With 2021, I’ve found that more people have the goal of staying organized, especially when trying to balance school, work, and life. While most of us are still stuck at home, the need to become more proactive in my schooling has become evident.
Bring forth bullet journalling. You may be asking, what’s the difference between journaling and bullet journaling? Well, journals are more for your daily thoughts, while a bullet journal is a combination of a journal and a planner, depending on the layout you choose. Bullet journals allow you to customize what you want and how you want to keep track of it, such as daily water intake, a mood tracker, or a weekly planner.
One of the most useful resources for this is Pinterest or YouTube, in which people present their layouts and you are able to see how they are different depending on what the person is looking for. Some have complex layouts that require hours of work, while others, like myself, just choose a basic plan that can be spruced up with drawings or stickers.
With all that in mind, there are a few items needed in order to start (as well as a few that are fun to add!)
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A Journal
While many people prefer a dotted journal, such as the Leuchtturm 1917 A5 Dot-Grid (my personal favourite), you can use whichever one works for you; there are no rules! Lined, gridded, dots? All of them work. I prefer a dotted grid as you are able to just draw in lines and you don’t see much else.
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Writing Utensils
Depending on what journal you are using, the only tip I have for this section is to make sure they don’t bleed through! Nothing is more heartbreaking than doing all this hard work and having it appear on the opposite page. When drawing out my templates, I’ll do light sketches in pencil and then go over in my Muji pens (which are a super thin tip and make your handwriting look super cute). If you want to add some colours, markers, highlighters, and coloured pencils are super helpful and can often be found either around the house (usually mixed with your school supplies) or from the dollar store.
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The Fun Extras!
These can be anything from stickers, stamps, washi tape, or anything else to add to your journal to make it more you. There are many small businesses that have sticker sheets specifically for planners (Beedoo & Co is one of my favourites, and they are Canadian!). I often add these on my calendar or on the corners and will draw my templates around them. Also, washi tape is perfect to create dividing lines and a splash of colour.
However you choose to journal, let it be unique to you! There are no rules, and I often find it relaxing to just put on some music and draw out my journal templates.