How to: Start a Bullet Journal

On April 1st, I went online to Pinterest on my computer and I discovered a thing called bullet journals. So, what is a bullet journal? A bullet journal is a combination of a diary, sketchbook, and a notebook that you can use for ideas, inspirations, to organize your schedule, goals etc. Now, that you know what a bullet journal is, I'm going to give you some pointers on how you start your very own bullet journal.

1. Choose a quality notebook

Did you know that you don't need to have a fancy notebook to do a bullet journal? You can select any notebook of your choice. It can either be dotted, lined, grid or just a blank notebook. Next, choose which color that you want your notebook to be. Blue, black, purple, green, pink etc. Amazon has a notebook called Leuchttrum 1917 on their website. They come in different colors and are perfect for your bullet journaling. Here are the links for the notebooks in different colors.
https://www.amazon.com/Leuchtturm1917-Softcover-Pocket-Dotted-Notebook/dp/B01BSTVBWW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1525382278&sr=8-3&keywords=amazon+leuchtturm+1917
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BSTVC0I/ref=twister_B073DGW43Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0732B78H9/ref=twister_B073DGW43Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07326DGR2/ref=twister_B073DGW43Z?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Leuchtturm1917-Medium-Size-Hardcover-Notebook/dp/B002TSIMW4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1525382528&sr=8-2&keywords=amazon+leuchtturm+1917

2. Choosing the right pen

Before you begin writing in your journal, you need to have the right pen for your notebook in your choice of color. Sharpie Art & Fine Pens, Paper Mate Flair Felt-Tipped Pen, and Tombow Fudenosuke are good choices for when it comes to writing. Here are the links for pens that you purchase on Amazon.com.
https://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Point-Assorted-Colors-1982057/dp/B01KLLQRCC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525382858&sr=8-1&keywords=sharpie+art+and+fine+pens
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J09CO6?aaxitk=tmdG08OZkXEJjUGq3lkJDA&pd_rd_i=B000J09CO6&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3534726502&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=papermate+flair+felt-tipped+pen&hsa_cr_id=8814716420101
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006VO194?aaxitk=FWdXkLH8CLu.mUv.70KN4g&pd_rd_i=B0006VO194&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=3534726502&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-top-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pf_rd_i=papermate+flair+felt-tipped+pen&hsa_cr_id=8814716420101

Or you could just use a pencil if you don't want to use a pen, but make sure that it's the one. Pen may show up better on a journal, but, darker colors are easier to see and read.

3. Start creating an index for your journal

So, once you have gotten your pen or pencil and a notebook, you can begin by creating a index for your bullet journal. You can write all of the numbers on each page of the journal. This will help you to keep track of which sections fall on which page. The next step in this process is to make a future log. A future log is a way of you getting a view of all of your tasks you need to complete within the next six months. This will include a month-by-month breakdown of events, tasks, and goals that you make on your own. Tip: Count the number of lines in the journal and divide it by three. Example, if you have 24 lines, then make three sections on each page of eight lines. Also, use a ruler to draw out three straight lines across the blank spread. This will make it much easier for you to work with.

4. Write your name of the next six months within each section

If you're just starting a bullet journal for the new year, then congratulations! So, what you would do is write "January" in the first box that you see, then write the other months like February, March, April and so on. Write the numbers on the corners of each page. With your future log serving as the first section, the page numbers should be listed on the blank spread as one and two. So, what you would do is flip back to your index that you created and write something like, "Future Log ... 1-2."

5. Add in your monthly log

Flip over to the next blank spread page on your journal. This section will be considered as your monthly log. A monthly log gives you an overview of a given month. Start with the current month that you're in and write the name of the month on the top of both pages. On the left page of the journal, put down every date of the month. After you're finished with that, write down the abbreviation of the day of the week next to the number beside it. So, you would basically write down, "January 1st, Wed. On the right page, jot down your task list for the month. By using bullet points, make a list of all of the goals that you need to complete like any bills that you have to pay and deadlines that you have to meet. You would write something like, "Pay the phone bill", or "Complete draft of term paper." When you're done, write down the page numbers on the corner of each page of the journal. Turn back to your index and add your monthly log. Like, "April Monthly Log ... 3-4".

6.  Add a daily log

Turn to the next blank spread and write today's date on the top of the page. Tip: Use small bullet points to write down things that you need to do for that day, tasks you have completed, or anything else of interest that occurred on that day. Use as many lines as you can to write about your daily activities. And when the day is over with, write a new entry for the below for the next day. A bullet journal is meant to be brief not long, so use only short and simple sentences while you're writing.

7. Start organizing your monthly goals in categories

This will really help you out a lot by categorizing your monthly goals in your monthly log. Write down headings like "Weight and Fitness Goals", "Work Goals", and "Creative Goals."

8. Use signifiers that work best for you

Signifiers are the type of bullet points that you would need to use in your journal. There are no set rules about using signifiers, and it depends on the type of event that you choose to jot down. You can write your events into categories like work, school, bills, personal, creative projects, etc. Every type of event that you can think of, write it down and make sure that you have a different bullet point signifying its type. It's probably best to use as few categories as possible.

9. Add some long-term goals to your future log

The key to making a future log is that you have to continue building on it. As you read through your daily and monthly logs for the past month, see what kind of long-term tasks are included. Try to add things to your future log as necessary.

10. Jot down daily events that matter to you

You can also write out events according to your preference. You get to keep track of what occurred at work, appointments that you have to go, and so on.

11. Add some "Collections" to your journal

Collections are broad to-do lists that you want to accomplish over the course of the year. It includes anything that is not a log of any sort. You have a collections of books you want to read, movies and TV shows that you want to watch, recipes that you want to try, etc.

12. Always make notes on projects that are specifically for you

This can help you to eventually make a project log or list on the back of your bullet journal. This can also help you keep track of long-term projects like "Yearly Projects."

13. Finally, use your journal on a daily basis

It's your bullet journal and you should use it on a regular basis. That's what it's made for. Begin to cross off items as you complete them. Each time that you complete a task, you can go and flip back to your monthly log. This will help you to keep up with what you have accomplished and what you still need to accomplish for a given month.

Thank you so much for your time. If you want more ideas for your bullet journal, I recommend that you go to either Google or Pinterest and research some bullet journal ideas. You can also download some templates on Google especially for your journal. Also, check out bulletjournal.com. I came up across this website on Google when I was looking some things regarding bullet journal. Here's the link to the website: https://bulletjournal.com/