Do we have any Bullet Journalers here? I recently started bullet journaling this past month and I am in love with it! I typically get hyped up about something and then I’m over it in a couple of months but I am hoping to keep myself on track with this system. For those of you who don’t know what bullet journaling is I will outline the basic concept as well as some tips that have worked for me in this post.
First I recommend going with the official bullet journal if you are just starting (they run about $25 at Barnes and Noble but you may be able to get it online for cheaper. The official “BuJo” outlines exactly how the journal is supposed be layed out but you can also go to the bullet journal website and watch the four minute youtube video (this helped me since I’m more of a visual person). Any notebook with bullets on the pages or a grid-like format should work fine as well. The bullets/grid help keep your BuJo organized and makes it easier if you want to try some of the more creative layouts.
I probably spend at least 6 hours a week working on my BuJo because i like to use the more creative layouts. If you don’t want to spend a lot of time on it then you would do well using the basic layout outlined in the video. I have to set up each month of my BuJo at least two weeks in advance which is pretty standard if you are using it as a planner. If you’re into the creative layouts like me then a good place to get BuJo inspiration is pinterest (surprise, surprise). Pinterest has an unlimited number of resources for everything from BuJo layouts and trackers to what pens and markers work the best.

So the basic setup of a BuJo has a future log, a monthly log and depending on the person a weekly log, daily log or both. A lot of BuJo users also have trackers set up to keep track of different things like habits, cleaning duties, books read, exercise and many more. The year log just outlines events and birthdays that you know are happening throughout the year; you would use it as a reference to set up your monthly log. The monthly log lays out any plans for the month ahead; a lot of my trackers are grouped in with my monthly log as well. The weekly log is a spread of what your week looks like; I’ve seen a lot of people put weekly goals, cleaning trackers etc. on this page as well as fun things like inspirational quotes or drawings. The daily log is meant to be just a daily to-do list of things you want to get done; I’ve also seen people use the daily log as an actual journal entry at the end of their day.
The great thing about the bullet journal is you can use it however you want. The main appeal of it is that you can have everything you need in one place instead of spread out between stacks of notebooks. If you need it to take notes then its a notebook; if you need it to keep track of work events then it’s a calendar. If you want to keep track of your dreams then its a place for you to write those down every morning. Everyone’s BuJo is different and that’s the beauty of it. I highly recommend trying it out. The best advice i can give you is to start simple and play around with different things to find out what works best for you. Don’t worry about making mistakes because you can turn the page to a blank canvas. I hope this was helpful and goodluck with your BuJo journey!