What You Should Know About Bullet Journaling
By: Erin Butts
5 Things You Should Know About Bullet Journaling and 4 Steps To Get Started
In 2018 NPD Group, a market researching group that looks at consumer trends, described bullet journaling as one of the “latest crazes in creative expression.” The NPD Group stated that bullet journaling helped “drive up sales of traditional supplies, including notebooks and writing instruments.”
Today, Instagram has 6,930,693 posts on bullet journaling. This does not include hashtags such as bullet journal community, bullet journaling and so forth. What is bullet journaling? Why are so many people doing it? Here are four things you should know about bullet journaling.
1. Bullet journal or BuJo for short, refers to a method more than a journal. Ryder Carroll, a digital product designer and author in New York, invented the bullet journal method as a way to stay focused and productive in spite of his learning disabilities. While there are “bullet journals”, journals specifically designed for this method, you can use any journal you want. It all depends on your preference. If you wanted to, you could even use a binder or a digital device for bullet journaling.
2. Ryder Carroll’s bullet journal method consists of five core elements - index, rapid logging, logs, collections, and migration. Carroll explains each element in his How To Bullet Journal video. The index portion is simple. It appears at the very beginning of the journal and essentially is a table of contents that you can look back on so that you do not lose track of your information.
Rapid logging is the style of the bullet journal method. It uses bullet points and short sentences to write down information, much like writing a to-do-list. Logging consists of future logs, monthly logs and daily logs. All of these logs involve calendars, writing down the dates for each day, and recording tasks.
3. Despite all of the artsy bullet journals that you may see on social media, all you need to start bullet journaling is a notebook and a pen or pencil. Bullet journaling is an amazing method because you can make it your own, and that is what people have been doing. Carroll says:
“The only thing the bullet journal needs to be is effective, and how it can best serve its author is entirely up to them.”
So make it your own, and if you are not an artsy person you do not need to be. The bullet journal only needs to work for you. Marla Castillo, a college graduate from California State Polytechnic University and an old friend, has been been bullet journaling for three years. She says:
“Most people who bullet journal like to make it really pretty and organized and their own thing. A bullet journal is just for you to do what you want to do, however you want to do it.”
4. Bullet journaling can be anything and everything that you want it to be. While Carroll’s method is very effective for planning and scheduling, your bullet journal can be used for a variety of things. Carroll says:
“It can be your to-do list, sketchbook, notebook, and diary, but most likely it will be all of the above.”
Your bullet journal does not have to be used as a customizable planner. You can have a bullet journal dedicated entirely to fitness, K-pop, or art. Castillo says her bullet journal does not look like a bullet journal. It is not the “typical” planner-style bullet journal that you may see on social media. Her bullet journal is more of an artsy diary, but it works for her.
5. The purpose of the bullet journal method is both productivity and mindfulness. According to Bulletjournal.com, bullet journaling is “best described as a mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system.” The bullet journal method is meant to help you organize your life while learning how to live in the present and be aware.
Bullet journaling can seem very daunting at first. My sister, who started bullet journaling in 2018 encouraged me to bullet journal. I did not take her up on that offer at first, but eventually I gave it a try. If you are interested in bullet journaling here are a couple of tips to help you get started.
1. Buy a notebook. Again, this can be any notebook you would like and totally dependent on your preference. I have found dotted grid notebooks to be my favorite, but some people may prefer blank paper or lined paper. You can also use a digital device but the traditional method requires a notebook.
2. Take a look at Carroll’s How To Bullet Journal video (posted above) as a reference for how to start your bullet journal. You will likely end up adding your own personality to your bullet journal as you continue bullet journaling, but watching the video can help you get started.
3. Think about what you want to get out of this bullet journal. What is the purpose of your bullet journal? If you are interested in a faith-based bullet journal I would suggest watching this video. If you are interested in a less artsy, minimal, journal take a look at Pick Up Limes.
I would also suggest checking out Amanda Rach Lee. She does a bullet journal flip through every month and you can copy her themes if you are interested in art but do not know what to draw in your bullet journal.
4. Focus on mindfulness. In a bullet journal video created by Pick Up Limes, the YouTuber Sadia says:
“It’s really refreshing to be able to step away from our data or our WiFi, these things that get us easily distracted by notifications or emails or social media. When we bullet journal it’s just this time where we take a minute to live with some more intention.”
In a time when a pandemic has caused people to spend more time on their phones and laptops for work or school, it is a good idea to unplug and “step away” from the devices that scream for our attention. This is something to keep in mind if you choose to use a digital device for bullet journaling.
Regardless of the season of life that you are in, bullet journaling is a great outlet to express yourself, record your thoughts and take active steps towards productivity. It has been almost a year since I started bullet journaling and I have not found a better method to record tasks, express my creativity and process my dreams and hopes for the future. Bullet journaling is more flexible than a planner, allows for more variety and can be very personal because you are able to make it your own.
Sticky notes, note apps and loose pieces of paper have their place but it is great to have one journal that binds all of these things together. It is great to have a journal that you can look back at and see your growth, what was important to you that month or year and what you look forward to for the next month or year.
The ultimate goal in Carroll’s bullet journal method is to live an intentional life. In Carroll’s TED Talk “How to declutter your mind -- keep a journal,” Carroll mentions various ways that bullet journaling can help you live an intentional life.
Bullet journaling, Carroll says, creates room to think, helps with decision making and eliminates unnecessary burdens in your life by helping you to ask important questions about what you are doing. Is it vital? Does it matter? Asking these questions helps identify distractions disguised as tasks.
The bullet journal method is a great tool for anyone wanting to live a more intentional life and needing help in productivity. The flexibility of the bullet journal is very appealing and through the process of bullet journaling, you may discover something about yourself that you did not know before!