Between Instagram influencers, Youtube fitness vloggers and social media food bloggers, my quarantine inspo feels a little… crowded. Each day I wake up with simultaneously nothing and everything to do. Like most college women, I tend to lead an active and productive lifestyle, and after spending my first three days of quarantine enjoying the stress-free vibes of online school, bingeing just lost its appeal, you know? I found myself feeling a little lost. Do I pick up a new hobby? Start a new project? And what about all of the other stuff I usually fill my day with, like cooking meals, working out or listening to podcasts? Living at home and leading a much slower day-to-day life (sleep ‘til noon, anyone?), the pressure of needing to do these things for myself is gone; but I don’t want to give them up just because I’m in quarantine.
To organize all these potential quarantine activities, I’ve decided to try the Bullet Journal. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s a blank journal designed to hold a combination of elements, such as an index, monthlies, dailies, collections and a future log. Personally, I was drawn to the bullet journal for its versatility. The simplistic structure allows me to keep my meal planning, workout routines and academic schedule all in one place, on the same page. And as an added bonus, the blank pages mean I have an outlet for getting a little artistic, crushing yet another one of my quarantine goals!
So how do you get this whole thing set up? It’s actually pretty easy with just a few simple steps:
- Supplies to Get Started
-
All you really need is a bullet journal and a pen; but if you want to have a little more fun, then some bright, funky pens might be a worthwhile investment. Some other ideas include a ruler for dividing up your pages, stickers to make certain pages/notes really pop and maybe some watercolors if you want to get really artsy.
- Make an Index
-
The first thing to do: make an index. Label the first three pages of your journal “Index,” then turn to the next blank page and begin numbering the pages starting with 1. As you add spreads to the bullet journal, simply update the Index. This way, you’ll have a much easier time finding things in the future. Also, if you want to take your Index to the next level, try color coding or sorting by category!
- Create the Future Log
-
Bullet journals are different from traditional planners in that they don’t have pre-made future months and dates. To set up a Future Log in your bullet journal, first decide how many months ahead you want to plan (recommended 3-12). Once you’ve decided how far ahead to plan, divide your Future Log page into equal sections for each month, and label. When you schedule an appointment or have a note you want to remember, jot it down in your Future Log and then add it to your monthly when you set it up.
- Monthly Spread
-
Like a traditional planner, the monthly spread is where you can see your whole month laid out at a glance. Popular formats include calendars and lists, but you can really personalize this page! For some inspiration getting started, check out this page for tons of aesthetically pleasing organizational ideas!
- Weekly Spread
-
Weeklies are the step between monthlies and dailies where you plan out the next seven days in detail all on one spread. They’re best to get an idea of upcoming appointments and deadlines so you can plan your week around the big stuff. This is also an ideal page to add a habit tracker or keep a gratitude log!
- Daily Spread
-
This is your to-do list 2.0. The dailies are where you write down literally all the things you need to get done in a day, all the appointments you need to keep and any notes you take. The best part is you can add absolutely anything you want: water intake, meals, steps walked, anything!
- Collections
-
Collections are a catch-all for everything else you want to write down that doesn’t fit in a definite category of the bullet journal. Examples could include lists, logs, trackers, maps and info dumps—maybe that project idea you’ve been musing on, a brainstorming session you keep meaning to have or a list you want off your mind. To set these up, add a header to the next blank page in your journal and start adding information (and don’t forget to add it to your Index!).
- Collections Inspo
-
Memories log
Gratitude log
Affirmation Log
Meal planning
Master grocery list
Recipe bank
Goals and rewards
Tracker Inspo
Habit tracker
Health tracker (sleep, hydration, calories, steps, symptoms, periods…)
Mood tracker
Weight loss tracker
Financial planning
And there you have it: your step-by-step instructions to setting up your very own bullet journal! I know I personally feel so much better when the tasks I want to complete have some sort of organization. If you feel like that’s you too, then go ahead and set one of these up! Quarantine project: check!