DIY (sort of): Bullet Journal

Recently I have been hearing a lot about these things called 'bullet journals', where you write down a daily to-do list, and, honestly, I was not convinced it was something that would work for me. It seemed like such an annoying thing to set up, and I just couldn't see how it would be helpful. However I decided to look into them more since they seem to be so popular at the moment and thought I might as well try it out. I mean, the worst that could happen is I lose some time creating it, right?

And oh boy was I wrong! Since creating my bullet journal I have been using it every day, and it is really helping to keep me organised.

Below, I am going to talk you through my bullet journal to show you how it works and what I've done with it.

The main premise surrounding the bullet journal is that it is a collection for everything - a diary, to-do list, paper for those random things you need to write down, things you want to remember, sketching, shopping lists, etc.

Originally, you are supposed to draw up a monthly calendar in your bullet journal, however, I got this super cute diary from Kikki.k back in December, which there was no way in hell I wanted to give up usage of. So, I left that section out of my bullet journal.

For the bullet journal itself I'm using a basic notebook which has some tabs down the side. I would have used a nicer, notebook, but I didn't know if this system would work for me, and didn't want to use only two pages of an expensive journal.

I did consider categorising things through the tab system, but decided against it because it would end up far more complicated than it needs to be, and I would probably just end up ignoring the book altogether.

The front pages are for your contact details and the index. You number the pages as you go through the bullet journal and add everything to your index list as you go. I left a couple extra blank pages for my index after this because I thought I would fill it up pretty quickly.

Below are my first entries in my bullet journal. At the top of each page for each new month write which month and year it is. Then below, you simply begin your daily lists.

Just underneath this paragraph is a close-up photo of my key system, in case you need ideas, or want to know what the symbols I've used mean. (And yes, the 'E' symbol in the above photo has now been replaced with the '?')

Anything that I would normally have written on a random scrap of paper or on my phone I now write in my bullet journal.

For instance, the other day I was listing different revision techniques based on types of learner. Ordinarily I would have written this on some random piece of paper, which I probably would have lost the next day, but having it in my bullet journal means that it is easily accessible for me.

In the back of the notebook I stuck in a fold out paper of my key system. It's a bit hard to read because of the side tabs, but it still works okay for me.

The bullet journal is a pretty simple system to use and, so far, it seems to be working well for me. I would encourage you all to try it out yourself, even if it ends up not working, or not motivating you. I was dubious at first, but now I am really glad I gave it a go.

Wow, this post was much longer than I had intended it to be - so kudos if you read the whole thing! You can find more information on bullet journals here.