No, it’s not a journal where you write about or keep bullets! Put simply, a bullet journal is a better, more efficient kind of journal.
Aside from being a journal, it can be used as a to-do list, day planner, calendar and more. This lets you keep everything in a single place, making it easier to keep track of everything.
The issue many people run into with a regular journal is that there’s no structure. There’s a lot of clutter, things are scattered and lack organization, and when they are organized it often takes considerable time and effort to organize them.
One of the most important things about keeping any type of journal is that it is both fun and convenient for the owner of the journal. Nobody likes to feel like it’s a chore just to maintain their journal and often this leads to frustration and eventually abandoning keeping a journal altogether.
In the following article, we’ll go over the different parts of a bullet journal, what they do, how they improve on the idea of a basic journal, and how does a bullet journal work.
How Does A Bullet Journal Work: 6 Things You Must Know
1. Index
One of the most important and defining aspects of a bullet journal is without a doubt the index. The index is both your table of contents and the heart of your bullet journal.
In a bullet journal, all of your pages will be numbered in the bottom corner, and in the index you will be able to keep a list of everything in your bullet journal, along with the associated page numbers you’ll need to find them at a later date. This makes things very easy to keep track of, and you will no longer need to use bookmarks or flip through endless pages to find what you’re looking for.
2. Signifiers or Symbols
Signifiers are symbols that act like a legend or key for your bullet journal, each signifying something different.
Signifiers are often used to mark into a certain category. For example, you may have a symbol for jobs or tasks you need to accomplish, another for important things to remember, and one for your appointments and meetings.
The specific symbol you use isn’t especially important as many people create their own symbols to use. However, you may want to choose a symbol with an open space that you can fill in later, such as a circle or a box. That way you can color the box in after completing a task. There’s no wrong signifier to choose; it’s all about your personal needs and creativity!
3. Future Log
In many cases, the first few pages after your index will be your future log. A lot of the meaning behind it can be seen in the name, as it’s a log or plan for your future. Here is where you can put things you plan to do in the coming months, years, or for that task you keep telling yourself that you’ll eventually get around to one day.
It’s common to divide your future log pages into 3, 6 or even more sections and use those sections to mark months and the things you intend to do during those months. You can also remind yourself about these tasks in your individual entries if you need to!
4. Monthly Log
After your future log, next will be your monthly log. This is where you can note any plans, activities or general things of note in the next month. A great way to set up your monthly log is to list the days of the month from 1 to 31. It’s also a great idea to list the day of the week beside the number to help. It’s like having your own mini calendar in your bullet journal!
If you have room to devote two pages to your monthly log you can use the other page to list general tasks that don’t have a specific date, or for things that don’t fit on the other page.
5. Daily Log
The final and likely most-used of your logs will be your daily log. This is the most personal of your logs and you will use a new one every day. It will include more than just tasks or appointments. Your daily log can be for tasks and appointments as always, but it’s also a great place to put little things from your day that you don’t want to forget.
Remember that your bullet journal is meant to be kept for a long time. Even after you’ve moved on to new journals, you may want to come back to your old one to reflect on how your life has changed since then. Nothing is too small to write down!
6. Collections
The last part of your bullet journal is the one that will probably take up the most pages. Collections are for anything you want put in your journal that doesn’t go in one of the logs. These can be lists such as movies you plan to watch, shopping lists, things to remember or really anything else that you feel the need to jot down.
Final Words
The only thing to remember when making pages in your journal is that you need some sort of title at the top and page numbers at the bottom. Other than that, your pages can have anything and everything that comes to mind!
That’s all! This is all how a bullet journal work. Now you have all the info necessary to begin your very own bullet journal. Good luck!
