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Firstly, let’s cover the most obvious question – what is a Bullet Journal? I should mention that while I have found lots of joy in the bullet journal, I did not create it and I don’t own it.
The bullet journal is a planner system given birth by Ryder Carrol, and I highly recommend you watch every of his videos from basic instructions to expert tips. Basically, this is a planner system that allows you to plan for the future, track the past, and keep your determination in the present. You may ask “if I can watch Ryder video, why I should read this article?” I can tell you I am just as similar as you, starting from the scratch, improving by trial and error. My difference is that I have experience for years practicing this, and I am willing to share it with you, the tips from user’s side that rarely the producer can see. Won’t let you wait more, enjoy the reading!
What do you need to start a bullet journal? The good news is that you can start a bullet journal in pretty much blank notebook that you left after school. But seriously if you want to follow this habit, you need better supplies. Researchers believe that visual effect can improve our concentration, boost our thinking and work effectiveness. So instead of looking at plain, blank and 1-color notebook, why don’t you purchase a bright, colorful, well-designed or even funky-look notebooks, with different materials? You can choose to purchase directly in Ryder website or different stores.
I have purchased for my girl a notebooks with engraved leather cover and different sections inner sheets for better usages. She really loves it (so I believe she will treasure and use it for long)
To sum up all information, a bullet journal will consist of these elements
This is one of the essential element of the bullet journal that set it apart. With an index, there’s no more flipping around searching for that one note you wrote down a while back. Instead, you can head to the index and see exactly what page it is on for maximum efficiency!
That’s how it look like
Basically, this is just a page where you can write down any future appointments or dates for a month you haven’t set up yet. That way you can easily reference it to see if there’s a dentist appointment coming up or a deadline sneaking up on you.
Usually, it breaks down into three months, six months, or twelve months. I tend to go for the three or six month option because I have few hard set dates and appointments to look out for. One tips for Future log is as you get an appointment or note you want to remember as you get closer to that future month, flip to your future log and jot it down. That way you won’t lose important information for the near future!
There are lots of things you can add to your monthly layout, but for now, let’s focus on the basics. You just need the calendar or list or whatever you decide to use. This also the first part that tickle your sense of organizing. I will provide a simple example how it can be constructed and designed
It ain’t discussed in the original bullet journal system, but they’re a natural step between monthly and daily spread, so I thought I’d mention them here. Basically, it has the exact function of monthly one, but only using a week at a time. Occasionally, I see people using monthly, weekly, and daily log! To me, that’s “overpower”, but if it works for you, then more power to you. There’s no planner rule here! You can also design your own weekly spread, as the rule of thumb, you can adjust it day by day
Daily log are the main factory of the series production bullet journal. This is where all the work really gets done, at least for me. Essentially, the daily is a to-do list on steroids. You write down all the things you need to get done today, all the appointments you need to remember, and any notes you need to keep. You can add other information, such as how much water you drank, what food you ate, how many miles you ran, etc. It’s a totally customized for your needs.
One of the benefits of the bullet journal is that your daily tasks aren’t capped to a certain size. You can expand it to second pages (look like you are a busy person, that’s good).
And that’s all you have to know about basic Bullet Journal set up. There only left a controversy which is still debated among Bullet Journal lover that whether Daily spread is set in horizontal or vertical side. I’d love to hear your opinion in the comment section below.
Hope you enjoy this article