Bullet Journaling

Have you heard of Bullet Journaling? I came across a post recently that talked about it and I was so inspired by it that I immediately went out to pick up supplies to start my own! A bullet journal is basically part planner, part journal. It's a very organized system to keep track of absolutely everything in your life. My mind is in constant chaos and I've always wanted to be more organized but in a fun way that will keep me interested enough to keep up with it. Bullet Journaling has been that for me so far.

You can use any kind of journal to start. There's an "official" one you can pick up here or I've seen these highly recommended. However I just picked up a basic one from Barnes & Noble to start. I also picked up some Faber-Castell pens from Michaels and that's really all you need to begin!

First off, I apologize for my terrible small handwriting. I'm hoping that writing in my BJ will help improve that one skill that's been escaping me forever. How I passed kindergarten I'll never know, can't draw a straight line or cut straight. I'm just a mess. ANYWAYS.

So your Bullet Journal can be broken up by spreads. This is my monthly spread. I started towards the end of March and that's the beauty of this thing, you can start and stop whenever you want to. So I have the days listed and then broken up by Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. Below is my little key for tracking what is what and on the side are my Monthly Goals for that month. It's not the prettiest monthly spread but I'm not exactly really artistic when it comes to drawing and such... Another skill we are hoping to improve.

Here's my very first Daily Spreads. You can break these up however you want and you'll see that my Daily's changed soon after this. If you miss a day, don't worry about it. Just pick up where you left off. I have a Key page in the very front of my book as well as an Index so I can always find whatever pages I need, it's very convenient for my Collection pages mostly.

In my Daily's you'll find tasks and events I want to take care of for that day. I've always included the weather and sometimes dinner if it's something I want to remember making again or tracking for weight loss. Tasks with a dot in front of them are tasks that need to be done. One's with an X are completed. One's with a circle (O) are Events. And arrows (-->) are Migrated Tasks that I haven't finished yet and are being moved to another day. Notes are taken with a dash (-).

I really love updating my journal at the end of the day. I fill in the weather icons, leave any notes for that day, fill in my habit tracker (which I'll get to), and set up the following days header and then add in my tasks for that day. The next morning I will add in anything I forgot and then start tackling my day!

I also love the Collections idea for your BJ. I have Collection Pages for Blog Post Ideas, Books to Read, Hashtags I use and want to remember, and records I want to add to my Vinyl stash so far. You can really make any kind of Collection page you want! I also have a Habit Tracker page to track certain habits that I want to stay on top of. I didn't take a picture of it since I'm constantly crossing things out and adding new ones so it's not really the prettiest one this month. A few habits are days that I don't eat Red Meat, days I make time to read, days I spend editing photos, doing yoga or working out on the treadmill, or how often I post on my blog. You can track anything you desire!

Your Bullet Journal will constantly change and evolve as you find things that work better for you and cut out things that you don't like or don't work. As you can see, my Daily's have already changed a bit in a style I like better. You will also make mistakes so don't stress it! As a perfectionist, that's hard for me to deal with but in the worst case scenarios... Like when those doodles don't turn out... Just put a sticker on it! Worst case scenario, have a sip of tea and a deep breath before letting it go and moving on to the next part of your journal. There's no such thing as a wrong Bullet Journal. Mistakes happen!

So what do you think? Would you try Bullet Journaling?

If you want to find out more about Bullet Journals, check out the official site or Boho Berry, she was the main inspiration that made me want to start my own.