4.9: Bullet Journaling with Bri Books
Welcome to Bri Books! Today we’re doing a deep dive into world of bullet journaling: What it is, what it solves, and how to get started.
Whether you’ve never heard of bullet journaling (AKA #bujos), or you prefer an electronic method of notekeeping, that’s ok. I’m excited to answer a few questions about bullet journaling, and how I record information in my life.
We have an IGTV video on the Bri Books podcast page that you can use it as a visual component to this podcast! After we discuss what bullet journaling is, the video is there.
Define bullet journaling: It’s basically a fancy phrase for page numbered notebooks and the style of recording notes. The word ‘bullet’ comes from a method of how you mark off tasks. It’s a useful journaling concept because you can use it as a grid or guide, thanks to the demarcations for each cell, which makes it flexible if you want to create charts or straight lines.
What separates a bullet journal from a notebook you have on your shelf? I love Leuchtturm1917, but any journal can be a bullet-style journal by numbering the pages and creating an index. I’ve turned many a spare notebook into a bullet-style journal over the years. But I found that the original bullet journal from Leuchtturm1917 provides the best experience for me.
The guiding principle behind bullet journaling is making the method to work for you by “tracking the past, organizing the present, and planning for the future.” You don't want to spend so much time focusing on recording of the doing, that the doing doesn't get done.
Step One: Index. It’s the Table of Contents of your bullet journal, where you write down page numbers and their corresponding sections.
Step Two: Write a prayer, a grounding thought, a dream that’s on my mind, 3-5 simple joys in life. Write down three peaceful thoughts and joys you find. You can use those as anchors as you move through your bullet journal. The prayer lately is John 15:5. Here’s a link. I find that it’s helpful to have something grounding and centering at the top of my journal, to put myself into perspective.
Step Three: Categories. It’s never too early or too late to start creating categories. It’s a useful practice to keep different areas of life in check and balances. Categories help me see if things are overloaded or underloaded, i’m able to give myself a gut check.
Step Four: Logs and Calendar. There are tons of different types of logs--monthly logs, future logs (two or three months out), and a calendar-style log (current and next month) Logs are helpful for recording regular operations tasks you want to tick off. Gym sessions, grocery store, financial, books to read, movies you wanna read, items to purchase next, phone calls that need to be made.
Step Five: Spreads. A spread is a few pages devoted to a certain project or time period. For example, each week I create a 2-page spread, and write down what’s on my calendar along with a little checklist built on tasks pulled from the….CATEGORIES LIST! The daily and weekly spread keep me honest. It's’ where i break down large projects or tasks into daily chunks. It's’ where i cordon off parts of my day or week to different things. It's’ where i experiment and play on subway. I find daily and weekly spreads keep me helpful with everything else i set out with, and be flexible with my time by realizing the space i do have and the types of work i'm able to do throughout the week.
I’ll share the resources, and give you a sneak-peak into how I set up my bullet journal in the Bri Books Newsletter. A few of the resources I found useful: How to Bullet Journal video from official website, Lucy Moon’s 2018 Bullet Journal setup, Lucy Pebbles Bullet Journal video! The IGTV about setting up your bujo is live on @bribookspod and bribookspod.com and bribookspod.com/newsletter. Thank you!
Do you journal or have your own #bujo technique! Let me see by using #bribooks! Join the conversation on Instagram and Twitter using #BriBooks. Subscribe to newsletter at bribookspod.com/newsletter.
