Bullet journaling. You may have heard this phrase on social media or productivity blogs accompanied by #bujo and a photo of a pristine notebook. But what actually is bullet journaling? The official website makes an enticing claim saying that it is, “a customizable and forgiving organization system. It 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.” Sounds pretty awesome, right?
I started bullet journaling about a month ago, and I have fallen in love with the system. It gives me so much room for creating the perfect planner, logging my daily to-do list, and exercising my creative side that doesn’t often find a place in my everyday life. So, how can you get started with your own bujo?
(Photo: Courtesy Kara Benz/Boho Berry)
First, you’ll have to decide how you want to use your bujo. Don’t feel like you need to be an artist and create beautiful, complex pages! Let your journal work for you! Once you decide how to use it, you’ll need a few supplies. The notebook is important, but you can use anything you want. You’ll have to choose yours based on what you like and what will work for you. I personally like a hard-cover notebook with lined paper. You will also need any creative supplies like pens, stickers, or washi tape. Once you have your supplies, let’s start with the layout.
I’d have a page with your information in case you were to misplace your journal. Next, use an index to keep track of your pages. With this, of course, you’ll need to number your pages. These pages will consist of anything you want! I do a weekly layout because I use mine in a “to-do list” format. Below is my layout for this week! The other page has a list of class assignments for the week and a log for my hours at work.
For each day, you’ll need to create a system of bullets to indicate different things. For me, it’s fairly simple. A circle is for an event, a box for a task, an asterisk for a deadline, a dot for a point to remember, a heart for a memory, and an exclamation point for something important. This system has worked really well for me!
So what about the other pages? That’s where you can get creative! I love to create pages called “Brain Dumps” that is basically a running list of things that run through my mind. Many people create pages for books they want to read, important numbers to have on hand, or a “daily gratitude” page. The options are endless!
(Photo: Moxidori)
Throw away your store-bought planner, and get started on your creative bujo! You might learn to love it!