By Bhumika Ramesh
Being organized is never easy. We see a ton of resources everywhere – showing us how to organize with planners, diaries and journals. If you feel these methods are a little too hectic, bullet journaling might be the fit for you!
Well, what is a bullet journal?
Also known as Bujo, these journals were created as a system to organize by Ryder Carroll – a product designer based in New York. In his words, it is something that can help you to ‘track the past, organize the present and plan for the future.”
It is a sort of notebook used for everything under the sun – writing, drawing, planning, to-do lists, calendars, and notes.
It’s an extremely flexible way of noting down anything. With no specific prompts or templates, bullet journaling is all about you. It’s a terrific way of customising your tasks at work, school or just your day-to-day life.
To get started, reflect on the purpose you would be using it for. People use it for various goals – for taking down tasks, planning their days or using it as a tracker for goals. Figure out your challenges and go forward.
Gather a simple plain notebook or a dot grid notebook with a few pens. If you’re feeling creative, colours can be added too!
As you continue to customise your bullet journal, include collections. Every page you use in the journal is given a topic and these topics are called collections.
The four collections mentioned below are basic collections that are usually present in most bullet journals.
Index: This section is present at the front of your notebook and functions as a table of contents.
Future log: This section acts as a long-term planner. You can note down yearly goals, tasks, birthdays, and travel plans.
Monthly log: This section acts as a spread of how your month would look like – with tasks and monthly appointments. You can also add other sections regarding finance, eating habits, fitness etc.
Daily log: This section is your daily to-do list.
Making use of a tracking system such as symbols that indicate the status of your tasks is extremely beneficial. It is known as rapid logging.
For example, drawing a circle next to a task and filling it in when it is completed. These, as usual, can be customisable. Do add page numbers if you’re feeling a little meticulous.
Using a bullet journal can help reduce stress levels and improve your mental health. It acts as an outlet for your creative juices to flow after a busy day.
Here’s to happy journaling ahead!