April 5th, 2024

Last summer, I learned about bullet journalling, and now I take my BuJo (how's that for a fun nickname) everywhere with me. 

A bullet journal isn't a specific journal; it's a specific method, created by digital designer Ryder Carroll. 

Bulletjounral.com, the official bullet journal website, describes the method as "a mindfulness practice that works like a productivity system" and "a constant process of refinement, reflection, and documentation."

The method uses symbols called bullets and something called rapid logging. 

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(Rapid logging) is the language in which the
Bullet Journal method is written.
Rapid logging involves quickly jotting down
information in a concise and structured manner
with the use of Bullets.
These Bullets add context to an entry,
letting you tell at a glance whether an entry
​is a task, event, or note. 

-from bulletjournal.com

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Example of Bullet Journal entries (photo by Matt Ragland)

I could have just bought Ryder Carroll's book to learn the BuJo method, but I chose to take Trish Friesen's instructive course. It was a fun mixture of learning while doing, and I enjoy the community she's built, where people post sample pages and swap ideas. 

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​Trish has tweaked Ryder Carroll's method to make it more user-friendly and flexible. The goal is to consolidate your life into one book, instead of all those lists and meal plans and reminders floating around on a zillion scraps of paper. 

​Another benefit is less screen time. By getting rid of apps and notes and lists on your phone, you actually free up brain space, and it's much more relaxing to doodle on paper. 

Trish encourages personalization, to make your BuJo work for you. So far, I have sections for current daily to-do lists, a monthly calendar, and daily and weekly routines. I've also worked my goals and daily gratitude lists into my BuJo, and I'm slowly building a birthday list. I also plan to start lists of story and gift ideas and maybe incorporate some meal planning.

You don't need a bunch of special supplies to create your BuJo. I've seen bullet journals for cheap at Dollar Tree or Five Below, so that might be a good way to start out. I bought my white woodgrain binder from Hobby Lobby and ordered bullet paper from Amazon (That package should last me for a year or two or three!) I cut card stock to size for section dividers, and I plan to decorate these with watercolors. (Only one down, thus far.)

​If you, like me, need all the help you can get organizing your life, bullet journalling might be worth a try.