Buzz
A personal bullet journal is a versatile and efficient system designed to help you keep track of both short-term and long-term goals. You can organize your journal into sections divided by month, week, and year. From there, you can monitor tasks that need to be completed. Additionally, you can mark significant events and milestones. While starting a bullet journal might seem confusing at first, with persistence and effort, you'll find it to be an excellent way to organize your life.
Steps
Gather the essentials
Choose the right notebook. You don’t need to buy an expensive notebook; just pick one that’s easy to carry around. Leather-bound notebooks are the most suitable. A pre-decorated or pre-dated notebook isn’t necessary, as you’ll be customizing it yourself.
- You can still choose based on personal preference. For example, if you like blue, go for a blue notebook.
- You don’t have to stick to lined notebooks. Dot grid, square grid, or blank pages are all up to you!
Create a table of contents. Number each page of your journal. The table of contents will help you locate specific sections easily. It should be written on the first two blank pages, which are spread out side by side. Start by writing “Table of Contents” at the top of both pages.
- You can use a pen or pencil, and choose a color you prefer. Ink is more visible, and darker colors are easier to read.
Record future plans. Turn to the next two pages, which will serve as your future log. In this section, you’ll track tasks to be completed over the next six months. It includes events, tasks, and monthly goals. Begin by counting the lines and dividing the pages into three sections. For example, if your journal has 24 lines per page, divide it into three horizontal sections of 8 lines each.
- Use a ruler to draw three straight lines across both pages, creating three equal sections.
Label each section with a month. For instance, if you’re starting a journal for the new year, begin with “January” in the first section, followed by “February” in the next, and so on.
- Number the pages in the corner. Since the future log is the first section, the pages should be numbered 1 and 2. Go back to the table of contents and write something like “Future Log… pages 1-2.”
Document monthly plans. Turn to the next two pages in your journal. This will be your monthly log, providing an overview of your plans for the month. Start with the current month and write the month’s name at the top of both pages.
- On the left page, list each day of the month. Then, mark the days of the week. For example, you can write “January 1, Wednesday.”
- On the right page, create a list of monthly tasks. Use bold circles as bullet points, then list goals you hope to achieve, bills to pay, and any deadlines you need to meet. For example, you might include items like “Pay cable bill” or “Complete semester essay draft.”
Update the table of contents. Once done, mark each page, then flip back to the table of contents and add your monthly log. For example, “January Monthly Log… pages 3-4.”
Daily planning. Turn to the next two pages and write today’s date at the top. Use small bullet points to list tasks you need to accomplish, goals for the day, and any notable events. Write as many lines as needed to capture your daily activities. At the end of the day, create a new entry below for the next day.
- Keep your bullet journal concise by using short, simple sentences. For example, instead of writing, "Today, I called the vet to discuss my cat’s vaccinations, including scheduling a rabies shot," simply write, "Called vet about cat vaccinations. Scheduled rabies shot."
Personalize your system
Use bullet symbols that work for you. Bullet symbols are the markers you use in your journal. There are no strict rules, and it depends on the types of events you track. You can categorize events into sections like work, school, bills, personal, creative projects, etc. Each category should have its own unique symbol to avoid confusion. Keep the categories minimal for clarity.
- For example, use a star for creative goals, a dot for work tasks, an arrow for hobbies, a dollar sign for bills, and a heart for personal items.
- When tracking tasks in your daily log, use bullet symbols. For instance, a task might look like this: "$ Pay cable bill today."
Organize monthly goals into categories. This step helps you break down your monthly goals in the monthly log. Instead of listing everything in one cluttered section, organize tasks into specific categories.
- For example, you can create headings like "Fitness and Weight Loss Goals," "Deadlines and Submissions," "Work Goals," and "Creative Goals."
- Under each heading, list the corresponding tasks. For instance, under "Fitness and Weight Loss Goals," you might write, "Visit the gym 12 times this month."
Store collections at the back of your journal. Collections are lists of things you want to achieve or explore throughout the year. These are typically non-daily entries. For example, collections can include books you want to read, movies and TV shows to watch, recipes to try, and more. A bullet journal becomes more engaging when filled with ideas you can revisit later.
- For instance, if a colleague recommends a book, add it to your "Books to Read" collection. When you’re ready to buy a book, refer back to this section for recommendations.
Record meaningful daily events. When logging daily activities, jot down events that resonate with you. This depends on the purpose of your bullet journal. If it’s for organizing work goals, you might document daily work-related happenings. However, your journal doesn’t have to be strictly professional. You can also note moments that brought you joy, such as "My boyfriend brought me coffee during lunch break."
- Remember to use your preferred symbols when logging entries.
Maintain regular journaling
Mark completed tasks with an X. Whenever you finish a task, flip to your monthly log and mark it with an X. This helps you track progress and identify what’s left to achieve for the month.
Migrate unfinished important tasks to the next month. At the end of each month, review your monthly and daily logs to see which tasks are done and which are pending. Then, set up the next month’s schedule as you did before, ensuring to carry over unfinished tasks.
- However, you don’t need to migrate every task. If a task is no longer relevant or too late to complete, feel free to drop it. This step helps eliminate unnecessary clutter.
Add long-term goals to your future log. Skim through your past daily and monthly logs to identify any long-term tasks. For example, if you’re working on a thesis, it’s likely to appear in your journal for an extended period, so include it in your future log as a priority.
- For instance, break the thesis into smaller milestones and log them in the future log. February could be "Complete draft," and March could be "Revise draft."
Take notes on your specific projects. You can create a dedicated section or list for projects at the back of your journal. This helps you keep track of long-term projects. For example, you might create a list titled "Annual Projects." When reviewing monthly plans, revisit this list to ensure short-term goals align with your long-term projects.
- For instance, if your long-term goal is to run for 30 minutes without stopping, you might write "Increase running time to 15 minutes" as a monthly milestone.
Claire Donovan-Blackwood
Owner & Craft Expert, Heart Handmade UK
Owner & Craft Expert, Heart Handmade UK
Expert Tip: Personalizing your bullet journal can be as fun as using it. Look up "magic reflector" online—a tool that projects images from your phone onto your journal for precise tracing. You can also use temporary tattoos, which transfer cute illustrations onto paper with just a rub of your finger.
Tips
- Keep your entries concise and focused. Otherwise, they may stray from the goal of quick and easy organization.
- Avoid over-decorating if you’re new to bullet journaling. It takes time to get comfortable with the system. After a few months, you can experiment with different decorative styles.
