Are you a list maker? Do you keep a journal to help keep your life organized? Do you write out the pros and cons when it comes to making major decisions in your life? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you probably know about bullet journaling. And if you don’t know about bullet journaling, yet answered yes to these questions, it may be something that interests you.

Bullet journaling was created by Ryder Carroll as a means to help people get more organized, be more productive, and lead a more meaningful life. He created it for himself when traditional journals didn’t work for the way his brain functions. But what exactly is it?

• What is a bullet journal?: A bullet journal encompasses all the things you love about a planner, journal, and diary into one convenient form. But, unlike a traditional diary or journal, you work to make a bullet journal much more concise and streamlined. After all, one of the goals is to make you more productive.
  • You will create sections in your journal where you can log your daily to-do list, create a monthly calendar, write notes to yourself, establish goals (both long-term and short-term), and anything else that might enhance your life. 
• What’s in a bullet journal?: Every bullet journal has an index. Like an index in any book, this is where you’ll list the pages in your journal. Keep in mind that you don’t have to work consecutively. For example, you may have your January calendar, then your February calendar, then a list of goals for work, then a list of books you want to read, and then your March calendar. 
  • You can also set up other “logs” in your journal. For example, a “Future Log” for upcoming events and activities – that you can put in your monthly calendar closer to the date. You can have a “Monthly Log” or “Daily Log” or whatever you may need to stay organized.
  • Each entry in your journal has a bullet point, dash, star, or other graphic next to it that helps you categorize your entries. These are known as “signifiers.” There are some common ones that lots of people use when they start bullet journaling, but you can create your own symbols that work for you.
• How do I start bullet journaling?: If you’re ready to start bullet journaling or even just think you want to give it a try, take a look at this video to get started. You might be amazed by how quickly you can really get going with this.
  • Of course, you need a good bullet journal. You’ll find that most bullet journals are dotted – not lined. The thought behind this is that the dots provide structure without being as rigid as lines. You can choose to use the dots as guides – or disregard them. Here are a few bullet journals if you’re in the market for one!
    • Paperage Dotted Journal Bullet Notebook, Hard Cover
    • Navy Make It Happen Bullet Journal
    • Bullet Dotted Journal Kit
    • Dot Journaling―The Set: Includes a How-To Guide and a Blank Dot-Grid Journal
    • Celestial Dot Matrix Notebook
  • And a pen! That’s really all you need to get started! Of course, lots of people go above and beyond and let their creativity fly with their bullet journals, but your journal should be all about productivity first – and the rest will fall into place.

If you’re ready to start BuJo (bullet journaling), then grab a notebook and a pen and get started. Take the time to figure out what you’d like to use it for and work from there. You could find that your journal becomes a daily part of your life.