Do You Bullet Journal?

Have you been caught up in the Bullet Journal craze?  In a nutshell, bullet journalling is all about tracking your habits, making lists, planning for the future, and writing down anything that is important to you.  It is a combination of keeping a journal or diary, plus a calendar of your activities.  It combines creativity, mindfulness and organization.  You can read all about it here, or just go to YouTube and type in "bullet journal" and be prepared to be overwhelmed with ideas.

You can set up your bullet journal in any sort of a notebook, but one of the most popular is the Leuchtturm journal, available online and at some stationary stores.  The pages of the model I chose have little dots in a grid pattern, which makes drawing lines and boxes easier.

You can keep it simple and basic, or add little stickers, drawings or other decorations to make your pages fun.  It is totally up to you.  Click on any of my photos to enlarge and see more detail.  The photo above is my monthly overview for July.  My month starts out pretty bare bones, but it will get filled in and messy by the end of the month.  I do enjoy decorating a little, just for fun.  I have a couple of sticker books I got at Michaels and have a good time using them if it seems appropriate.  Some folks go completely nuts with the stickers etc, but I am fairly restrained.  If you have any artistic talent, you can add little doodles that will give your journal so much personality.

I do weekly spreads as well, to have more room for daily lists and appointments.  I fill this in as I go.  If you enlarge the picture, you can see I have a couple of appointments set up, and a lot of room to jot down my daily "to do's".

This part of the monthly spread is my favorite.  I can set down my goals for the month, keep track of new recipes I try, books that I am reading, tv shows we are watching etc.  I find I actually do go back and look at what I have done or noted down.  

One of the best parts about bullet journaling are the lists you can create.  You can jot down your "I Want To Make This" ideas for new quilts, track books you have read, gifts you have given or received, work outs at the gym, a weight loss journey or savings plan--anything and everything goes.  Some people track their moods, or habits such as taking their daily vitamins or how many glasses of water they drink.

I love tracking the books I have read in a given year.  I am a voracious reader, and would forget half of what I have read if I didn't write it down.  This is going to be a big reading year for me, just saying.  I didn't quite make it to 100 books last year, but I think this year I am going to hit it.  By the way, if you are interested in following along with what I read, consider following me on Goodreads.  My books are listed, plus a review of one to five stars for those I have completed.  FYI, I am a tough reviewer.  Most books get a three star rating (meaning it was entertaining and ok for me), books I really enjoyed get four, books that blew me away get five.  I rarely give one or two stars unless the book is dreadful.

So that is how I bullet journal.  Do any of you enjoy this process too?  If so, what sorts of things do you note in your journal?

Comments

[Pati]

I've bought a journal and started to Bullet Journal and then summer happened. I'm babysitting my 7 year old Grandson full time this summer as well as trying to finish my studio and finish the inside of my house (new house, new studio, too much work). I need to go find that journal and start back again.

[Mary Kastner]

I calendar everything and it is usually a big fat confusing mess. I think I need to expand my horizons on this method. It works and keeps my on track but it certainly doesn't sound as organized as your journal. Thanks for all the details.Nicole.

Mary

[Barbara Anne]

Interesting! I used to use a Daytimer, but mine was small and not so useful. This sounds helpful! Thank you!

Hugs!

[Jan]

Your journal looks very efficient & helpful when recall is needed! I use a Daytimer to keep track of appointments, birthdays & anniversaries, social plans & things that need to be referred back to at some point. I also keep a monthly calendar up to date for my husband's use & notations. Nothing fancy; just reminders for quick reference. I generally read using my Kindle which keeps a list for me!

[Annie O]

I was so excited when I learned about Bullet Journaling. I’d admired planners before but felt a lot of the features I would never use. I’m still spotty about using the Bullet Journal, but don’t feel I’ve wasted any money on a yearly planner where pages empty make me feel guilty! Having a better grip on what’s coming up in the week, month and year is helpful. I’m sure I’ll continue to add pages and work on actually completing tasks I’ve set!

[Rebecca Ball]

My daughter is a big fan of bullet journaling. I feel good if I enter most of my stuff in my computer calendar.

I do often look up the books you review and read them if they are available as an eBook from the library. We must have similar tastes as I often enjoy the same books you have enjoyed. Thanks for posting your reviews. I may have to start a Books Read list like you have. Amazon only keeps the ones I read as an eBook, not the few I check out from the library. Thanks for blogging. I do read you everyday although I don't often comment. I'm watching you blue stars with interest.

[Hildy]

I love your journal and it's on my list for next year. I love the books by Leuchtturm it's a German brand and widely available here.

[Thelma]

I have a calendar for appointments, a journal for books I've read and want to read, a to do list for life, and a to do list for my sewing room. I just bought a Panda Planner and hope to combine all these things in to one. It is also a gratitude journal and will supposedly make me more productive, look out world ! hahaha. Thanks for the link to your Goodreads page, I"m in total agreement with your rating system. I'm finishing The Seamstress today and need a new read, perfect timing.

[Ranch Wife]

Are you a fan of The Modern Mrs. Darcy? I love her weekly podcast and I get her daily emails about Kindle deals, but I am not a member of her book club. Still, my list of books to read has gotten exponentially longer since I've started following her. She is a fan of bullet journaling which is where I first heard of it.