Bullet Journaling has, over the past couple of months, become my favourite organizational tool. It’s such a logical and creative way to set goals and plan your time efficiently. The basic logic behind it is pretty simple to follow and if you keep it up, can lead to amazing results. Essentially bullet journaling uses a system of rapid logging in which information is captured in bulleted lists. For more insight into how the bullet journaling system works you can click here. While I am a relatively recent convert, bullet journaling is far from being a new method of planning and organization. The amazing thing about it is how it has managed to stay so popular with a lot of people for so many years. What makes bullet journaling appealing, in my opinion, is that it allows for a lot of creativity and customization to suit your unique needs. There is no right or wrong format of bullet journaling. The important thing is to find a format that works for you to increase your productivity.
As you probably already know, the basic structure of the bullet journal includes:
1. Cover – The cover of the journal
2. Index – Basically a table of contents that you update as you use up more pages in your journal
3. Key- A legend of all the symbols you use in your journal and what they represent.
4. Future Log – Year at a Glance. This is where you put all the special events and tasks that you already know are coming up for the entire year.
5. Monthly spread – a calendar view of all the major activities happening for a specific month
6. Weekly / Daily spread – a spread showing all the major activities happening for a specific week/ day.
Although bullet journaling in its most basic form is super simple, the creative spreads that we find online can be really intimidating. It is so common to feel like you’re not artistic or creative enough to start and maintain a bullet journal of your own. I know for sure I was intimidated at first. Who has time to put in all these amazing illustrations and fancy hand lettering? On top of that how are people able to keep them perfectly neat. To answer some of these questions and shed some light on your concerns, below are some general tips that can help you feel more confident about maintaining a bullet journal.
1. Don’t Be Afraid to Make Mistakes in Your Bullet Journal
Life isn’t perfect and you don’t have to be either. You will learn as you go on and improve with time. Turn your mistakes into little doodles or cover them with stickers. Think of it as a work in progress
2. Get the Right Pens
Even though fancy inky pens may feel slick to write with, depending on the type of paper your notebook has, the ink may be too running for the pages to absorb. As a result, you could end up with runny ink bleeding through to the other side of your Journal pages. Not only does this create a mess but it makes the works hard to read and honestly, if you can’t read it, how’s it going to help you?
For bullet journaling, ballpoint, papermate or gel pens are recommended. Also, try not to press too hard on the paper to prevent the ink from bleeding through. If you simply can’t part with your fantastic inky pen then ensure that you invest in a notebook with thick high quality paper.
3. Do What Works For You
Ensure that whatever template you set up is compatible with the amount of free time you have in your daily schedule. Don’t get stuck trying to make it super detailed and fancy to the point where the journal is no longer productive and a pain to maintain. For example, if you know your schedule is pretty light and your tasks don’t need to be scheduled for a particular date then a daily spread would be a waste of time for you. In this case, sticking to a weekly spread would be a way more efficient use of time, effort, ink and journal pages.
Choose Productivity > Stress
Everytime!
4. Express Yourself
Leave room for creativity. A lot of the bullet journal spreads we see online are very artistic and graphical. If you know realistically that this type of spread is too much for you don’t worry! You can start small and consider only getting fancy with only element of of your bullet journal. Whether it’s your major headings or monthly tracker, choose something that is manageable for you. If you need inspiration you can check out bullet journal templates online and extract a component of it that is easy for you to replicate.
5. Do What You Actually Need
Though super detail daily trackers and spreads look beautiful and seem like a great idea, it actually can become very time consuming to fill out every day. If you know you dieting isn’t a big deal for you then don’t get a meal tracker. If you know you have a regular sleep schedule and don’t struggle with getting enough rest then don’t put in a sleep tracker. The same goes for elaborate doodles and decorative layout patterns. Don’t clutter your journal with stuff you don’t need or care about.
6. Keep Your Journal Style Simple and Flexible
Start out with the basics and develop your style as you go along. If you’re not sure, don’t commit to one style for the whole year. Try out different styles monthly and add or subtract what works as you go along. remember this is your private journal and there’s no bullet journal police.
7. Just Start!
You don’t need to start at the beginning of the month or the new year. Start today! Every day lost is one more day that you could have planned out better. Think off all the goals you would be putting on hold! Your future more organized self will thank you.
