Bullet Journals: How I Found My Perfect Planner
If you’re a planner fanatic like I am (or surfed Pinterest for more than five minutes), you’ve probably seen the term “bullet journal” popping up, with pictures of gorgeous hand-written planners full of fancy lettering and cute little doodles. You may have looked at them (like I did) and thought, those are so pretty, but I could never have a planner like that. Then, after a team retreat last summer with my Goins Writer family, and seeing my fellow team member’s simple-but-infinitely-useful bullet journal, I decided to give it a go. And it’s been life-changing.
The market is saturated with thousands of planners in every conceivable design, and yet I had never found one that meets my needs. The bullet journal is different — it starts with a blank journal and a pen. That’s it. It’s so simple, but it’s a genius system that can bend to whatever organizing system you need.
It’s better than an online system.
Online is better, right? Not necessarily. Our brains are hardwired to approach analog methods differently than digital methods. You remember things better if you write them down. I still use Google Calendar to share events and appointments with my husband, and as a long-range system that I can keep at my finger tips, but there’s yet to be a digital system that works for me in keeping track of tasks, memories I want to remember, blog posts and writing assignments, what books I want to read next, sketch notes from church, and those little scribbles that may later become a book. My bullet journal can handle all of these, and more.
My bullet journal will never replace my iPhone or my iPad. I’m far too attached at this point to immediate access to podcasts, email, maps, and books. But those devices can’t contain everything — it’s just not possible for them to save information the same way I can with pen and paper.
Is a bullet journal right for you?
It’s worth a try if:
- You like pen and paper to-do lists
- You like goal setting and habit tracking
- You’re a planner fan
- You want to love planners, but just can’t seem to find the right one
- You want to journal, but have a difficult time sticking with it
- You have dozens of Post-Its with little notes everywhere
- You just want to be more organized
It’s simple to set up.
A bullet journal can be set up in 10 minutes. If you’re hesitant to drop cash on a new journal, no worries — you can grab an old notebook or one of those barely used journals half-forgotten on your shelf (yes, I have a few of those too).
I’m not going to go into tons of detail on how to set one up, because there are plenty of fantastic blogs out there that have already written those posts. I do want to mention the king of bullet journaling websites, Ryder Carroll’s website BulletJournal.com. Ryder created the bullet journal, and he’s got an amazing video on his site that will walk you step-by-step through everything you need to know. Another awesome resource is How to Bullet Journal: The Absolute Ultimate Guide.
OK, is it a planner or a diary?
It’s both, and more. I use it to track my daily activities, as well as memories and experiences. I use it to track habits and progress on long-term goals. I use the “future log” to keep track of activities that are months away, and monthly logs to see my month-in-a-view. I track doctor appointments and medications for my chronic illness. I plan out blog posts and newsletters. I plan trips and sketch note church sermons. I make notes on the rebuilding of our house, and which bills have been paid this month. I make notes for future books, and keep track of what sizes I wear for which Lularoe clothes.
Bullet journaling is more than a task list, more than a planner. It helps me keep track of what my daily routine is like, and it helps me see my future more clearly.
The ones I see online are fancy, and I can’t draw like that.
That’s OK — neither can I! If you can, awesome! Make it pretty! But my bullet journal isn’t fancy. I have decent handwriting and can make a few stick-people-style sketches here and there, but that’s it. As a hobby, I’ve started working on sketch notes and hand lettering, but it’s slow going. I use my bullet journal to practice. The important thing is to let go of your perfectionism and just give it a go. I had a hard time with that at first, because I wanted my bullet journal to be pretty and perfect, like the ones I see on Instagram. It’s important not to be too precious about the whole thing though. The bullet journal is a tool to help you plan and record your life. There’s no requirement to Instagram it or post it to Pinterest. I prefer the minimalist approach — with a nice journal and a few great pens. Don’t overthink the process. You can refine as you go.
What kind of planner do you use? Would you be up for trying a bullet journal?
Resources:
