Basics Of Bullet Journaling

This is post 1 of 2 in the series “A Beginners Guide to Bullet Journaling”

Basics Of Bullet Journaling
How to Start Setting up a Bullet Journal

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, you have probably heard of bullet journaling. However, understand what it is and what is involved is a little trickier. This article will show you some of the basics of bullet journaling.

In bullet journaling, you are basically combining your thoughts, finances, schedules, to-do lists, and notes into a single journal. It is a way to organise all the things you try to keep up with on a daily basis. It is not only fun, but can be creative and very helpful in reducing stress and anxiety.

Benefits of Bullet Journaling

Firstly, you will benefit a lot by starting a bullet journal, whether it’s a physical journal or a digital one. Remember there is no right or wrong way to do it, how your journal is all up to you. It is supposed to make life easier for you, not more difficult. Don’t be pressured to have it organised or look like anyone else.

Here are some different ways you can benefit by having a bullet journal:

Everything’s in one place – Firstly, your different to-do lists, schedules, and notes are in a single journal. Many people do have journals or digital to-do lists with this type of information. But it is awkward having one for finances, another for home chores, and another for business to-do lists.

The bullet journal lets you have everything in one place. Since you are using symbols and short phrases instead of long paragraphs of notes.

It’s really easy to do – A bullet journal is very easy to put together. You can do this however you like, but usually you start by creating an index, which is also becomes a general selection of what you want to include. Then you number your pages and start writing.

You can track your regular habits. Since you are writing in the bullet journal every day, you can track and if necessarily change your habits. It can help you see that you spend too much money on coffee and eating out, or that you aren’t exercising enough.

Choosing the Journal

To start your bullet journal, you first need a journal to use. This can be any type of journal, but choosing one that is thick enough for all your different pages and that has nice large pages is a good idea. An A5 (or half letter) is usually sufficient.

Look for one that can stay closed when needed, an elastic closure is helpful. Also look for thick pages, 120-160gsm is ideal, in case you decide to decorate some of the pages. You don’t want anything bleeding through or ghosting. Using the last page in the journal to test your pens is a good idea.

Components of a Bullet Journal

It helps to have some direction when starting your bullet journal. But ultimately it’s up to you how you create it and make it work.

Here are some components to try and include in your bullet journal:

Index – Every bullet journal should preferably have an index. This lets you know what area different sections of the journal are located, such as grocery and meal planning, or finances. It is a great way to jot down fast notes as you can go right to that page.

Page numbers – Naturally, since you have an index, you also need to have page numbers. You can be as creative as you want, but make sure pages are numbered and corresponds with what is in the index.

Signifiers – Signifiers are symbols that you assign to different types of notes. It can be helpful when you want to use them in place of longer phrases. This can be a happy or sad smiley face for your moods, a heart for going on a date, or a Christmas tree for holidays.

With this basic information, you will be well on your way to getting that bullet journal started.