Whose idea was the bullet journal? A man named Ryder Carroll came up with the Bullet Journal system. He has used the system for many years, and it has grown as time has passed. Ryder is from Brooklyn, NY and is a digital product designer. He was looking for a way to record past events, stay up-to-date with what he currently has going on, and plan for the future.
How does it work?
There are a number of items in the basic Bullet Journal design, but there are an infinite number of possibilities for using the system. Here are the basics:
Rapid Logging
This is the main way to write things down. You take notes using page numbers, titles and different types of bullets to indicate what needs to be done with each item. This is where you list things, record things, just basically write down anything that comes up. You use special bullets to show the difference between notes (-), events (o), etc.
Modules
Modules help you organize your notes in ways that will make sense to you later. You will also record the page numbers for these modules in an index at the front of your bullet journal so that you can find them easily later on.
Monthly Log
This is your basic monthly calendar. It is where you will track upcoming appointments and events so that they don’t get lost in the shuffle. You’ll also create a monthly task list along with the calendar.
Migration
When you finish with a day or a month, you transfer over any important tasks or events that need to be dealt with in the upcoming week/month.
So…is it just a list?
A Bullet Journal is so much more than a list, and there are a ton of things you can do with it. Here are the pages in mine:
Index
Future Log (next 6 months)
Monthly Log and Monthly Tasks
Daily Log
Books to Read
Gratitude page
Monthly Habit Tracker
Goal Setting Steps
2016 Goals and Next Actions
Miracle Morning Steps
Planning Routine
Summer Bucket List
Wish List
Monthly Budget
Long-term house plans
Planner Supply Site List
Things my daughter needs to bring to daycamp
Upcoming Blog Posts
List of both daughters’ summer chores
My daily chores and schedule
Time Off Tracking (for the day job)
Big Moments in 2016 (tracking achievements, good things)
How is a Bullet Journal different from a planner?
Planners are great. They are what this magazine is all about. A Bullet Journal is simply another way to plan. It keeps everything all in one place, like a planner can, and thanks to the index you can easily find what you’re looking for.
Do I need a special book?
On BulletJournal.com there is a special Bullet Journal notebook that you can buy, but you certainly don’t have to do that. You can use your favorite blank book. You can use a notebook. You can use a moleskine. My first Bullet Journal, which I’m still using currently, is a composition book. Admittedly it is pink and pretty, but it’s still just a $2-3 composition book.
I decorate my book with planner stickers, use special paper clips, pretty sticky notes and washi tape, just as I do with a regular planner too. There really are no rules on what you can and can’t do with a Bullet Journal, just a suggested format to get you started.
Interested in more info? Visit BulletJournal.com, or just Google Bullet Journal for a ton of information.
BULLET JOURNALS
Could this style of planning work for you?
Planner junkie / August, 2016 11