Have you been wondering what a Bullet Journal is? Maybe you have seen one and are intrigued. This blog will explain what a Bullet Journal is and a little about how to use one. Let’s look at the Bullet Journal basics…
Are you ready to organise your life? Tired to being all over the place? A Bullet Journal is the ultimate organisational tool. I used to have sticky notes everywhere, with things I needed to remember and notebooks with various scribbles, it was a mess! When I discovered what Bullet Journaling was, it changed my life.Why? Because suddenly I had an easy to follow system. Let’s learn what a Bullet Journal is…
What is a Bullet Journal?
A bullet journal is a way to organise both your personal and professional life, to help you be more productive, to create habit trackers and to help you reach all your goals. It is a system that is customisable to your needs, it is easy to follow, simple and effective. You will need to start with a blank journal and lay it out for yourself. The journal (or notebook) must either have dots, squares or be plain inside. Ideally it would be dotted as you can create set-ups with more ease.
You can customise your bullet journal along the way but the system you start with is simple. You can watch this video made by the creator of the bullet journal that explains the basic bullet journal setup.
If you have seen or heard of bullet journaling before you may be worried about the art side of it. The creator of the bullet journal has always maintained that the journal is for function over form and that as long as you personally love your bullet journal, it’s perfect.
Bullet Journaling allows you to plan your future, track your past, all while making the most of the present. It is a flexible form of planning that can enhance your productivity and can let your creative side flow.
Who Invented the Bullet Journal?
Ryder Carroll is the creator of the Bullet Journal. Ryder is a digital product designer and author living in Brooklyn. Diagnosed with learning difficulties early on in his life, he needed to find a different way to stay productive and organised. Through years of trial and error he developed an intricate system that kept him on the right path which he has now shared with all of us. He created this analogue system because he wanted something that wouldn’t get in the way but would track the past, organise the present and plan for the future.
The Bullet Journal is about – ‘the art of intentional living’
Where to start.
Starting a bullet journal should not be daunting, it should be exciting. The first thing I did when starting a bullet journal was some research. I started on the Bullet Journal website and youtube channel. This showed me the very basics. I then started looking at some #bujoinspo. This was all before I even had a bullet journal, any pens or a system in place but it really helped me envision what type of bullet journal I wanted.
By the way – Bujo is short for Bullet Journal
I remember looking for hours at bullet journal inspiration. So to save you some time, here are some that I love. I hope it helps you to start dreaming about what type of bullet journal you would like (remember it can be anything!) or it can just show you visually what a bullet journal is.
This is a monthly layout with a calendar, monthly goals, important notes and important events. It is a really nice clean theme with flower embellishments which made the page pop.
The above is a weekly layout and is made in a minimalist style. This is more like a traditional bullet journal that Ryder Carroll would have. It focuses on really clean cut pages that are simple to follow.
This is called a title page. You could make one with the month on it or a favourite quote that will motivate you that month. This has been made with a little pencil shading and a black pen.
This September title page is more complex and colourful. I love the use of greens, yellows, oranges and browns.
The person who has created this spread has used watercolour. They have painted them on a separate piece of paper and have stuck them within this weekly log which gives it a lovely textured look.
This monthly layout looks amazing but is actually very simple to re-create. They have mostly used different coloured gel pens.
Take a moment to think about if you would like an arty creative bullet journal or a more minimalist one? You could even have one of both. The most important thing to remember is that Bullet Journaling has no rules. You can be yourself, express yourself and enjoy yourself.
Follow along with my blog.
Now that we have looked at what a bullet journal is, the next blogs will be more specific. We will look at the best pens to use, the terminology that surrounds bujo, how to start a bullet journal, creating themes and so much more!
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Thank you for reading my very first bullet journal blog. I can’t wait to go on this journey with you.
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