Ashley Perna/Geeks In Art
If you are the type of person who prefers analog to digital, especially when it comes to organization, the Bullet Journal might be the perfect thing for you. Created by Ryder Carroll, a digital product designer, bullet journals are more than just a way to schedule your week. They blend mindfulness and organization in a way that can inspire you to actually get things done. One of the best things about this system is that you can easily customize it to suit your own needs. There are an endless number of variations on this method of organization. You can make your bullet journal as complex or as simple as you’d like. As long as it is fulfilling its purpose, you can’t do it wrong. I don’t know about you, but I am a huge fan of something that I can’t screw up.
I found bullet journalling while searching for a way to bring some order to my hectic work schedule. At first, I tried way too hard to ensure the journal looked exactly like Carroll’s. This was a huge failure. Instead of getting discouraged, I took Carroll’s advice and “self curated” until I figured out what layout, symbols, and included content worked best for me.
Bullet journalling might seem overwhelming and unnecessarily complicated at first, especially for those accustomed to digital schedules. However, it can be sanity saving for those who rely on pen and paper, and need a single place to collect their important thoughts. Carefully organizing your week ahead in a way that is visually appealing and motivating can be the world’s best stress reliever. Here’s a brief guide to creating your own bullet journal.
Bullet Journal 101: Supplies
Ashley Perna/Geeks In Art
You really don’t need anything fancy to start – just a journal and a pen. I happen to have a tiny obsession with office supplies. This means I will take any excuse to bring out pens in multiple tips and colours. Journals, notebooks, and composition books are other obsessions of mine, so when it came time to pick one I had a number of options. My boss, also a fan of organization and stationary, knew I was thinking about starting a journal. For Christmas she bought me a beautiful set of erasable gel pens and a purple Leuchtturm1917 notebook with dotted pages for that exact purpose. I also use a ballpoint pen to make notes. You can use any journal (even a dollar store one) and any pen or combination of pens. Personally, this set up works best for me for the following reasons:
- the dotted pages assist with planning the layout (by keeping my lines and my writing straight)
- the pages are pre-numbered, and there is a built-in index
- the gel pens make the basic layout stand out more, and look attractive
- erasable pens mean mistakes can be corrected easily, without unsightly white out or cross outs
- using a ballpoint pen for the content and gel pens for the layout help to keep the journal visually appealing and easy to read
- blank dotted pages (as opposed to a pre-formatted weekly agenda) help me focus on what is important to me and my week
You might find that a different set of products works best for you, so experiment! Swap out my ideas for your own. The best part about this organizational system is that as long as it keeps you organized, you’re doing it right.
Bullet Journal 101: Indexing, Legends, And Page Numbers
Ashley Perna/Geeks In Art
Bullet journals rely on page numbers, indexing, and symbols to keep you organized. The first step is to create an index or table of contents and number all the pages, if your journal doesn’t already have these sections included. Your index/table of contents should be the first page of your bullet journal. My journal had a pre-formatted index, so I used that. I put my 2017 Vision Board on the opposite page, but if your journal can be customized, you may want to start your index there. Again, it’s a personal choice.
Ashley Perna/Geeks In Art
After your index, you should include a legend. The point of a bullet journal is to store your thoughts, plans, and important information. As such, most people use a variety of symbols for brevity’s sake. There are a set of symbols suggested by Carroll, but you can use ones that work for you. The symbols I use differ slightly from the recommended set, but these are ones that work best for me. If there are other short forms or notations you will frequently use, include them here as well. I find that ideas for posts and articles will hit me when I am as far away from a computer as I could possibly be, and I lose scrap pieces of paper incredibly quickly. To help me stay organized and remember all my brilliant plans, I included a “big ideas” section for each week. Initialisms and other short forms help me match the idea to the freelance project.
Bullet Journal 101: Your Month
Ashley Perna/Geeks In Art
Once you have the basics set up, it’s time to start organizing! This is where the highly customizable nature of a bullet journal comes in handy – you can set up your monthly view however you want, or disregard it altogether. Some people prefer a calendar-style layout, while others like a list view. Take a look at a few different options online and pick one that seems appealing and functional to you. Give it a try for a month, and if it doesn’t work, you can always pick another. Personally, I like a small calendar/grid on one page, with the days listed out on the opposite. I also included a reminder section, and two boxes containing my monthly goals. Whichever option you choose, there are a few tips to keep in mind:
- plan your first month out in pencil or erasable pen first, just to be sure it looks the way you want it to
- use a ruler or dotted pages to help evenly space out the days
- if you opt for a grid layout, be sure you have enough space for the information you want to include
- don’t worry about needing enough space for everything about each day – these pages should be more of a snapshot of your month, more detailed plans will come in the pages that follow
Bullet Journal 101: Your Day/Week
Ashley Perna/Geeks In Art
Next will come your daily or weekly views. The way you lay out the details of each month will depend on your needs. Some people need a lot of space per day. If that’s the case, you may want to consider a page per day, or splitting a page up into two days. Others may not need as much space; in cases like these, weekly views might be best. As with your monthly set up, you may want to take a few moments and browse online to see a few different examples. You should also think about what failed about your other organizational systems. Did daily views leave you too much empty space? Is your schedule so busy that weekly views make you feel overwhelmed? Remember to schedule time for self-care or other activities you may neglect. Looking at my week, you’ll see that I left Saturday flexible, with just a few self-care reminders. Normally, my Saturdays look very much like the rest of the week, so I made sure to remind myself that on this particular one, it’s okay to have some spare time.
Ashley Perna/Geeks In Art
The best advice is to find a layout that will encourage you to use it. For me, I found daily views made me feel compelled to schedule my day to the minute, so I opted for weekly views instead. My weeks are slightly different than the usual Monday-to-Friday, 9-to-5 style schedule that is common. I found I was busiest professionally on Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sundays are my catch up days, which often means a loaded day. When I lay out my week, I allot more space to those days, and less to others. Tuesdays and Thursdays, for example, I work 8 hours at my office job as well as freelance. The days are longer, but I complete fewer individual tasks. Opposite my weekly view, I have space for important reminders and article ideas. Some tips about setting up your week/day:
- plan it out ahead, using pencil or erasable pens
- don’t be afraid to change your layout from one week to the next: functionality over consistency is key
- use your short forms and symbols when filling in your schedule – if a symbol doesn’t work, find another (just remember to update your legend!)
- use short forms that will encourage you to complete the task. I personally get a lot of satisfaction from filling in a box or crossing an item off a list, so I use symbols that give me those small rewards
Bullet Journal 101: Other Components
Ashley Perna/Geeks In Art
Bullet journals can be used for a ton of things. Some people include pages for shopping lists or for supplies they’ll need. Others have sections devoted to contact information or other data they don’t want to forget. The beauty of the bullet journal is that you can write down whatever you want, wherever there’s room, without worrying about losing it within the journals hundred or so pages. All you need to do is start the new section on the next blank page, and update your index. It doesn’t matter if it’s in the middle of a week or a month or wherever. If you record the page number and the topic in the beginning of your journal, you won’t “lose” the information.
Personally, I included a section for deadlines. I record each deadline in my weekly view, but I find including a separate section helps me keep track for invoicing and time management purposes. Deadline pages are after the weekly layouts for April and before the monthly layout for May. To be sure I don’t lose track of where those important pages are, I made a note in my index.
Bullet Journal 101: Try It!
Bullet journalling is a great system for those who prefer analog to digital. Start by looking at different layouts online. From there, you will be able to develop a system that works for you in no time. Give it a shot, and let us know how it works out! We would love to see your own useful yet artful bullet journal pages!
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