like me who is truly a writer at heart, but doesn’t always have the time to do it extensively each day, I love being able to jot down my feelings about my day in this way. It gives me the opportunity without making me feel like I have to do it.
In my daily logs, I try to stay away from listing homework assignments or my class schedule simply because it just takes up so much room. If there’s a certain academic task that I really want to get done, I’ll add it, but for the most part I keep my bullet journal separate from my academic planner. I want my bullet journal to be more about my own personal wellness and I don’t want to clutter it with page numbers or due dates of assignments. (On another note, my academic planner is a personalized Erin Condren, and it will change your life.)
Specialized pages
Now that we have the basics of what actually goes into daily logging, it’s time to get creative. While Carroll has provided us with the framework on how to begin, the beauty of the bullet journal is that it can be tailored to each person’s individual needs.
One of the specialized pages I have in my journal is a monthly habit tracker. Here, list the things you want to accomplish daily for the month. Some of mine include: drink 8 glasses of water, go for a walk, clean your room, eat breakfast and no alcohol. I go through this at the end of each day and just color in the things I manage to do. Some days will be better than others, and that’s OK. The point is to make you more mindful and aware of how much you’re actually doing these things.
Some of my other specialized pages include a list of books I want to read in 2016 (a list to which I’m constantly adding), a page dedicated to some business obligations and goals and another page dedicated to my health and fitness goals for the year.
Get inspired, get started
I’ve only been bullet journaling for a few weeks now, but it has really changed my productivity. I carry it with me to work, all my classes and anywhere else I go. It has turned into my best friend. It’s my faithful companion that tells me everything from the next book on my reading list to how I felt last Thursday.
It carries information, both professional and personal, and morphs to fit however I’m feeling that day. Its fluidity is its main appeal for me. Didn’t really like the calendar format you used for January? Change it up for February! It’s a completely blank slate that can change and grow alongside you.
Poke around the internet for ideas and to find articles or blogs that inspire you to try something new with your journal. You design it for your own personal needs. And, if you’re like me, it’ll effortlessly integrate into your daily routine without much effort at all. Do you have your own journaling techniques or bullet journal experiences? Let us know!
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