When most people think about journaling, they think of just writing down ideas. You may think of blank journals, using prompts, or just writing down quick information to reach a goal. For some people, these methods just do not seem to work, and they move away from journaling altogether. If this sounds like you, you may want to consider bullet journaling.
What is Bullet Journaling?
A bullet journal is a type of journal that includes multiple sections to keep track of the multiple facets of your life. Instead of having one journal for your finances and career notes, and another journal for household to-do lists and journal entries, everything is in a single journal. Once that one is filled up, you may then want to switch to a new one.
Another facet of a bullet journal is that you are not typically writing full journal entries when you use it. Instead, you are summarizing your points with short words and phrases, as well as using symbols in various parts of the journal. This makes it to where you understand your intent on the different pages, but you do not take up a lot of space with journaling and it also does not take up too much of your time.
I started with a regular planner and soon I was bullet journaling, which made a lot of sense to me because I did not have a lot of time to sit and write long journal entries.
The Basics of Bullet Journaling
As already mentioned, you are going to use symbols within your bullet journal as part of explaining things, creating schedules and to-do lists, and for various other sources. These symbols are called signifiers. It is important to know the standard term for them because if you ever want to look up how others create their bullet journals when you are trying to find inspiration, it really comes in handy.
A good example of a signifier might be using a smiley face when you have a good day or putting a symbol of the moon when you are noting an event taking place in the evening. There is no right way or wrong way to do this; that is the great thing about journaling in general, including bullet journaling. Everything is up to you!
Another way to break up your journal is to use different colors for various aspects of your life. I started doing this at the beginning of the year. I broke down each month into a different color and then I use different colors for my Bible Study notes, birth dates I want to remember, special events, books I’m reading where I want to make notes, and other things. When I go to my journal (planner) and look for something I can easily find it based on the color I have used.
How a Bullet Journal is Different from Other Journals
You might already be able to tell how and why bullet journaling is different from other forms of journaling but let us talk about it for a moment. There are quite a few differences, outlined below:
1) One journal is used for everything – with a bullet journal you have everything in a single journal. You may have a gratitude journal or a diet and fitness journal with bullet journaling. You may keep up with your daily plans and goals or task lists also.
With this type of journal, it is good to choose a thicker journal, but one that is easier to write in. The hardbound books are great, but they are hard to deal with. You may want to consider using a softer journal that is easy to turn pages, fold, and manipulate to draw on the pages and use quickly without too much fuss. I purchased a softbound academic planner and I started using it for my bullet journal. I can easily fit it in my computer bag or even my purse and take it with me wherever I go.
2) You create sections and an index – Another difference with a bullet journal is that it has sections for each form of journaling and includes an index. The index is something most traditional journals or diaries typically do not have, though of course, this is entirely up to you. When you start putting the bullet journal together, you decide on what sections to create, then you make an index. This helps you easily locate the page you want.
3) Signifiers are used in place of long sentences –
in a bullet journal signifiers or symbols are used to represent moods and situations. You can still do some writing, but these are good for quickly understanding what was going on during entry or when making marks about how a day went in a month’s calendar view on one of the pages.
4) It helps to really organize your life – Organizing your life is much easier to do with a bullet journal. There are other journals that are good for relieving anxiety, getting out your emotions each day, and helping to find triggers for emotional eating and you should still have these journals if these are issues you are facing. However, with a bullet journal, it is good for organizing all the different areas of your life that you feel need a little more order.
Here are a few key points to know about bullet journaling and what it can do for your lifestyle. Bullet journaling can help you to:
Reach Goals Through Signifiers
When bullet journaling, you use signifiers as discussed earlier. Using signifiers or symbols will help to organize your different tasks as well as managing your goals. You may, for example, use bullets points, or circles for short-term goals or appointments while using stars to signify your long-term goals. These symbols can be also be used to mark a milestone that indicates a reward for reaching those goals.
Checklist Your Journaling
A bullet journal is all about using checklists. It works, in many ways like a to-do list as well as a task manager and journal. You can list your long-term goals, short term goals, milestone points, daily appointments, and even enter your thoughts for the day. The idea is to reduce your wording and get to a specific goal and meet that goal.
Acknowledging your Accomplishments
At the end of the day, week, or month you can acknowledge your accomplishments with a bullet journal. You decide which works best for you, but ideally what you do is move the tasks to the next day, week, or month. You mark off what you completed and accomplished, what you are no longer interested in completing, and what needs to be changed. This gives you a sense of accomplishment.
Removing Goals
Removing goals may sound like a negative of bullet journaling. The truth is, removing your goals can be extremely helpful. You set the goals when you want to reach them or have a long-term goal in mind. As time goes on your goals change and you may find that certain goals are no longer on your list. These can be removed along with connecting goals and bullet points to free up your tasks.
The main point to remember about bullet journaling is that there is no right or wrong way to do it. You can create your own method, and work with it to get the method that works best for you. Using a bullet journal is trial and error, but once you find the best methods for you, then you may find bullet journaling is ideal for your lifestyle.
A bullet journal is easy to use and fun to set up. You decide the areas or sections that you need to help organize your life. You decide what signifiers to use and what has meaning for you. Try a bullet journal for a few months and see how you like it.
If you’d like to read about other types of journals, visit the article “20 Different Types of Journals & More.”
Happy Journaling!
Pamela
