I’ve made the same New Year’s resolutions for as long as I can remember. This year, however, I honed in on a single change: get organized. I am scatterbrained and forgetful, often overlooking assignment and making to do lists that get lost in stacks of paper before I complete them. I decided to make 2017 the year where I put an end to missing due dates and losing notes.
In comes the Bullet Journal. I came across the method of planning this past December and saw the opportunity to organize everything in one, small notebook. I’ve used a planner since elementary school to take note of homework assignments, appointments, and meetings, but the Bullet Journal takes the average planner to the next level. Pioneered by Ryder Carol, the official website says the Bullet Journal, “can be your to-do list, sketchbook, notebook, and diary, but most likely, it will be all of the above. It will teach you to do more with less.” A place to keep track of everything in my life was exactly what I needed to keep up with my resolution.
By starting with an entirely blank notebook, the Bullet Journal allows for complete creative freedom with what you write, when you write, and how you write it. Months, weeks, and days can be segmented however one chooses, and lists, notes, calendars, and anything else can be strewn in wherever you please. Numbered pages and an index in the beginning on the notebook make it easy to locate that list of books you need to buy for your classes you made at the beginning of the semester. Different signifiers for your daily plans put emphasis on tasks at hand, events, and notes. The original idea for the Bullet Journal was to keep it simple and minimalistic in order for it to be the most effective.
I began my Bullet Journal on the first day of the year and haven’t put it down since. Not only has planning this way helped me become more organized, but it has also provided me with a creative outlet. Bloggers like Boho Berry and Tiny Ray of Sunshine have taken the idea for the Bullet Journal and run with it. These bloggers, among many others, have integrated calligraphy, doodling, and coloring into the Bullet Journal. My nightly process of planning the next day allows me to work on my handwriting, doodle things like a symbol for tomorrow’s weather, and create a color-coded visual of how I spend my time. My Bullet Journal has allowed me to expand on that initial resolution of getting more organized, and now I have a daily creative outlet to use while getting organized.
I can’t say the Bullet Journal will be the end all be all of everyone’s problems. You have to put at least some time each day into planning out what you need to, want to, or have to do. But, if you’re willing to put just a few minutes into organizing your days, the Bullet Journal will allow you the flexibility to do that however you please. It may not solve all of life’s problems, but I haven’t forgotten an assignment or lost a to-do list since the beginning of the year.
You can find out more about the Bullet Journaling system on the official website here, and purchase the official Bullet Journal notebook here.