A BEGINNING

I began my journey with bullet journaling in 2018, and honestly hadn’t done much research other than to try to copy the original method as shown here.

Bullet journaling is a way to organize all those lists in your head, or to do away with a traditional planner. Basically, it’s a way to create your own unique planner, one that you can start literary any time of the month, on any day.

The trick is to find a method–there are many, believe me–that works best for you. I believe that with this bullet journal, I’ve finally found the best method that will work for me for months, and possibly years, to come.

New Year, new Bujo

In the bullet journaling community, the words bullet journal are abbreviated to just bujo. The method was created by Ryder Carroll in 2015. He created this method because he felt like he was dealing with too much clutter in his life just trying to keep track of, well, everything.

This year, I did some fun research on all the things that I felt like I needed to create a new bullet journal. I already had one, but felt like it was too cluttered: too many pages, too many sections to try and keep up with. I also didn’t feel motivated to use my bullet journal over time. There became gaps over several days, over the course of several months.

My second bullet journal was a good trial and error, one that led me to my current method: one where I use rapid logging and keep a journal at the same time. It’s made more fun for me because I’ve found the four habits I want to consistently keep track of: my sleep, taking my meds, and my reading and my writing habits. I also use realistic Level 10 Life goals, gratitude pages, book logs, blog logs, brain dumps, and cleaning lists to help keep me all organized.

Whew. I know that looks like a lot, but really, it’s all broken down into bite-sized info. for me. I’ve culled down all the clutter that I once felt like I had to keep track of, and have gone with more of a minimalist approach overall, since I’m not a very artistic person. My little drawing symbols that I use to track my four habits are enough for me. I’m no longer concerned with my bujo to need to look amazing or Instagram ready.

Minimalism for the win

Truthfully, the minimalist approach to bullet journaling has really helped me feel confident that I’ll actually want to keep using my bullet journal, even six months from now.

I follow more artsy bullet journaler’s–as well as more minimalist ones–on Instagram. I know the limitations of my lack of artistic abilities, and don’t feel bad about it anymore. I feel proud of my bullet journal, because it’s finally something fun and manageable. It finally feels like it’s for me for once, instead of me just copying down others ideas for different pages.

I love the aesthetic of a minimalist bullet journal, and cannot stress enough how much I adore using a rolling daily log. A huge thank you to Megan Portorreal for creating the daily rolling log, one that incorporates a rapid log list of things you need to do during the day, as well as a journal format that acts like a scrolling social media page. I’ve been using it from the get-go with my new bullet journal and am already in love with it.

Final thoughts

I’m so excited and happy that I found a bullet journal method that works for me. If you feel stuck with your own bullet journal, try the minimalist approach that Megan Portorreal uses. It’s a wonderful, simple, clean approach to bullet journaling. I also highly suggest trying a rolling daily log. It’s a wonderful way to rapid log and journal about your day. What’s more, bullet journaling like this keeps me from mindlessly scrolling through my phone.

I’m encouraged to really stick with this format of bullet journaling. It doesn’t feel time consuming to me. In fact, it’s something I enjoy doing every day.

Thanks for reading,
Meghan B.