For many college students, the beginning of a new semester is synonymous with stress. Between work, school, a social life, the impending doom of securing a successful career, and keeping up with a new season of The Bachelor, there is a lot to balance. Enter the scrapbook planner, which is basically just a baby bullet journal. I’m sure you’ve heard of the legendary bullet journal and have seen the pictures on Instagram of expertly curated pages. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the concept of a bullet journal, allow me to introduce you: a bullet journal is a multifunctional notebook system intended for taking notes and journaling. For some, the journal functions as a way to plan their day: it houses elaborate methods for tracking things such as financials, physical activity, meal plans, and so on. In recent years, the bullet journal has gained a cult following on social media, as entire communities have formed around creating what is, essentially, art in their planners. It’s a Frankenstein’s monster mashup of a diary, planner, scrapbook, and to-do list. Regardless of what they use it for, these journals serve as creative outlets for a ton of advocates.
On the other hand, if, like me, you’re a huge mess with little to no artistic skills, the idea of building and maintaining a long-term project like this one can seem a bit daunting, especially when it relies so heavily on aesthetics. I’m here to tell you that if I can do this, then you certainly can too. The reason I call mine a scrapbook planner (and not a bullet journal) is because this is a much more simplified version of bullet journaling. Decreasing the amount of moving parts and keeping only what is essential and beneficial to yourself can help to manage daily stress and anxiety.
Though it might look complicated, decorating your planner is much easier than it seems. This process can be as complex or as simple as you’re comfortable with. I personally own this version of the Moleskine planner, but the Leuchtturm1917 is a great alternative! In the Moleskine, if you open up the book flat, the left side of the page has a weekly spread, which is where I list events or tasks I need to accomplish. What I enjoy about this particular planner is that the right side is just a regular lined page. Some use this for additional note taking and planning—this is where I like to do my “scrapbooking.” Keeping this contained to a singular page will make it easier to manage for beginners. The creator of the bullet journaling system has a website with some helpful resources for anyone looking to get started.
Putting together your spread for the week will depend entirely on what you want or need from your planner. Taking a short period of time once a week to paste together magazine clippings, old book pages, stickers, and washi tape is one of the few times I can just relax. In these moments, creating a page is the only goal. If it doesn’t turn out great, there’s always next week! This way, you’ll be able to track your growth.
The specifics of what goes into the planner is subjective as well. Some popular things to add to these journals include to-do lists, meetings/appointments, habit trackers, mood trackers, grocery lists, and diary entries. Logging your thoughts and patterns in a planner is a way to keep yourself honest and accountable. Making it pretty is just something to let your creative side flow. Plus, the page itself is a tangible accomplished goal.
Some of my favorite bullet journaling Instagram pages are @doodlelou.co, @marjo.bujo, and @juliajournal. I recommend browsing their pages to jumpstart some creativity (Note: Remember, don’t be intimidated! These are seasoned journalers!). A few affordable options for washi tapes/stickers include this versatile Ban.do sticker set, this set of 10 solid colored tapes, and this set of 16 decorative tapes.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, go forth and Marie Kondo the heck out of your busy schedules!