Ever heard of this thing called BULLET JOURNALING? Well, let me help you understand this madness. The basic concept is taking all your various to dos, tracking, thoughts/notes and pretty much anything you need to write down and keep tabs of into ONE NOTEBOOK. When your life is full of little spirals, sticky notes and brain overload of random information (but semi-important), then this can be a game changer. Since embarking on this adventure, I have enjoyed adding in longer form journaling (think diary), sketching and illustrations in watercolor in addition to my regular bullet journals. I have that in plural because I have to have one for work and one for home stuff. Mixing the 2 created additional chaos for me and I don’t need more of that, I have plenty.
Go look up Ryder Carroll to find out more about the Bullet Journal. He is a super smart guy who actually kind of invented this concept to solve his own issues of organization. It’s very eye opening to see how it began and how it has evolved into something different for everyone.
I originally started out with the basic method just like his book outlined and I quickly started adding in the sketches and watercolor came shortly after that. Then, I went down this rabbit hole of artsy bullet journaling over covid days at home because well I had the time. Then the world went back to reality and so did I. Then I just stopped everything for a couple months. Back to the sticky note life and total disorganization! I couldn’t remember anything and frequently forgot about important things I was supposed to be doing. It didn’t take me long to realize it was because I had found a good system that was actually helping me and I stopped using it. I found a new notebook and started again and haven’t stopped since. Knowing your limitations is half the battle.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out my Instagram, go do a little stalking and see how this process has evolved over the years. I post only uplifting and fun things over there but it is a peak into my visual world, which tells you a lot more about me.
Anyways, this was on my mind today because it is literally ALL I’ve kept up with since my last post. I may pull back from everything else but I stick to my journaling so I do not forget to pick up the dry cleaning, among other important but not life altering things….
What I used to start my bullet journal journey: Ryder Carroll’s The Bullet Journal Method book, a great writing pen that ups your coolness factor (Lamy Safari fountain pen with a medium nib), any DOT GRID journal (I like Minimalism Art Classic hard cover 5”x 8.3” notebook). That’s it to start. If you have markers or washi tape or stickers that’s all EXTRA but you can add in what you want. However, I suggest starting with the basics and growing from there.
I hope you find a way to make it your own. Happy journaling!