You have probably heard about bullet journalling on social media. It’s the perfect way to keep your life semi-neat and organized. It is also useful to track your daily accomplishments and tackle your to-do lists.
A common misconception about bullet journals is that they must be perfect and Instagram worthy. Fear of imperfection is what keeps many of us from trying new things and/or sticking with them. Who cares that your fake calligraphy isn’t perfect? You are making progress and that is the important part. My bullet journal certainly is not perfect and it may never be, and that is okay! You are trying to be a more productive person and build character by trying new things.
Why I Bullet Journal:
I am not an organized person. Bullet journaling is what I do to help me maintain organization in my life. I started bullet journaling in October of last year and have got significantly better at it each month since. I saw a whole bunch of bullet journals on Pinterest and decided to try it. Not only did I become more productive, but I could also keep track of everything that I wanted to and know what I had done and what I had left to do. The feeling of being semi-organized in one part of my life liberates me to do more of what I want to do.
Common Lies About Bullet Journalling
- It needs to be perfect. A lot of people believe that your bullet journal needs to be perfect and super cute. The purpose of a bullet journal is to be functional, sometimes functional is cute and sometimes it is not. Your bullet journal will get better and better as you progress and keep practicing. My first
months bullet journal layout was pretty bad and I am still improving.
2. It has to be the same as others. Let’s admit it, some people are professionals when it comes to making bullet journals. Sometimes they have incredible layouts that are super cute and super practical, but sometimes they are designed a certain way because they look cool. I have tried some of these layouts and some of them personally do not work well for me, other layouts I have loved using. Now I am using my own layout that I made myself because that is what works best for me. The most important part of your layout is making sure that it works for you.
3. My bullet journal has to be made of special paper. Personally, I have used a lined notebook, a dotted notebook, regular printer paper and cardstock paper that I have printed into a dotted grid. Currently, I have been using cardstock paper that I printed the dotted grid on both sides and then placed in a three-ring binder. Speaking of which, there is an awesome pdf printable grid you can grab from Savor + Savvy for free if you want to try out using dotted paper. I use dotted paper because it allows me to make my own lines, boxes, and grids where I want them while allowing me to make perfectly straight lines.
What I keep in My bullet journal
I have several things that I keep in my bullet journal which include several things that I use on a daily basis as well as lists of things I want to keep track of.
- Monthly Planner. Isn’t it good to have a plan of what events are coming up each month? I use this so that I don’t forget any plans that I have made.
- Weekly Planner. I use my weekly planner to track the tasks, projects, and homework assignments that I need to accomplish every day. I make a list of everything I want to accomplish that day, anything from algebra homework to food photography to painting my nails. Personally, I am a pretty spontaneous person so I don’t always get everything that I planned to do done, and that’s okay!
- Habit Tracker. I find that tracking the habits that I want to become better at naturally improves the occurrence that I do them. If I am truly honest with my self and how much I do things, I find that I end up doing them more because I don’t want my bullet journal to say that I only did something once or twice a month. It is important not to set your goals too high otherwise you will not be motivated to reach them or you will quit halfway through. If you have fifteen habits that you would like to do more frequently, maybe set your goal to be doing 6-8 of those tasks every day.
- Gratitude Log. I think that I personally feel better about my day and my life when I look at all the blessings that I have.
- Water Intake Tracker. Let’s be honest, you probably don’t drink enough water every day. I sometimes don’t either. Having a water intake tracker reminds me to keep drinking water and not dehydrate myself. I have also found that I have more energy and clearer skin the more water I drink.
- Sleep Tracker. If you have trouble falling asleep like me you would know that it’s handy to keep track of how much sleep you get each night. I have actually started to notice a correlation between how productive I am/ how I feel and how much sleep I get.
- Weekly To do list. I often have a few things that need to get done during the week but not on a particular day. I keep a list of these things and make sure they get done by Sunday night. It is an amazing feeling to start the next week on a blank slate.
- Lists. I have a lot of lists. Grocery store staples, birthdays, and packing lists, etc. As a result of all of my lists, I have a multitude of important information. If I forget something, I can always go back and look.
Why you should bullet journal too
Although bullet journals can be time-consuming, they really do help you maintain control over your life. Do not let time be the thing that holds you back from bullet journaling. There are tons of amazing free printable templates out there for you to use. Templates are so convenient because they free you from the hassle of creating your own.
I use bullet journals to make progress on my habits and accomplish each day’s tasks. I have found that by creating lists I do more because I love the satisfaction of crossing things off a list.
Bullet journaling helps you accomplish more in life while being an artistic output if you want it to be. I love
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