The “Bullet Journal” has become the new
planner, life organizer, list-maker and journal all mashed up into a
Pinterest-worthy personal book. A bullet journal is an analog system of
structure that instead of lined or blank sheets of paper, the page is composed
of rows and columns of “dots” — leaving the space open and available for
creative juices to flow.
Ryder Carroll, the inventor of the bullet
journal, claims that “you learn how to get rid of things that are distracting
you and add things you care about.” In turn, his “invention” essentially boils
down to helping you lead a more productive and meaningful life.
At first glance, this journal looks odd, what
could you do with pages full of perfectly symmetrical dots anyways? The YouTube
video “How to Bullet Journal” has over 10 million views. In the past two years,
Bullet journaling has transformed the art of planning for “planners” and
“organizers” of all types. These simple, dotted pages have revolutionized the
way we visually construct our weeks, days, thoughts, and mind.
#Bujo on Instagram is “trending” full of more
than 3 million spreads that inspire others to lay out their lives in a way that
perpetuates a balance of obligation and pleasure. At this point, it’s fair to
call the creators of these inspiring pages “artists.” The jump into using this
system of management may seem intimidating after scrolling through colorful,
detailed, thoughtful pages of unique spreads.
Ryder Carroll suggests the following four
sections in each bullet journal, in order to optimize its potential. These
sections include an index and/or table of contents, a “future log” that
includes a full year at-a-glance, a monthly log which includes a full page
spread that outlines the upcoming 30 days, and a daily/weekly that includes
day-to-day to-do lists. Of course, it is up to the author/artist to embrace the
value of creating a meaningful personal tool.
Journalers who fill trending #Bujo pages often
include things like the week’s weather, gratitude, goals, home-improvement
ideas, and self-care agendas.