Another new year, another new Bullet Journal.
I've been Bullet Journalling for the last 2 years now. Even though I am a digital person, I still very much like the tactile nature of traditional pen and paper when it comes to setting out my work tasks for the day.
Perhaps using planners was instilled in me from high school, since it was a requirement to have a school diary to note down your homework, and it just stuck. My problem with weekly planners, however, was that it was all good and well to write down tasks and appointments/deadlines but it didn’t have much space for daily notes. In school you would have separate books for each subject, so when it came to working full time I would have my weekly planner for my daily tasks and then require a secondary notebook for meeting notes.
“Discovering Bullet Journalling, or ‘bujo’, was game changing in the sense that it allowed for so much flexibility within its approach. ”
You're not locked down to predefined page structures that you would find in a typical planner, but instead it is essentially a blank canvas with a framework to guide you on how to manage your tasks.
Bullet journal basics
Here are some of the basic principles:
Idea of rapid logging, basically you're creating coded short hand bullet points
Different bullet points use different symbols to represent either tasks (things to do), notes (things to remember), or events (noteworthy moments in time).
In the original system, a task is represented by a simple dot "•" which you can then mark as being completed, migrated, scheduled for the future or crossed out as no longer relevant.
e.g.
• This is a task
x Cross it out when it's completed
> Migrate it to a Collection if you didn't complete it and still need to do it
< Schedule it for later in your Future Log
Events are represented by the "○".
e.g.
○ Meeting at 2pmNotes use the dash " - ".
e.g.- This is a meeting note
- And this is another point to remember
You can also add signifiers such as "!" or "*" next to the points to emphasise importance
e.g.
! • Finish off report
Put it all together and it can look something like this:
○ 1-on-1 meeting @ 10am
• Prepare points to be raised for the meeting
- Designs will be done by Tuesday
! • Publish project page today
< Create timeline for new project
> Report on analytics
You can create your own signifiers if you don't like these ones.
The framework uses the idea of ‘Collections’ which basically groups like information together. The basic framework contains:
Index - table of content for your journal
Future log - high level overview of the months in the year
Monthly log - overview of the month containing a calendar and tasks
Daily log - to be used on a daily basis
Custom collections can be anything else that you may want to track or plan
Most important is the concept of migration. When you get to the end of the month you will review all the pages and for any tasks not completed, you will move it to the new month or relevant collection. I actually do this daily for tasks I didn't complete the previous day. You will find that tasks you put off will continue to get migrated which will require you to keep writing it down, reminding you that it still needs to be done until you finally complete it... or cross it out because it no longer becomes relevant.
For more in-depth information on how to Bullet Journal you can read it up from the source here which has a nifty tutorial video: https://bulletjournal.com/ or buy the book:
Creative journalling
Bullet journalling has been widely adopted for its open format and opportunity for creative adaptations. From minimalist to intricate drawings to supplement layouts, it really has become a worldwide phenomenon. You can find bullet journal inspiration for layouts, doodles and hand lettering over the internet from blogs, Youtube, Pinterest and of course Instagram. Check out tags such as #bulletjournal, #bujo.
Planner set up
Prior to even setting up my journal I wanted to take a step back and review my goals from last year and figure out what I wanted to achieve this year. I looked back at my Artist of Life workbook from 2018 and decided jot down and answer the same questions for 2019. This time I did it digitally using Notion.
Because Bullet Journalling is so flexible, if you have Collections or lists that you wanted track throughout the year this is something you would set up up front. I had tried some previously based on what I have found such as "Things I'm waiting on" from online purchases or habit trackers, but I found that since I generally just use this for work, they didn't really suit my needs.
This year I thought I'd keep it simple and stick to the fundamentals with an additional goals section.
Materials:
You don’t need to use the official Bullet Journal notebook but I do like the Leuchtturm 1917 books with the dot grid since it makes it easier to do layouts using the grid and it’s got page numbers on the corner of each page to make it easier to fill in the Index and refer back to a specific page. I also like the fact that it’s got 3 bookmark ribbons and is a A5 format for when I need to carry a A4 print out I can shove it folded in my journal. Moleskins are a bit thinner in width. It’s also a nice hardcover with an elastic, as well as a back pocket to store things like my receipts that I need to claim.
Future log
I kept a similar vertical layout as last year but thought I’d try a little something fancy and add a touch of gold to the palette. Any high level events or tasks will go here.
2019 goals
I’ve decided to extend the goal page into a spread. I was inspired by the way AmandaRachLee did these inverted white on black banners, so thought I’d give it a go and it turned out quite well! The gold pen is a bit finicky to work with since if you put too much pressure a whole blob of ink will come out, so I’m still needing to perfect using even pressure on some pens. The goal categories have been picked up from the Artist of Life workbook I had gone through last year.
January monthly log
Since I had a bit of time I did a January title to start off the month with a simple vertical monthly log layout as per suggested by Ryder Carroll, the founder of Bullet Journalling.
Practising drawing some botanicals with a monstera leaf.
In terms of weekly and daily pages I keep it pretty minimal as since I use it purely for work I try to get it done quickly so I can start the day rather than spend too much time prettying it up with drawings. The most I do is practise my script hand writing with the month/day headings. It would be nice if I could keep up the drawings for nice titles for each month but seeing as though I generally keep the book at work, this is probably unlikely. :P
Here’s to starting the new year motivated to do great things!
