I’ve always been kind of an organization freak. I like things written down, color coded and pristine. I like to know when things are due, what I have to do and what I want to do all in one perfect list. And, I like to dictate how it all looks. I’ve tried numerous types of planners and organization techniques but nothing quite worked for me. Then, I found the bullet journal.
Never heard of them? This video from the creator of the bullet journal really shows their purpose. But the jist of it is that they’re a customizeable journal that can help to organize anything. To-do lists, workouts, papers or schedules. You can make them look just like your fancy and expensive planners with colors and fun fonts but all for a lot less. I include fun pen colors, fonts, text boxes and even different shapes for my writing. All of these are indexed in the front of my planner so I never lose track of what each page has on it.
So, I bet you’re wondering how this simple journal could change my life. It changed by life by allowing me a creative outlet all while being organized. I can make my to-do lists fun and all in a place where I won’t accidentally lose them. I can organized things like my workout and diet plans with a few strokes of my pen. And, I can organize my weekly, monthly and even daily schedules easily. They may be a little extra work but I can assure you that this organization will change your life in a great way. Overall it gave me a way to combine a written journal and my own form of “art” all while channeling my Type-A, Capricorn organization skills. Here are a few examples from my bullet journal:
#ProjectHotbyGraduation pages used to track workouts for Marissa leading up to graduation in May.
To-do list pages used for daily activities and prioritizing time.
Brain Dump pages used to organize thoughts and things that cannot necessarily be organized in a list.
In the end, the bullet journal is a fun, creative and very organzied way to take on life–a way I thoroughly enjoy. If you’re thinking about starting one, my advice to you is to not quit and to keep going until your journal is full. It will be something for you to look back on and learn from. Now grab your journal, pens and ideas and get to bullet journaling. And if you’re needing any creative ideas make sure to check out Pinterest! There’s tons of great ideas for bullet journals there.
All photos from Marissa’s bullet journal.