Bullet Journaling: What & How to Begin
Who created it: Ryder Carroll
"Ryder Carroll is a digital product designer and inventor of the Bullet Journal. He's had the privilege of working with companies like Adidas, American Express, Cisco, IBM, Macy's, and HP."
Learn more about him and the Bullet Journal here.
My recommendation is a notebook that you can write comfortably in -- so if you're a lefty like myself, do you prefer spiral bound notebooks for comfort? -- and has thick enough paper so that any pens or Sharpies you use won't bleed through. Or you can try out bullet journaling in an old notebook you haven't used yet (what I did!).
What I spent: $0 -- all the notebooks I've ever used for bullet journaling have been gifts (I guess when you tell people you're a writer, that's to be expected).
What it looks like:
Here is an example of a key I initially used (but grew out of):
What it is
Bullet Journaling is a system you can use to keep track of:
- To-dos
- Habits
- Important events that are going on in your life
- Scheduling
- Goals + progress
The thing about bullet journaling is that you don't even need to have the "official" Bullet Journal to start. You can grab any notebook -- lined, grid, or blank -- and start creating a system that works just for you.
How to begin
Choose a notebook
Feel free to splurge on your notebook. You want something durable, comfortable and -- if you're like me -- pretty.
What I spent: $0 -- all the notebooks I've ever used for bullet journaling have been gifts (I guess when you tell people you're a writer, that's to be expected).
What it looks like:
Find THE pen
My favorite pen of all time is the Pilot G-2 (in both the 0.7mm and 0.5mm sizes).
The ink in this pen is the richest, blackest ink I've ever seen. It's smooth, has an easy grip and literally calms me down every time I write with it. It's just that good.
Other pens I've been impressed with:
- Uni-ball Signo 207
- A pen I got from a fabric company. It looks like this.
What I spent: $5.00/pack of 4 ($1.25 each)
That's all you'll need! You don't need any fancy pens or highlighters to start off. In the first few months, you'll want to focus on creating a system that works for you. Your Bullet Journal should inspire you to keep coming back to it every day.
Getting started: the setup
Contact info (1 page)
When you first open up your journal you'll want to put your name and contact information on the first page. That way if you happen to misplace it, someone can return it to you. :)
Index (3 to 4 pages)
On the next three to four pages you'll want to save space for the Index. The Index serves as the table of contents of your bullet journal.
As you go about making the other pages, you'll want to note their page numbers and titles in the Index. That way when you want to find a weekly log from 6 months ago, you can easily find it without tearing through the pages of your journal in a panic.
As you go about making the other pages, you'll want to note their page numbers and titles in the Index. That way when you want to find a weekly log from 6 months ago, you can easily find it without tearing through the pages of your journal in a panic.
Key (1 to 2 pages)
On the next page after the Index, you'll want to create a Key (aka Legend) page. This will be the list of symbols you use and what they mean. Here are some examples of standard symbols and their meanings:
- To do: ∙
- In progress: \
- Done: X
- Scheduled: <
- Note: -
- Event: ◦
- Migrated: >
Here is an example of a key I initially used (but grew out of):
Future log (2 pages)
This is a bird's eye view of your entire year. On these pages, you can mark birthdays, vacations, holidays and other important events.
 |
| Featuring my contact page & future log for August to December. |
Monthly logs (1- 2 pages each)
Now we take a step closer and focus on a month. You can expand the month so that it's a bigger version of the one in your future log, with the important events marked. Some people like to write down a focus for each day, something that they learned, goals for the month, or tasks that solely need to be done once a month -- like taking time to budget or clean out the car.
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| Last month's monthly log layout |
Weekly logs (2 pages each)
Scootching in even closer now, we focus specifically on the current week within our month. Some people find this unnecessary because they would rather focus in on their day to day.
I myself haven't focused on weekly logs, but like with any of the other pages/spreads, do some Internet digging and discover the layouts that inspire you. Then put them to the test.
 |
| This example could pass as a weekly log or a daily log. |
Daily logs (as many pages as you need per day)
Now we are zeroed in specifically on a day -- our current day. This is where I like to write down my focus for the day, to-dos, thoughts, ideas, lessons and doodles.
(see above photo for an example of a daily log)
(see above photo for an example of a daily log)
Habit/goal tracker (2 pages)
This is what I mainly use my bullet journal for. Each month I have things I want to do daily -- drink water, write, edit my manuscript -- and things I want to do almost daily -- workout and read.
This is my current setup:
In conclusion...
If something doesn't work for you, change it up! Your bullet journal shouldn't feel like a hassle or a chore, so if it does, go back to the basics. One pen and some paper. Monitor your progress, flip through the pages and search online for inspiration. Experiment to find what works best for YOU.
Remember, there are no rules.
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