Have you been thinking about starting a bullet journal? Do you wonder if a bullet journal planner is right for you? Bullet journals are a great time management tool for busy moms.
If you are wondering if a bullet journal is right for you, here’s everything you need to know about how to start a bullet journal. You will learn how to get started with bullet journals, pages you can include in your bullet journal, bullet journals at work and more.
Bullet journals are designed as a simple way to manage daily tasks, appointments, schedules and more. Many people love bullet journals because they are unique to each person and allow maximum creativity in your individual design.
Bullet Journal Basics
How to start a bullet journal
Bullet Journaling has become a very popular trend in recent years within the planner and getting organized communities. If you are new to bullet journaling, you are in for a whole new way to organize and plan your day. If you love to-do lists and check-lists, bullet journaling may be the perfect planner system for you.
If your daily “to-do” list and task lists are overwhelming you and you need a simple system to keep track of your day, bullet journaling was made for you. Every day we all have many different daily tasks, appointments, and various things we need to remember.
Keeping track of everything in your head becomes difficult (and it’s easy to forget something important). It becomes even harder (if not impossible), if you manage a team at work or a family at home. Do you ever wonder how much more productive and less stressed you would be if you could stop trying to remember all this “stuff”?
Your solution is a bullet journal.
Bullet journal setup
A bullet journal is your way to track and organize of everything you need to do in one notebook. It usually has 3 main parts.
In the first part you will find the index and key. The index usually occupies the first two pages of your journal and help you organize what’s where and how the journal works.
The second part includes a monthly log or calendar and then running daily entries. I’ll share more about these pages in a minute.
The last part of a bullet journal is your collections and lists. They are just that, lists of all the things you want to keep track of. These pages are unique to you. For example, you may have a list of movies you want to see, books you want to read or places you want to visit. For business, you might have a list of clients you need to contact this month.
When you start a bullet journal, you usually set aside the first two pages for your index and then record things as they come up throughout your day, week, or month. At the start of each month, you set up a new monthly page. In this space, you record appointments, anniversaries and other important dates you don’t want to forget.
To organize the monthly page, some bullet journal users simply make a list of 1-30 (or 31) and then leave space to note appointments as they come up. Others (like me) prefer to draw a more traditional monthly calendar grid over two pages. You can try it both ways and see what works better for you. As you draw each monthly grid or list at the beginning of the month, add the page number to your index.
On your next blank page, enter today’s date and start writing down things you need to remember like appointments for the day and anything else you need to keep track of including quick notes and ideas. This is where your key comes in handy. Here are two common ways you can set up your key. If you don’t like these symbols come up with a key system that’s unique and will work for you (it doesn’t have to be complicated).
Key version #1:
⃞ Task
■ Completed Task
⍈ Migrated Task
⃝ Appointment
⬤ Completed Appointment
⟴ Migrated Appointment
– Notes
Key version #2
ᐧ (Dot) Task
X Completed Task
> Migrated Task
Any task on your list can be crossed out if it is no longer applicable or needed.
Using your bullet journal every day
To keep your bullet journal organized, it’s important to choose (or design) a key system that will be intuitive for you and start recording the things you need to keep track of and remember in your bullet journal. Just think of your bullet journal as your ultimate ongoing to-do list and time management system.
In addition to your planning pages and calendars, you can add pages for your hobbies and personal interests, projects you are working on and more. Your lists and collections pages make each bullet journal unique.
Before bed each night, review your list. Anything that has not been completed needs to either be crossed out because its no longer relevant and important, or it should be moved to tomorrow or another day. If you don’t want to complete a task, or can’t handle an item or two the next day, leave it open but make sure you review all open items every few days and work it in at a later date.
A bullet journal is more than just a daily “to-do” list. It’s an all-in-one all-purpose journal to manage your day, remember your appointments, dream about the future, play (you can have doodle pages too) and so much more.
More Ways to Use A Bullet Journal
5 Reasons You Will Love Using a Bullet Journal
5 Productive Ways to Use a Bullet Journal at Work
How a Summer Bullet Journal For Kids Saved My Sanity
25 Home Organization Page Ideas for your Bullet Journal
As you can see, bullet journals can be used in many different ways. You can use them to be more productive at work and for self-care, even to keep your kids busy and organized. The possibilities with a bullet journal are really only limited by your imagination. What will you do with your bullet journal?
Stay organized and design your perfect bullet journal with your FREE printable of 75+ Bullet Journal Page Ideas.
Guest Posts on Bullet Journals
3 Ways to Use a Bullet Journal for Self-Care on Setting My Intention
More Recommended Reading
How to Bullet Journal In a Planner by Mom’s Small Victories
Getting Started with a Bullet Journal by BulletJournal.com
Recommend Resources for Your Bullet Journal
I love bullet journaling in my planners and notebooks. It’s such a concise way to empty my brain onto paper and organize my crazy thoughts that go in every direction. Thanks for these incredible resources, I’m going to love looking through these ideas!