What are bullet journals, examples of how to use a bullet journal, whom bullet journaling is for, and the good and bad of bullet journaling?
Journaling can seem helpful and intimidating at the same time. My old planners weren’t working, and jotting down notes in a junk journal wasn’t cutting it.
A change was needed to continue my self-care journey towards a healthier mindset. As with most areas of life, first, I needed a plan that encouraged me to continue journaling and ignited my creative side. Well, of course. I had to try bullet journaling.
Here’s what I’ve learned about bullet journaling and how to get started.
Did you know that journaling and planning are forms of self-care? Click here for related journaling content.
What is a bullet journal?
Are you familiar with the concept of a planner, then a bullet journal is no different.
Any office supply store or a stroll down the supply aisle of Walmart will leave any momager, student, or money manager in no short supply of a monthly planner.
General planners are great for helping the average Jo jump into a daily organized habit. If needing to jot down a monthly schedule, keep the bills in one place or manage to-do lists, any store-bought planner will do just this.
However, for creative out-of-the-box thinkers, these basic layouts of an everyday planner may limit the potential to customize a planner that suits our needs.
Additionally, using a bullet journal can help those needing to spice up their everyday note-taking, journaling, organizing, (etc.), skills and help us live a meaningful stress life sparked with creativity.
With the use of a bullet journal, users can customize any ideas, thoughts, needs, to-do, and so forth a journal tailored to a specific need. Therefore, allowing any designer the personal freedom and guided productivity they choose to express.
How to bullet journal?
Did you know?
Visual representation allows people to create a running record and a pathway to a life of simplicity, ultimately reducing stress.
A bullet journal is different from a regular journal via the journal’s interior.
In a typical bullet journal, creators will open up a journal page to a dot graphic interior. A dot graph is then used to design a layout of the author’s choosing, leaving room for as much or as little creativity of choice.
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Bullet journal in 6 easy steps.
- Gather all materials, such as journal, stickers, pens, washi tape, etc.
- Design a layout in your journal that you like.
- First, start a table of contents and or an outline of choice.
- Next create an index, calander, future logs, key, etc. for each set of content.
- Draw shapes and add words or use stickers and post notes whatever you choose.
- Update and continue to fill in and design a template to help with daily habits and lifestyle.
The big idea!
Is to customize a planner or journal that encourages overall lifestyle growth and organization.
Keep in mind, when creating or manifesting in a space that is your own, focus on what is truly important, giving you the creator, the ability to succeed through personal creativity and not someone else’s.
Let’s discuss bullet journaling in more detail.
What does a standard bullet journal include?
- Cover Page
Typical bullet journals include a title page, table of contents, mission statement, affirmations, goals, or anything outlined to introduce the purpose of the desired journal intentions.
- Spreads
A simple daily spread could include this month at a glance, a traditional day-to-day schedule, or an overview of the week’s to-dos or intentions.
- Goals or Intentions
Usually, in this part of a bullet journal, authors use this time to become specific about what they want to focus on or manifest for the day, week, or month ahead.
- Quotes, Affirmations, Gratitude
For example, I like to break up my week’s designs using meaningful quotes and affirmations.
Or I leave blank pages for prayers and gratitude that speak to me throughout the week.
Additionally, I like to keep organized by keeping several journals for different focus topics.
- More Details
For me, simple is more manageable.
For instance, I like to leave pages available for whatever inspires me by not designing my life down to each page.
However, feel free to create and use your bullet journal to meet your needs.
- Other pages you may want to include are chore charts, meal planning, finances, bills to pay, diet tracker, month in review, phases of the moon, mood goals, exercise workouts, etc. The possibilities are endless.
Who is bullet journaling best suited for?
Are you someone who enjoys drawing, creating, or becomes bored quickly?
Do you start tasks or resolutions and don’t finish them?
Do you feel the excitement when buying a new planner only to quit using it after a few weeks?
Those are just some examples of people who typically enjoy using a bullet journal to create a planner that suits their needs. Planning is about intentions and follow-through, but best intentions are hard to follow through when with a lack of creativity.
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Simply put, anyone can use and benefit from the use of a bullet journal.
Still, for those who seek out daily creativity to inspire one outside of the simplicity of the everyday planner, a bullet journal is just what is needed to plan healthy habits that last a lifetime.
What are the good and the bad aka pro’s and cons of bullet journaling?
Bullet journaling has an endless amount of benefits, from stress relief to personal creativity, as I’ve mentioned before. Bullet journaling gives creators the freedom to thrive in their daily lives via a personally created visual representation.
With the freedom to create a visual representation of our daily life, bullet journal users are more likely to adjust to and stick with an organized lifestyle. I enjoy keeping a running record of how my life is going and how far I’ve come.
But like with most good intentions comes a few misconceptions or cons in learning a new skill. When I first started learning how to bullet journal, I got lost in the jargon of bullet journaling terminology. Additionally, I struggled with feeling as though my journal wasn’t designed well enough, included too many flaws, or needed more content, and so on.
A simple google search will share with you how elaborate a bullet journal can get. Or how many supplies you need to get started with and why this bullet journaling method is the best. In other words, don’t google bullet journaling images unless you can handle the “extra” inspiration.
The con of bullet journaling, from personal experience, is feeling inadequate to meet the status quo of the influencer’s creativity. Don’t feel like you need “all the things” or need to advance your art skills. Just start and see where your mind takes you.
Conclusion
Don’t feel you need all the things to get you started planning a life you desire. Practice and consistency create healthy habits. Grab a bullet journal and get started. You’ll never know if this is what you’ve needed to foster self-care unless you try it for yourself.
There are inexpensive ways to become creative.
Start small and slow with simple techniques to get your creativity flowing. All you need is a bullet journal, bullet-journal stickers (if you struggle to draw), and colored pens, then you are ready to start planning.
Click here to shop all HOMEMAKING REDEFINED journals and notebooks!
I hope this prepares you with the start of your self-care journey through journaling. Do you bullet journal? Let me know if you gave bullet journaling a try.
Jaclyn
