Bullet Journaling for Beginners

by Jewel Keeter

First, you may be wondering what bullet journaling is? The creator of this methodology, Ryan Carroll, describes bullet journaling as “a mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system. It's designed to help you organize your what while you remain mindful of your why.” This practice can be used to record To Dos, weekly/monthly schedules, jot down notes, establish goals, or document mental or physical wellbeing throughout time. In reality, it can be anything the creator desires in order to express themselves and be intentional in both their present and future by reflecting on their past.

 

How to Start:

There are only 2 things you really need to start, including a blank or dot grid notebook and a writing utensil. From there it’s up to you on how simple or elaborate you want your journal to be, as the nature of this practice is for you to form your own template. This could include using different techniques such as drawings, stickers, paint or calligraphy. Additionally, it may be helpful to not assign one time of day to journaling. Allowing journaling to become part of your lifestyle throughout the day can help you record creative and intentional thinking to express yourself every second of the day! Limiting your practice to when you aren’t busy could discourage fluid creativity during busy times or make you feel discouraged when a creativity block occurs during your set time.

 

 

Although the majority of the journal is how you want to express yourself, we do have some suggestions to stay somewhat organized to make it easier to revisit your thoughts in the future.

  1. Add an Index & page numbers so it’s easier to revisit past ideas.
  2. Find a purpose for your journal. Is it for To Dos, a calendar, documenting notes, recording goals or an all-in-one? Finding a purpose helps outline your goals with this practice to clearly achieve them.
  3. Add monthly/weekly summaries of important information to help you filter your ideas for future reference.
  4. Overall, don’t stress about having the perfect template. Somedays you may want to express yourself in a different way and that’s okay. Limiting your journal to only the most “creative” or colourful can discourage journaling at times and make it unmanageable when you are busy or feeling drained.

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