Bullet Journal Basics

For years I tried to use a dated yearly planner and I would always give up or lose interest. I have a huge pile of old, half-used planners and notebooks. I always had one or two around to jot down notes or to-do lists, but it wasn't until I tried bullet journaling that I really enjoyed planning.

This coming week's layout

Basically, a bullet journal is a planner that you design yourself in a blank notebook. The name bullet journal came from the symbols people use that are like bullet points. Originally, they were all about following a key and using various symbols to indicate different things.

  credit reddit.com/r/bulletjournal

However, a bullet journal can be whatever you want it to be. You don't have to follow any certain rules or systems. It can be really organized or messy, simple, or complicated. It can be a month, a week, or a day per page. Whatever you feel works best for you and your life. You can create a new design or layout every week, and that's what I usually do. It keeps things fresh and interesting for me.

If I'm really into cherry blossoms right now, I can make that my design. Feel like using every color in the pack of markers? Why not!? Whatever you imagine, you can do. The sky's the limit, really, in terms of how you want your journal to look. The internet is a great source of ideas if you need some inspiration.

All you really need is a notebook and a pen. If you want to get artistic, you can also add the following to your planner supplies:

• markers
• a ruler
• washi tape
• stickers
• mechanical pencil
• eraser
• white paint pen

Some tips: I usually use a pencil, go over it with a felt tip pen or a marker, then erase the pencil marks. A ruler is very helpful of course, but I prefer dotted notebooks. They make it easy to create a box or draw a straight line. Make a mistake? Cover it with a sticker or draw a black shape and write over it with a white paint pen. You can use washi tape to create tabs on important pages.

With a bullet journal, you can skip weeks when you don't have much going on, and pick right back up on the next page when you feel you need to plan again. This isn't so with a dated yearly planner.  It does take some effort, but it's fun and kind of relaxing for me. 

I have found that this way of planning or journaling is infinitely superior to pre-printed planners. It's a creative outlet as well as a great way to stay on top of your tasks and habits. It's actually something you can pick up as a hobby with supplies you probably already have. Do you use a planner or a journal?