This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Queen's U chapter.
The start of a new year brings with it ambitious resolutions like trying to fit into your old skinny jeans that have been buried in the back of your closet, but if you’ve already admitted defeat (let’s be honest here…) and downgraded your goals to just getting by this semester, bullet journaling is your new best friend.ÂÂYou’re probably wondering, what is bullet journaling though?ÂÂWell we don’t want to give any spoilers away, but it’s basically a fancy word for a specific way of formatting a DIY planner. In fact, it’s so popular that it has its own website showing its origins and a detailed guide on how to make/use one, but we’re here to give you our own take on how to get started (because ain’t nobody got time for all that reading)
ÂStep 1: Find a notebookThis can be any notebook really, but we prefer one that’s on the smaller end with blank pages!ÂÂStep 2: Make a keyBefore you can start writing in all those hot dates that you have planned (or all your midterm dates so you know how long you can procrastinate for), you have to know what to label each item as. The official website has a detailed guide for a key, but we like to get more creative. Try using a square for tasks (that you can shade in when they’re done), and  a bullet point for small reminders!ÂÂ
Step 3: The Weekly ViewNow that you have a key, you’re ready to start writing the crap load of work that you have to do. We suggest making a weekly spread and using the key to fill in everything that needs to be done that week.ÂÂÂ
Step 4: The Fun StuffBullet journaling is super great at making sure that your life is in order, but another reason why we love it so much is because of all the freedom that it gives you that a normal planner doesn’t have space for!ÂÂTry getting fancy with a yearly calendar:ÂÂ
ÂOr making a page for your bucket list:ÂÂ
Or trying any of these other page ideas!– Movies you want to watch– Places you want to go– Random doodles– Recipes you want to try– Present ideasÂÂThe possibilities are endless – if you wanted to make a page dedicated to cats, no one is going to stop you! Of course, you don’t need to make yours fancy with lots of colours and doodles, we just like to because it’s good for stress relief and maybe if that history paper deadline is written in hot pink, we’ll be motivated to do it sooner! Well, probably not, but we can hope.
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