Bullet Journal 101
Hi everyone! Last week I shared my favorite bullet journal supplies, and today I'm going to show you how I use my journal. One of the things that I really love about this system is the freedom to use it however best works for you. I've already changed things up a lot in the few weeks that I've had mine, and I love how adaptable it is! I'm sure that my needs will change as the year goes on, and I can keep changing my journal to keep up with those changes.
For now, this is the way that I'm using my bullet journal and I hope this gives you some inspiration to start yours!
The first section of my bullet journal is for my Calendex. This is a method that was "invented" by Eddy Hope, and it works really well for me. I like to keep mine color coded to help visually see what types of events I have coming up, and mine is currently set for three months.
To create a Calendex, just set up your page with the months going horizontally, and days going vertically. I divide mine into weeks as well. Then, I write down all of my bills and pay days with my green marker (color code for money) and mark any holidays or birthdays with orange. From there, the calendex becomes very interactive.
On my daily spreads, which I'll talk about below, I'll write down appointments or events as they come back and color code them for the category. Then, I'll come back to the calendex page and write down the page number next to the correct date. Once I'm in that week and I'm setting up my weekly spread, I'll write down the events so that I know what's coming up.
This seems like a confusing system at first, but once I started using it and getting the hang of it, I really like it. I love how I can see what's coming up without having a ton of details. This helps me plan better, because if I can see that I have a really busy week, I might want to plan out blog posts ahead of time. If I have a slower week, maybe I'll add in more things to do or use it as a catch-up time.
If you want to see a more in-depth explanation, make sure you check out Boho Berry's post!
You should already know that I'm all into goals, so it should be no surprise that I have to dedicate a section to my monthly goals. On one page, I have a list of all of these goals divided by category (you can see these on my blog here), and on the other I keep a habits tracker.
Most of my goals are broken down by week (things like no spending, keeping my savings goal, etc.) and others are divided by numbers (every 25 miles on the way to my goal of 100 miles in a month).
For my monthly habits tracker, I wrote down things that I want to do every day, like foam rolling and keeping my cleaning schedule. I also included my cleaning schedule I shared here and broke it down by room and day of the week. In April, I forgot to add this to my monthly spread, and I can tell you that I haven't been keeping up my cleaning at all lately! I can definitely tell a huge difference when I keep up this system.
My weekly spread helps me organize meal ideas, blog posts, workouts, and events. First thing that I do is look in my calendex and see what events or bills I have coming up that week. All I have to do is look up the page number that is written down, and find the colored box. Like I said, this seems confusing at first but now that I've been using this system for a while it works really well for me.
For blog posts, I like to plan out what I'm going to be posting every day. I also have a spot for social media sharing (Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest) so I can remember to share my posts online.
I also keep track of my workout for the day, as well as meal plan. I realized that I was moving around meals during the week, so I've since adapted this to just have a blank cell where I can put down meal ideas. This is working great so far!
Next up are the daily spreads. This is where I list out all of my tasks for the days, along with any events that I have going on. This is also where the calendex comes in. During the day, if an event comes up, I'll write it down, and color code it. Then, I'll write down the page number in the correct date in the calendex.
I also like to write down the weather for the day, as well as anything that I have to remember about the day. The daily spread reminds me of a diary, where I can write down what happened that day. I know that some people also use it to track nutrition, a running log, gratitude journal...the possibilities are really endless!
Finally, the last thing that I use my bullet journal for is collections. These are all of the miscellaneous things that you want to document that don't really go in a monthly, weekly or daily spread. I like to make collections of doodles, packing lists, keep track of my 30x30 list, or add anything that comes up.
In order to keep your collections organized, it's important to use the index at the beginning of the notebook. I use the Leuchtturm A5, which comes with a printed index and numbered pages. When I create a new collection, I write down the page number and title so that I can refer back to it. Instead of having to flip through all of the pages of the bujo, I can look at the index and find exactly what I'm looking for quickly.
Have I convinced anyone out there to start a bullet journal?
Do you have any other questions about the bujo?
What kind of collection would you start?
linking up with Amanda
For now, this is the way that I'm using my bullet journal and I hope this gives you some inspiration to start yours!
Calendex
To create a Calendex, just set up your page with the months going horizontally, and days going vertically. I divide mine into weeks as well. Then, I write down all of my bills and pay days with my green marker (color code for money) and mark any holidays or birthdays with orange. From there, the calendex becomes very interactive.
On my daily spreads, which I'll talk about below, I'll write down appointments or events as they come back and color code them for the category. Then, I'll come back to the calendex page and write down the page number next to the correct date. Once I'm in that week and I'm setting up my weekly spread, I'll write down the events so that I know what's coming up.
This seems like a confusing system at first, but once I started using it and getting the hang of it, I really like it. I love how I can see what's coming up without having a ton of details. This helps me plan better, because if I can see that I have a really busy week, I might want to plan out blog posts ahead of time. If I have a slower week, maybe I'll add in more things to do or use it as a catch-up time.
If you want to see a more in-depth explanation, make sure you check out Boho Berry's post!
Monthly Goals
You should already know that I'm all into goals, so it should be no surprise that I have to dedicate a section to my monthly goals. On one page, I have a list of all of these goals divided by category (you can see these on my blog here), and on the other I keep a habits tracker.
Most of my goals are broken down by week (things like no spending, keeping my savings goal, etc.) and others are divided by numbers (every 25 miles on the way to my goal of 100 miles in a month).
For my monthly habits tracker, I wrote down things that I want to do every day, like foam rolling and keeping my cleaning schedule. I also included my cleaning schedule I shared here and broke it down by room and day of the week. In April, I forgot to add this to my monthly spread, and I can tell you that I haven't been keeping up my cleaning at all lately! I can definitely tell a huge difference when I keep up this system.
Weekly Spread
My weekly spread helps me organize meal ideas, blog posts, workouts, and events. First thing that I do is look in my calendex and see what events or bills I have coming up that week. All I have to do is look up the page number that is written down, and find the colored box. Like I said, this seems confusing at first but now that I've been using this system for a while it works really well for me.
For blog posts, I like to plan out what I'm going to be posting every day. I also have a spot for social media sharing (Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest) so I can remember to share my posts online.
I also keep track of my workout for the day, as well as meal plan. I realized that I was moving around meals during the week, so I've since adapted this to just have a blank cell where I can put down meal ideas. This is working great so far!
Daily Spread
Next up are the daily spreads. This is where I list out all of my tasks for the days, along with any events that I have going on. This is also where the calendex comes in. During the day, if an event comes up, I'll write it down, and color code it. Then, I'll write down the page number in the correct date in the calendex.
I also like to write down the weather for the day, as well as anything that I have to remember about the day. The daily spread reminds me of a diary, where I can write down what happened that day. I know that some people also use it to track nutrition, a running log, gratitude journal...the possibilities are really endless!
Collections
Finally, the last thing that I use my bullet journal for is collections. These are all of the miscellaneous things that you want to document that don't really go in a monthly, weekly or daily spread. I like to make collections of doodles, packing lists, keep track of my 30x30 list, or add anything that comes up.
In order to keep your collections organized, it's important to use the index at the beginning of the notebook. I use the Leuchtturm A5, which comes with a printed index and numbered pages. When I create a new collection, I write down the page number and title so that I can refer back to it. Instead of having to flip through all of the pages of the bujo, I can look at the index and find exactly what I'm looking for quickly.
Have I convinced anyone out there to start a bullet journal?
Do you have any other questions about the bujo?
What kind of collection would you start?
linking up with Amanda
i love your approach to this--i've not seen this technique before. and random, but i love your handwriting!
ReplyDeleteThis was absolutely fascinating! It blows my mind that you journal all of this every week/month - I don't think I could ever be as organized as you haha. But I'm loving these ideas, and I think I'll try to incorporate them into my own journal!
ReplyDeleteYou've convinced me!!! I absolutely love writing with oen and paper. I love all the different ways you organize (by goal, month, day, event, etc.). I'm inspired to start my own, but I know mine won't be as pretty as yours!
ReplyDeleteSuch a pretty bullet journal! I started bullet journaling this year and am so obsessed!! It's such a life saver and I feel so fancy and organized with it plus I find it a lot of fun. So neat to see how different other peoples are set up!
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool! So organized too! I use a planner everyday and try and write down things like workouts for the week, meals, to-do's, etc. I just love the physical act of writing something down, I think it helps me remember it better.
ReplyDeleteYou've got great penmanship. I wish my writing was as nice as yours! Mine looks like chicken scratch.
ReplyDeleteSOOOOOO ORGANIZED! Dang girl!
ReplyDeleteI love your BuJo. Now that I've started one it's so fascinating to see how other people use it. I started mine before I did much research, so now that I've learned more about it I'm not sure what I have is actually a bullet journal. There are no daily spreads or monthly trackers...it's basically all "collections". It has elements of the Bujo structure but I think what I've created is more of a "bujo inspired" journal than an actual Bujo. Oh well, I'm lovin it! I'm excited to share more about mine soon.
I considered a bullet journal earlier this year (I'd found BohoBerry's IG, too!) but realized...as much as I love the idea and want to be creative/organized, it would be one more things I start with great intentions but don't follow through on. Maybe some day when I don't work/live in the same rooms and have dedicated Work and Personal time! :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE how you do your weekly spread - definitely borrowing that! I'm so addicted to looking at others' bullet journals!
ReplyDeleteOMG this journal is awesome. I've never even heard of a bullet journal until now but that looks incredible, thanks for sharing Gretch.
ReplyDeleteOhhh I loved this post! So inspiring! I love all things organization, even if I don't always practice it myself, haha. I invested in an Erin Condren planner at the beginning of the year and kind of regretting it...I'm not using it as much as I thought I would and it's so clunky and heavy to tote around with me everyday. I love how BuJo grows/adapts as time goes on (does that make sense?), whereas a traditional daytimer is very concrete and you can't add pages to it.
ReplyDeleteWhat do the lines mean on your cleaning schedule in your daily tracker? Also, because I'm super nosey - what do you keep track of on the "books" page?
Based on this my planner is already a sort of bullet journal. Although my penmanship is nowhere as beautiful as yours!
ReplyDeleteI love this so much-- you made everything make so much more sense in how you broke down the pages and descriptions. I've always been weirdly confused about the order (even though it doesn't matter), but having the pages already numbered and an index makes it so much easier!
ReplyDeleteI love this! I really want to start something like it!
ReplyDeleteYour journal seriously makes my type-A side so happy. It's perfect!
ReplyDeleteI love that you draw little doodles too because that's exactly what I do :P