What exactly is a bullet journal? It’s anything you want it and anything you need it to be. Most people make bullet journals to keep their goals set and to keep track of things, but some use it as a notebook, as a sketchbook, as a diary, or as a to-do list.
To be honest, it’s a mix of all of the above and more. When I first started mine, I really had no idea what it was going to turn into or what exactly I was doing, but it ended up being an agenda where I keep track of my homework, events and goals. If you’re thinking of making one and have no idea what you’re doing, here’s how I set mine up.
First, I started with an empty notebook, lots of colorful pens and pencils, and a Pinterest account (for ideas.)
Something every journal needs is an index. The index is the place you can go to to see where things are. Make sure to number your pages! It makes it a lot easier to keep track of things.
The next thing you’re going to need is a key. The key is used to add all the symbols you’re going to use in the journal. For example, a dot represents an event, a square represents a task…
I followed the key by doing a future log. I use it to write down big events such a birthdays, trips, or holidays.
The next thing I did was a monthly log. In here, I’m more specific than my future log. I write down the goals I want to achieve that month, a to-do list of things I have to do that month, and a bucket list of things I’d like to do that month.
The last thing I added was a weekly log. A weekly log is where you can keep track of your everyday tasks and tasks that need to be completed.
Some people also like to add lists to it such as movies to watch, books to read, expense tracker, habit tracker…
Want to know the best part? You don’t have to follow this layout! Choose whatever works for you and make it what you need it to be. If you don’t know where to start, go on Pinterest and look up ideas. This video also helped me alot.
All you really need at this point is just time and a little bit of creativity!