At the beginning of this year, I discovered a completely customizable planner known as a bullet journal. I first heard of it through Facebook and decided to research the intriguing concept. After browsing the official website (bulletjournal.com), I took to Pinterest and Youtube to learn more. I am a creative person, but I also like to be organized. The bullet journal seemed like it could reconcile that dichotomy.
I shared my newfound information with my mom, who also liked the idea. It wasn’t until about February that we bought journaling kits. They weren’t marketed as bullet journals, but the pages had dots instead of lines, a common feature of bullet journals. The kit also included pens, a ruler, and a stencil. We bought some stickers to go along with it. Armed with our arsenal of creative tools, we were eager to begin. We got off to a slow start, to say the least. After creating the skeleton of the journal (index, future log, calendar) we lost momentum. We designed a few more pages before filing it away under things to do “some other day.”
We planned to get our acts together over Spring Break when we would both have ample free time. We still, however, did not set up the month of April. Here we are, halfway through April, and the pages I have for my monthly log aren’t even labeled with a specific month. I guess I’ll leave it blank until I can commit.
If a lot of the words I’m using are new to you, don’t freak out. They can be easily explained. A future log is a rough plan for the year. You just write the next six or twelve months and any notable events happening each month: appointments, birthdays, weddings, etc.
A monthly log is where you plan your month. Like the Future Log, it is usually a spread, meaning it takes up two adjacent pages in your journal. There are infinite ways to set up your monthly log. Google and Pinterest will almost undoubtedly overwhelm you. I made my bullet journal pretty simple. On one page I listed the dates of the month on the left side in the format of Date Day (19 M). On the next page, I made sections for Events, Tasks, Notes, and Goals. I filled those in and then marked them on the other page next to the corresponding date with a certain symbol.
That’s where the key comes in. It can be as simple or complex as you want, much like the journal as a whole. I chose shapes for the categories listed above, and symbols for events in my life, ranging from shopping to Bible Study. If done right, the key can be a great tool. The trick is finding a balance between too much and not enough.
Another important part of the bullet journal is collections, where you collect your ideas and interests. Some popular examples are Books to Read, Movies to Watch, and Quotes/Inspiration. My mom has one for gardening, and I have one for ticket stubs. The options are endless.
I’m still quite the beginner when it comes to bullet journals, but I’d like to share with you what I’ve done with mine so far, hope it inspires you to start your own. My first couple pages are a Word of the Year spread. I chose the word JOY. I wrote it big across both pages, and surrounded it with things that give me joy and some related Bible verses.
One of my favorite pages so far is my Birthdays & Holidays page. I drew a rainbow cake at the top, and marked each month with a candle, next to which I wrote that month’s birthdays and holidays. It’s all very colorful and cheerful.
I chose to designate a page for my Wish List. That way I have something to show my parents when my birthday or Christmas rolls around. It’s a basic list of various bullet points for things I want. So far, I’ve bought most of them for myself. What can I say? I have a paycheck and no patience.
Next is my Mood Tracker. I’m pretty proud of it. I drew a big graph that gives each day of the year its own box. Using my color-coded emotions, I color in my dominant feeling for each day. I decorated the corners with colorful boxes, and added a Charles Swindoll quote in the leftover space: “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”
My next three pages are money related. The first is a Savings Tracker. I drew six bars which I will fill in as I save up money to buy whatever each bar is for. Right now, my bars are unlabeled since I’m not saving up for anything. At the bottom, I wrote, “Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.”
The second page is a budget for May and June. I will just list my income and expenses, and see how much I save (or don’t) at the end of each month. I wrote a Dave Ramsey quote on that page: “A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.”
To help me keep track, the next page is an Expense Tracker. I’ll use it to write what I bought, when, and for how much. On that page, I wrote, “Don’t give up what you want most for what you want now.”
I’m currently working on filling in the pages leading up to my first month (whatever month it ends up being). I recently started a Movies to Watch collection. I used a stencil to draw rows of movie tickets, which I will fill in with the titles of movies I want to see. Once I’ve seen a movie, I’ll color in its ticket. I’m excited to finish it, and start using it! I also plan on making a TV Show Tracker, Quotes collection, Lyrics Log, and Ticket Stubs collection.
I hope my excited rambling has been somewhat inspiring and helpful to you. I definitely recommend a bullet journal to all you creative people who also want to control your life. It’s never too late to start, so don’t feel discouraged that it’s already April. You can start with any month. It’s all up to you. You have the control to let your creativity flow.