What in the world is this bullet journaling thing? How does it work? Where did it come from? We will explore that all here on this page!
So, what is bullet journaling? Bullet Journaling is a process that combines a planner, a journal, and other written ‘collections’ into one notebook. The idea was started by Ryder Carroll and the original idea can be found online at the website http://bulletjournal.com/ along with videos and documented how-to pages. This website gives the bare bones to bullet journaling: the bullet points, what the different symbols mean, and that is pretty much it. While the original system is very minimal, some creative types have taken to bullet journaling and add in their own flair with illustrations, washi tape (Japanese decorative paper tape,) stickers, stamps, photos, and more. The beauty of the bullet journal is that it can adapt to be what you want it to be: simple lists or elaborate charts. The main things that you need to bullet journal is a journal and a pen (or pencil.) The type of journal is up to you, though there is a large lean towards the Leuchtturm1912 journal at the medium size (A5) in hardcover that has a dot grid. The dot grid is favored because it allows people to line things up like a normal grid does, but the pre-printed lines do not become distracting. These journals are available on Amazon.com for about $15 and up (not including shipping) or some can be found in Craft Warehouse stores for about $20 (where they often go on sale for about $12). The journals are available in a wide rainbow of colors. Additional materials are up to you. As mentioned before, some people use all sorts of decorative materials and others hand-draw everything and others use no decoration. In general, however, many people tend to |
use a pen that is of small size, such as a 0.5 or even smaller at 0.3 or even smaller than that at 0.05 or 0.03! It is all up to you.
Before we start, here are some terms you should know:
Key: The portion that holds all (or most) of the symbols that you use in your journal and what they mean.
Index: The ‘table of contents’ for your journal.
Future Log: The next six months to a year written out for you to see in one visual sweep.
Migration: The process of moving a task to the next day, the next week, or the next month.
Task: That which you are trying to do or accomplish.
Tracker: A chart that can be used to track any number of things.
How do I do it?
The actually process of bullet journaling, much like how elaborate you make it, is up to you. The basic way is simply to make a list of tasks, events, and appointments for one day and use the different symbols to indicate if they are completed, rescheduled, migrated (moved to the next day or even next month,) or if they were cancelled. While everyone uses a key (the page to dictate what symbols mean what), the symbols that are on that key can change from person to person. For example, the standard bullet journal symbol for a task is a square, but some people use a circle. The choice is up to you. Here is a general bullet journal key (to the left) that someone created in the front of their journal for reference. In addition to the symbols, some people sort out tasks by color so they can easily see at a glance what tasks for what areas of their life they need to focus on. This is a personal choice and completely up to you.
How many symbols you have in your book is also up to you. Personally, I have only a few symbols on my key page, but I use many more throughout the journal. I track times when I am having a difficult day with anxiety or depression and I use different symbols in different colors to track that on my monthly spread. I do not have these symbols written in my key, but rather in the notes section of my spread where I can see them easily and know what they mean on that page versus any other page in the journal.
General Bullet Journal Sections
Name
This page is where you write down who the journal belongs to and where to return it if lost. Some people put a reward here (not always monetary) for the return of a lost journal.) [This page is already set up in a Leuchtturm Journal.]
Often times what is the hardest part of a bullet journal is the process of starting one. The first page of any new journal or sketchbook is often met with some resistance as people are reluctant to make that first mark for fear of making a mistake. This is why the first page is often your name and a way to contact you if the journal is lost and then found.
Try designing your own name page. Think about how you want to writing to be: large? Print? Cursive? Do you want it in multiple languages? And how much information do you want for contact? Do you want a full address? A phone number? Email address? Do you want to do any illustrations? Use stickers? Washi tape? Stamps? How big will the whole thing be? It’s up to you!
Index and Key
The next portion in the bullet journal is called the index (which is more like a table of contents.) This is a series of three pages (or more depending on your preference) where you write down what is included in your book. For example, your Key may be on page one, then you have a drawing you don’t count, then the next line will be your Year at a Glance on page three.
The way that the index page works is you write down what is on that page and the page number with it. If the portion is longer than one page, you add a dash between the pages the item falls upon.
Following the index page is something called the “key.” The key is like a key or legend on a map. On a key are the symbols that you will use for the short-hand in your bullet journal. Traditionally, this is a square and several other versions of it with different types of lines filled in or colors added. The symbols that you chose are completely up to you, just remember to remain constant. As with anything in this journaling system, the key can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish to make it out to be.
Year at a Glance [Future Log]
Since a bullet journal’s purpose is to combine journaling and your planner, the next page that follows in the line is the Future Log or Year-at-a-Glance. This is, essentially, a visual calendar of a specific amount of time (at your discretion.) Usually, people make them for six months to a year, hence the name.
Just because this captures six months or a year, does not mean that the time must start on January or June. This can start on any date that you want, though preferably it is one that you are near! For example, if you start your bullet journal on September 19th, you can start your future log with either September or October, depending on preference; just remember that September 20th-30th will not be covered in your future log if you choose to start on October.
Why do a Future Log? This lets you see important things that are coming up and helps you to gauge your time for them. Things that are usually written down are appointments, birth dates, holidays, vacations, seasonal changes, or the very important date for the release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. You can choose to color over dates after color coding them. Remember, this journal is all up to you!
Monthly and Weekly Spreads
Much like the future log, the monthly spread is a page or two in length. This will let you look at the month to come. This is another step in helping you to see what is coming up and to make your plans accordingly. The monthly spread will help you take in the weeks of the month and see how many days you have until an event is coming up or until you have to return a library book. They can also be there to keep track of challenges you are going through, both hardships and ones you are trying to put yourself through for your own growth (such as exercise challenges, no-spend challenges, and so on.)
The weekly spread further breaks this down. You can specifically make it seven days over the course of two pages, or you can focus on the weekly spread as more of a daily spread and use as much room as you need per day before moving on to the next. How days are separated are up to you, but a lot of bullet journalists will create line-breaks or banners to separate pages, tell you which day you are looking at, and even track their activities through the day through color-coded hashes on a miniature timeline.
Collections
So you’ve got your journal, you’ve set up your index, your key, and all the beginning things… now what? This is a journal, right? Not just a planner… Well, insert the collections!
A collection is a portion of the journal where you write down something that you are ‘collecting.’ This can be something like a tracker, or it can be something different. Some examples of collections are: keeping track of books you want to read or books you have read, poems that you write, entries on how you are feeling (like a typical journal,) drawings or doodles, a waiting-on list (for packages to arrive,) a gratitude list, and so much more.
Gratitude Log & Habit Tracker
The gratitude log is something that some bullet journalists like to do. This is where they will write at least one (sometimes up to three) things that they are grateful for each day. The things that they write down are completely up to them; grateful for a sunny day? Seeing a kitten on your walk? Deciding not to give in to a craving that you were having? People write down a lot of different things. Personally, I do one thing a day and make one page dedicated to the whole month. This way, even when I am feeling pretty low, I can look back and see the things I have been thankful for and remember how fortunate I am.
Another popular addition to the bullet journal is the habit tracker. This is where you write out a habit that you are trying to make or break into your life. Such habits can include stopping smoking, waking up daily by a certain time, practicing a musical instrument, learning how to do something new, and so on. This will give you a visual representation of the things that you are striving to change in your life.
Inspiration
Ready to start, but don’t know how you want to do it? Fear not! There is a TON of inspiration online. The best place to look for inspiration is Pinterest.com (search for ‘Bullet Journal’ and you can break it down into specific pages.) Pinterest can then lead you to blogs and other pages with information and inspiration.
Another great place for inspiration and information is YouTube.com. On there, you can watch people flip through their journals so you can see how they are set up, you can watch or participate in “Plan With Me” videos, and learn how to draw different things for your journal. You can also find free and purchase-able printables online.
Currently, one of the main trend setter in bullet journaling is a woman named Kara who goes by the handle “Boho Berry.” If you search for her on Pinterest or YouTube, you will find her and her work easily; she also talks about using more than one bullet journal at a time (one for personal, one for professional). She also plans with others and will have other names of persons to check out in your bullet journaling quest.
So there you have it! You know just enough to be dangerous. Happy journaling!
Before we start, here are some terms you should know:
Key: The portion that holds all (or most) of the symbols that you use in your journal and what they mean.
Index: The ‘table of contents’ for your journal.
Future Log: The next six months to a year written out for you to see in one visual sweep.
Migration: The process of moving a task to the next day, the next week, or the next month.
Task: That which you are trying to do or accomplish.
Tracker: A chart that can be used to track any number of things.
How do I do it?
The actually process of bullet journaling, much like how elaborate you make it, is up to you. The basic way is simply to make a list of tasks, events, and appointments for one day and use the different symbols to indicate if they are completed, rescheduled, migrated (moved to the next day or even next month,) or if they were cancelled. While everyone uses a key (the page to dictate what symbols mean what), the symbols that are on that key can change from person to person. For example, the standard bullet journal symbol for a task is a square, but some people use a circle. The choice is up to you. Here is a general bullet journal key (to the left) that someone created in the front of their journal for reference. In addition to the symbols, some people sort out tasks by color so they can easily see at a glance what tasks for what areas of their life they need to focus on. This is a personal choice and completely up to you.
How many symbols you have in your book is also up to you. Personally, I have only a few symbols on my key page, but I use many more throughout the journal. I track times when I am having a difficult day with anxiety or depression and I use different symbols in different colors to track that on my monthly spread. I do not have these symbols written in my key, but rather in the notes section of my spread where I can see them easily and know what they mean on that page versus any other page in the journal.
General Bullet Journal Sections
Name
This page is where you write down who the journal belongs to and where to return it if lost. Some people put a reward here (not always monetary) for the return of a lost journal.) [This page is already set up in a Leuchtturm Journal.]
Often times what is the hardest part of a bullet journal is the process of starting one. The first page of any new journal or sketchbook is often met with some resistance as people are reluctant to make that first mark for fear of making a mistake. This is why the first page is often your name and a way to contact you if the journal is lost and then found.
Try designing your own name page. Think about how you want to writing to be: large? Print? Cursive? Do you want it in multiple languages? And how much information do you want for contact? Do you want a full address? A phone number? Email address? Do you want to do any illustrations? Use stickers? Washi tape? Stamps? How big will the whole thing be? It’s up to you!
Index and Key
The next portion in the bullet journal is called the index (which is more like a table of contents.) This is a series of three pages (or more depending on your preference) where you write down what is included in your book. For example, your Key may be on page one, then you have a drawing you don’t count, then the next line will be your Year at a Glance on page three.
The way that the index page works is you write down what is on that page and the page number with it. If the portion is longer than one page, you add a dash between the pages the item falls upon.
Following the index page is something called the “key.” The key is like a key or legend on a map. On a key are the symbols that you will use for the short-hand in your bullet journal. Traditionally, this is a square and several other versions of it with different types of lines filled in or colors added. The symbols that you chose are completely up to you, just remember to remain constant. As with anything in this journaling system, the key can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish to make it out to be.
Year at a Glance [Future Log]
Since a bullet journal’s purpose is to combine journaling and your planner, the next page that follows in the line is the Future Log or Year-at-a-Glance. This is, essentially, a visual calendar of a specific amount of time (at your discretion.) Usually, people make them for six months to a year, hence the name.
Just because this captures six months or a year, does not mean that the time must start on January or June. This can start on any date that you want, though preferably it is one that you are near! For example, if you start your bullet journal on September 19th, you can start your future log with either September or October, depending on preference; just remember that September 20th-30th will not be covered in your future log if you choose to start on October.
Why do a Future Log? This lets you see important things that are coming up and helps you to gauge your time for them. Things that are usually written down are appointments, birth dates, holidays, vacations, seasonal changes, or the very important date for the release of the Pumpkin Spice Latte. You can choose to color over dates after color coding them. Remember, this journal is all up to you!
Monthly and Weekly Spreads
Much like the future log, the monthly spread is a page or two in length. This will let you look at the month to come. This is another step in helping you to see what is coming up and to make your plans accordingly. The monthly spread will help you take in the weeks of the month and see how many days you have until an event is coming up or until you have to return a library book. They can also be there to keep track of challenges you are going through, both hardships and ones you are trying to put yourself through for your own growth (such as exercise challenges, no-spend challenges, and so on.)
The weekly spread further breaks this down. You can specifically make it seven days over the course of two pages, or you can focus on the weekly spread as more of a daily spread and use as much room as you need per day before moving on to the next. How days are separated are up to you, but a lot of bullet journalists will create line-breaks or banners to separate pages, tell you which day you are looking at, and even track their activities through the day through color-coded hashes on a miniature timeline.
Collections
So you’ve got your journal, you’ve set up your index, your key, and all the beginning things… now what? This is a journal, right? Not just a planner… Well, insert the collections!
A collection is a portion of the journal where you write down something that you are ‘collecting.’ This can be something like a tracker, or it can be something different. Some examples of collections are: keeping track of books you want to read or books you have read, poems that you write, entries on how you are feeling (like a typical journal,) drawings or doodles, a waiting-on list (for packages to arrive,) a gratitude list, and so much more.
Gratitude Log & Habit Tracker
The gratitude log is something that some bullet journalists like to do. This is where they will write at least one (sometimes up to three) things that they are grateful for each day. The things that they write down are completely up to them; grateful for a sunny day? Seeing a kitten on your walk? Deciding not to give in to a craving that you were having? People write down a lot of different things. Personally, I do one thing a day and make one page dedicated to the whole month. This way, even when I am feeling pretty low, I can look back and see the things I have been thankful for and remember how fortunate I am.
Another popular addition to the bullet journal is the habit tracker. This is where you write out a habit that you are trying to make or break into your life. Such habits can include stopping smoking, waking up daily by a certain time, practicing a musical instrument, learning how to do something new, and so on. This will give you a visual representation of the things that you are striving to change in your life.
Inspiration
Ready to start, but don’t know how you want to do it? Fear not! There is a TON of inspiration online. The best place to look for inspiration is Pinterest.com (search for ‘Bullet Journal’ and you can break it down into specific pages.) Pinterest can then lead you to blogs and other pages with information and inspiration.
Another great place for inspiration and information is YouTube.com. On there, you can watch people flip through their journals so you can see how they are set up, you can watch or participate in “Plan With Me” videos, and learn how to draw different things for your journal. You can also find free and purchase-able printables online.
Currently, one of the main trend setter in bullet journaling is a woman named Kara who goes by the handle “Boho Berry.” If you search for her on Pinterest or YouTube, you will find her and her work easily; she also talks about using more than one bullet journal at a time (one for personal, one for professional). She also plans with others and will have other names of persons to check out in your bullet journaling quest.
So there you have it! You know just enough to be dangerous. Happy journaling!