Do you struggle with having too many journals- Gratitude Journal, TO-DO Planner, Diary, etc. I have this guilt to write in each one consistently, but it is so overwhelming keeping track of it all. I just found a system that puts it all into one place, makes it super easy and creative, and I want to share it with you.
It is called Bullet Journaling. It is a method of organizing your thoughts, goals, tasks, or anything you want to keep track of that Ryder Carroll created. For more detail about Bullet Journaling, check out Carrol’s book. If you are looking for a new way to keep yourself organized and on task striving for a goal while also documenting your life, this is the system for you.
Bullet journaling helps:
- Keep you organized
- Enhance Productivity
- Simplify and break down long term goals
- Centralize all important information
- Hold you accountable for any action you want to complete regularly
- Provide a place where you can unload everything in your mind making room for you to think
- Create a mindfulness activity to reduce stress
Carrol says Bullet journaling can be best described as a mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system.
After using it for a month, I am in love. I never found the time to do a gratitude journal or a regular journal, but now it is all incorporated in one place. You can make this journal into anything you want to be. Many even make their Bullet Journal super creative and beautiful. There are “Pinterest” and “Instagram” pages of all the unique and artistic journals. That is out of my wheelhouse, so I stick to the basic black pen and minimal designs.
Getting Started
First, purchase the journal and pens to use. I bought this journal. It is my favorite journal because of its numbered pages and index in the front of the book. You will see how important that is in a bit! I like these pens because they provide a nice clean tip for small letters. You can also buy color pens and tape to make your journal look pretty.
What are you using the journal for? It is good to think this out before you start. If you are using it to keep track of weight loss or your social media calendar, you may want to create designated pages to keep track of your daily activity. This is a beautiful example of keeping track of her X,
Standard Layout
Every bullet journal starts with an index, a monthly log, a daily log, and a future log. Watch this video for an explanation of the system.
Index: The basic idea is you want to have an index, so you have a quick reference to any of your “collections” or pages you have created, which is why it is helpful to buy a journal with numbers already on it.
Future log: Then put in a future log after the index and include a section for each month. This is where you capture future events or tasks you need to remember.
Monthly Log: Then comes a monthly log, two pages designated for the month you are in. It allows you to strategize what you want to accomplish for the month and when you will do it.
Daily Log: This page captures anything you want to do for the day, all in one place. I put my daily events, tasks, weather, who I spoke to, my gratitudes, a checklist for things I need to do every day like my vitamins, exercise, water consumption, social media posts, to name a few. You can also put a journal entry. If I have a meeting, conversation, or class, I start a new page and title it and take my notes right there. Don’t forget to add these pages to your index!
Rapid Journaling is the language used in BUJO to capture information in bulleted lists. You will not take longhand notes but rather bullet points. There are symbols used in the rapid journaling system to help decipher what each bullet is. BUJO Symbols are:
- Tasks: the “.” dot symbol indicates an incomplete task.
- Events: the “O” circle symbol marks a short description of an event.
- Notes: the “-” dash symbol includes facts, ideas, thoughts, and observations.
- Priority: the “*” asterisk symbol highlights any line that is a top priority and is known as a signifier symbol.
- Inspiration: the “!” exclamation symbol highlights any valuable insights gained while bullet journaling.
- Move Forward: “>” Move items forward.
- Schedule Items in Future: “<” Schedule item on a future event
- Completed: “X” Mark to show a task is complete.
Bullet Journaling is an individualized process, so make it your own but know you will now have a place to keep ALL your information in an organized
