Why Start A Bullet Journal? Here Are 5 Reasons
If you haven’t tried bullet journaling, then we’re telling you right now: you’re missing out. There’s a reason why the bujo is still all the rage eight years after its release: because it’s an effective system with a functionality that combines the amazing aspects of a planner, diary, and to-do list. On their own, having any one of these three can already transform and organize your life, but put together and it takes your entire journaling experience to a whole new level.
Now don’t let the guidelines that make the bullet journal what it is discourage you! Despite all the jargon and need-to-do’s during setup, you can make your bujo as simple or as fancy as you’d like! Once you get the hang of things, customization options are endless. If you’ve been looking for a way to have all of these things in one place, a format to follow, and the option to modify it as you please, then bullet journaling is what you’ve been looking for.
In today’s list, we’re going to give you five reasons why you need to start a bullet journal of your own today.
1. It’s less complicated than you think.
Learning all the terms associated with bullet journaling can feel overwhelming at first, but like we mentioned in the introduction, despite the bujo terminology that we need to familiarize ourselves with, starting a bullet journal is a piece of cake. It becomes even easier once we simplify all the major terms associated with it:
- Rapid Logging - The act of listing down information bullet point-style. Basically, bullet journaling encourages you to write in concise, straight to the point sentences instead of long paragraphs.
- Bullets - This one’s pretty self-explanatory! A note that you’re not limited to the bullets specified in the official guide—you can come up with your own! There’s a whole list of other bullets on top of the main ones, but we’ve seen a lot of people develop their own.
- Index - Alternatively, your table of contents. By writing certain “topics” down and indicating page numbers, this is meant to make it easy for you to find entries without having to scour through your entire bullet journal.
- Future Log - This gives you a bird’s eye view of what the future holds outside of the month you’re in: list down all the things you plan to do and achieve here.
- Monthly Log - Acting as your reference, this log is meant to be divided into two. The first is the calendar page where you can list down any events, to-do’s or activities that are just about to happen or have passed. Second is the tasks page where you can list down the month’s priorities.
- Daily Log - The place where all your daily “rapid logs” go so you can keep track of your day to day activities.
We know that’s quite a list, so we’ll be breaking most of them down further for you—and that’s because there’s more to the little details that make the bullet journal unique! Apart from what we’re told when it comes to utilizing it, there’s a lot of other things we can do to make our own bujo experience one of a kind and tailored to our individual needs.
2. Rapid logging encourages you to be efficient.
While writing down short notes is more efficient especially if you don’t have the liberty of time, you can apply the very concept of Rapid Logging only where it’s relevant. Tasks, activities, plans and the like can be jotted down using a few words or a single line, but since bujos are more than just the combined genius of a planner and to-do list, you’re more than free to dedicate a portion of it for longer journal entries. Whether it’s an entirely different section or a part of your daily log is up to you.
3. Having an index can help you sort things out.
One way to ensure you don’t get lost in your own bullet journal is to have an index page, but here’s the thing: you don’t have to limit yourself to just your current bullet journal alone. In fact, some journalers have applied the practice of setting one up for all of their journals, especially if they’ve amassed quite a number of notebooks over the years. It’s not just a means to know where to look for certain entries or information; it can also provide a snapshot of the things that used to interest you, your achievements, and even the challenges you’ve overcome.
4. Let’s talk about the future: time to set goals!
If you want to incorporate goal setting into the journaling experience, then you’ll definitely find the Future Log useful! It’s not just a place for upcoming events—whether it’s personal or work-related—it can also house your goals so that you have a constant reminder of the big, awesome things you’re trying to achieve for yourself in the coming months. Check out our blog post here to learn more about how to include goal setting into your journal. In fact, you can also add your goals to the Monthly Log, which is up next.
5. Logs are a surefire way to never forget anything ever again.
There might be a few who think it’s overkill to have so many logs in a single journal, but for journaling enthusiasts like us, this isn’t the case at all! Having a Monthly Log ensures that you don't forget what’s important, no matter how busy you are with what you’ve listed in your Daily Log.
You’re basically on track everyday, monthly, and even the rest of the year with a Future Log. Now there’s no reason to miss out on what’s important.
Conclusion
Bullet journaling can help you manage your time and organize your schedule, all while providing the benefits of journaling. It provides a structure that has been tried and tested by countless people around the world, people who have found their lives changed just because they’ve found a system that allows them to take full control of how they spend their time. It doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned journaler or a first timer—a bujo is definitely worth your while.
Give it a try and let us know what you think!
