Bullet Journaling 101: The What, Whys and Hows of Bullet Journaling
Organisation used to be a dull thing, full of boring spreadsheets, uninspiring to-do lists, and a never-ending mountain of paperwork to sort and file. In recent years, however, communities across the world have revolutionised organisation and turned it into something fun, creative, and aesthetically appealing. And at the heart of these communities is bullet journaling.
What is Bullet Journaling?
Bullet journaling (or BuJo for short) is described as ‘The analogue system for the digital age’. In a world of iCalendars and Google Docs, bullet journaling offers an alternative, paper-based system for planning and staying organised.
At its most basic level, a bullet journal is simply a notebook where you can track and organise your life. As its name suggests, a it’s full of short, sharp bullet points, and can encompass anything — from a to-do list to a weekly schedule to goals and more.
Over the years, however, it’s evolved to become so much more than an organisation system. People are now using bullet journals as a creative outlet, pouring time and energy into making them look beautiful. What started as a simple task-based organisation system has blossomed into a way for people to organise their lives however they see fit and express themselves creatively while they do it.
Indeed, that’s the beauty of the system: it can be as utilitarian or as beautiful as you like, and it can be adapted to suit your own needs. If you just want to use your journal to track your daily to-do lists, you can. If you want to use it to organise your travel plans, you can. If you want to use it as a sketchbook, you can. A bullet journal can be whatever you want it to be. It’s limitless, just like you.
Why Start a Bullet Journal?
You might think that starting your own bullet journal is unnecessary. After all, there are literally thousands of planners and diaries on the market that claim to help you organise your life.
But bullet journaling is unique because it is completely adaptable. With a traditional planner, you’re subject to the designer’s whims. With a bullet journal, you can create unique systems and layouts that work for you, and, crucially, you can adapt them over time as your needs and tastes change.
It also eliminates the need to have dozens of different notebooks. With a bullet journal, you can manage your diary, track your spending, journal, create goals, and more — all in one place. You no longer need to carry around your to-do list, your diary, and your journal. You can just grab one notebook and go.
How to Start Bullet Journaling
All you need to start is a good notebook and a pen. Here at Dingbats*, we have a wide range of notebooks that can get you started. Our notebooks are available with dotted, lined, gridded, or plain pages, so whatever your style there’s something to suit you. Our notebooks also have the added bonus of being 100% vegan and environmentally friendly. We use degradable and recyclable materials and only use FSC certified paper, which ensures that the trees harvested to make our paper are all replaced or allowed to regenerate naturally.
Of course, if you’re looking to add a touch of creative flair to your bullet journal, you can customise it with stickers, washi tape, highlighters, doodles, and more. There is also a huge community of bullet journalers online. On YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and beyond, you can find fellow planners and get inspiration for your own spreads (we personally recommend the fabulous DIY Day) — so get following, and get inspired. Here at Dingbats*, we love helping bloggers take their journals to the next level
The world really is your creative oyster when it comes to bullet journaling, and you can make yours as simple or as elaborate as you like.
Happy planning!
