Why Bullet Journaling?

Bullet journaling is a nice task management and planning system. It is better than any store-bought planners for several reasons. First of all, you decide what pages and spreads you want to include based on your needs. You can try different forms of noting, daily logs or weekly spreads, etc. Another thing is that you can decorate it yourself. Many bullet journalers love creating spreads by themes and designing them according to any upcoming events, holidays, etc.

What Is Bullet Journaling?

Before starting our guide, let’s look at the subject of bullet journaling in general. What is it about?

“Bujo” for short, bullet journaling is a planning method to increase your productivity and time management. Ryder Carrol is the creator of it. This method got its name from the “bullets” used for task managing – events, notes, and tasks in form of short sentences.

To set up a basic bullet journal, you will need only 10-15 minutes, a notebook, and a writing utensil of your choice. Later on, you might want to decorate your spreads with highlighters, stickers, washi tape, etc. The main pages to layout first are:

• Index Page
• Key Page
• the Future Log
• the Monthly Log
• the Daily/Weekly Log

Let’s look at each of them in detail and go through the five main steps to set up your bullet journal together.

Start With Gathering All The Needed Supplies

For your first try at bullet journaling, you can use any notebook of your choice. It could be lined, dotted, or have blank pages – whatever works best for you.

Same thing for writing utensils. Choose your favorite pen or pencil to start, get any markers or highlighters later if you need them.

Step 2 – Create Index Pages and a Key Page

Index Pages

The most important pages in your journal are Index Pages. They will make it easier for you to find older pages in the future. To create them, set aside two pages with an appropriate label. You will note there any important logs, collections, and so on for easier navigation.

Note that Daily Logs or Weekly Logs are not necessary to add to the Index Pages.

Key Page

Consider creating a Key Page if you want to keep all of your notes neat and organized. Here are some examples of signifiers to use in your journal:

• a box for to-do list items and tasks (fill the box in after completing the task);
• a dot for notes or things to remember;
• a triangle for the events or appointments;
• a star for the most important notes;
• a right-facing arrow for rescheduled items (tasks, events, etc.)

There are many options to choose from, but you decide whatever suits your needs.

Step 3 – Set Up Your First Future Log

A Future Log is a six-month or a twelve-month spread where you can mention the most important events for this period.

Let’s try creating a six-month spread together. Choose an empty spread, and put there two equally spaced horizontal lines. Now you have six sections which correspond to six months. There will be enough space for each month to add a list of events and important dates. Some journalers prefer other layouts – for example, you can place a calendar for the chosen period on one page of the spread and keep a list of dates on the other one. Feel free to try different styles and techniques to figure out what works best for you.

Step 4 – Create Your First Monthly Log

Monthly Logs are best for planning one month at a time. It will help you have all of the events for this month at a glance and don’t miss anything important. Here is an example. Choose one page for the month. Write down its name on top, then write the dates, for example, 1-30, down the side of the page – one date per line. With this layout, you will have a line for each day of the month to write down anything important at any time. You can write response paper assignment in your journal or just create a content from scratch

You might want to try creating a monthly spread – in this case, you can put a calendar for this month on one page and a list of events on another.

Step 5 – Work On Weekly Or Daily Logs

Now that you have your Future Log and Monthly Log set up, it’s time to plan your week or day.

Daily Log

Daily Log is a great way to plan your day, write down all of the tasks for it, and add any notes if necessary. Start it with numbering the page and writing the date on top. Include on this page anything you need to know about this day – events, appointments, test dates, etc.

Weekly Log

Many students prefer Weekly Logs for their bullet journals. It allows them to have the entire week at a glance. Any test dates, due dates, sport or club events, meetings and so on are easier to plan and manage if you have them all at one place.

Optional: Collections And Trackers

A bullet journal can be used not only for planning your time and managing all of the tasks and dates, but also for storing any other useful information. Take a look at some examples of the most popular trackers and collections for your bullet journal:

• expenses tracker
• fitness/weight tracker
• sleep tracker
• a list of books to read
• a list of movies to watch

Summing Up On Bullet Journaling

Your empty notebook is your blank canvas. Use some inspiration from the Internet or create your spreads – come up with unique designs and ideas or you can contact professional for great written idea generation or buying an essay paper it can help in various ways starting from having more free time and ending with effortless success in bullet journaling. Collections and spreads of your choice can enhance your life. And remember, bullet journal is about creating your perfect planner, so feel free to go with the layouts or the supplies you prefer.