BULLET JOURNAL SETUP FOR BEGINNERS 2020

I started my first bullet journal one year ago, and I am proud to say I kept it up all year! I was super intimidated by all the beautiful and creative spreads I saw online. I found my bullet journal really helpful and totally fell in love with it. The bullet journal system can be quite intimidating, but don’t worry! This guide has everything you need to get started, along with tips I've learned from my year of bullet journaling.

TERMS TO KNOW 

There are certain words that you’ll hear as you start using the bullet journal system. Here are a few important terms you should know.

•       Migration – one of the core principles of this system is the ability to move tasks forward to new pages. If you find that a task didn’t get accomplished and you still want to keep it on your to-do list, you migrate it to your current daily page to keep It relevant. 
•       Spread – A spread is often used to describe the pages in a bullet journal. Most people tend to refer to two pages side by side as a spread. you will often see monthlies and dailies being referred to as spreads because they cover across two pages.
•       Tracker – a tracker is a spread used to track certain information for some time. Trackers can span a week, a month, a year, or anything in between. There are unlimited types of trackers. 
•       Monthlies – the word monthlies are just short for monthly spreads.  
•       Weeklies – weeklies are just short for weekly spread. 
•       Dailies – it is the same as monthlies and weeklies, it is short for the daily log.

THE BASIC PAGES

So you have your journal and pen ready. Let's understand each of the basic functions of the bullet journal and go through how to set it up. It might seem a lot but don’t worry! It’s a lot easier once you have got these basic elements set up.-

1.  INDEX – the index will be the first element in your bullet journal. Adding an index helps you find what you need when you need it. All of that information may seem like a waste if it is jumbled and you are unable to locate information in a pinch.

 
2.  KEY – The first thing you want to consider is key for what you want to use in your bullet journal. Carroll suggested some symbols that you might want to use, or you can create your own! This makes it easy and clear for you since you have different symbols for assignments, appointments, tasks, etc so that you don’t mix them up.

                                 

3.  RAPID LOGGING – as the name implies, rapid logging is a quick and easy way to record anything. Many people lose interest in journals or complicated lists because they become arduous and cumbersome, rather than helpful. Using rapid logging, you make quick work of any meeting notes, journal entries,  or to-do list. This involves notations using short sentences and abbreviations, when possible.

4.  LOGS- your bullet journal should contain logs that help you identify what you need to accomplish. Ryder Carroll recommends that you use a future log, a monthly log, and a daily log. This way you can see what you need to accomplish on a small and large level. This logging system also provides you with a way to track your progress over time.

5.  FUTURE LOG – basically, this is a page where you can write down any future appointments or dates for a month you haven’t set up yet. That way you can easily reference it to see if there’s an appointment coming up or a deadline sneaking up on you. The future log appears on the next blank spread (two- side by side pages) in your notebook. It’s in this section that you write down important deadlines, events, and goals you’d like to make happen in the upcoming months. 

6.  MONTHLY LOG –  This is where you keep your month at a glance. Some people like to keep it minimal by opting fro a list format instead of a calendar and others like myself like to keep it in a more traditional calendar format. For me, a calendar is easier and quicker to use. There is no one right way to set up a  monthly in the right way that works for you To create your monthly log, go to the next available spread. On the left page write the month at the top and list the number of days in that month down the side. Next to the dates, write the first letter of the day that each falls on. Label the right page to map out a general overview of what you’d like to accomplish that month.

7.  DAILY LOG ( or dailies) – dailies are the workhorse of the bullet journal. The daily spread is a to-do list. You write down all the things you need to get done today, all appointments you need to remember, and any notes you need to keep. You can add as much other information as you want! this spread is totally customizable for your needs. On your next spread, write the days date and start listing the tasks you’d like to accomplish keeping each entry short and sweet (know as ‘rapid logging’). Carroll recommends using specific symbols, or signifiers to label each entry -  dots for tasks, dashes for notes circles for events, and stars for important to-dos.

                                 
8.  COLLECTIONS- Collections are a catchall for everything else you’d add that doesn’t fit into one of the categories mentioned. Collections can be lists, logs, trackers, maps, info dump, etc.,. Basically, if you have a specific project you want to work on, a brainstorming session you want to explore. To set up a collection, turn to the next blank page or spread. Then add a header to the page to explain what the collection is about and add the information you want to write down.

9.  TRACKER-   

1.   Habit Tracker – I’m not being dramatic when I say that the habit tracker changed my life. As someone who has always struggled with building with positive habits and shedding bad habits, this has been exactly the ticket I needed for making a big difference.

                              In a habit tracker, you write down the habits you want to focus on – good and bad and track them daily for a month. Every night, you sit down and color in a box to indicate if that habit was done that day. For example, if you’re tracking your exercise habit, you can fill in the box if you exercised today. If you didn’t exercise, the box remains empty. After weeks and months, you can watch a pattern emerge and see exactly how often that habit is present in your life. Once you see it that, it becomes very easy to make changes because you remove any guesswork.

2.    Health Trackers -  another great addition to your journal is some kind of a health tracker. You can track all kinds of health-related information, like sleep, hydration, calories, steps, symptoms, and so on the list goes on and on! If you’re wanting to focus on improving your health or maintain some kind of condition, a health tracker is a simple way to do just that.

3.   A Mood Tracker -  whether you are battling mental health problems or you simply want to encourage a brighter attitude, a mood tracker is an amazing way to see your mental patterns. You can opt for a monthly tracker or do a full year in pixels mood tracker to see the entire year at a glance!

4.   Financial Tracker – if you’re anything like me, financial planning is a snore. I can't find a way to get excited about a budget! However I do understand how important a budget is, so I make it happen in my bullet journal. That’s why I try extra hard with financial planning spread to make them engaging. One way to help me think about saving money is by thinking about how I will spend it. I track my finances in two ways first I track my daily expenditure and second I divide.

REMEMBER – Your bullet journal can contain whatever information you want. The goal is to accomplish more by relevant tasks and continuing to work towards the ones that matter.

ESSENTIAL SUPPLIES

What do you need to start? The great news is that you can start with pretty much any empty or half-empty notebook lying around. You can use a ruled notebook, or blank notebook, or a dot or square grid notebook. As for beginners ill suggest using a ruled or plain blank notebook because not everyone has a dot grid available to them. And you can use any pen as well! Use materials that bring joy to you and that makes the bullet journaling process fun and excited. If you use the supplies that you live, you’ll be drawn to using your journal every day.

         When I started my first bullet journal one year ago, I had used a ruled A5 notebook and a black gel pen.

GETTING STARTED ON YOUR BULLET JOURNAL

Follow these steps to get started:

• Gather Your Supplies. You don’t need anything fancy to get started, but having the right supplies can help you stick with it. All you really need to get started is your favorite pen and a notebook, everything else is just extra.
• Create An Index. An index is simply a place where you can keep track of all the pages you include in your bullet journal. To create a basic index, all you need to do is create two columns. In the right column, write ‘page’ on the left write ‘ page number’. Now, as you create pages, you can fill out your index
• Create a Key. A key is one of the simplest pages in your bullet journal. It is simply a place for you to keep track of all of the different symbols you use in your bullet journal and what they mean.  
• Create a Future Log. Your future log is a place for you to plan for things that are not coming up immediately. This is the perfect place to include things like birthdays, big project deadlines, and appointments made in advance.
•  Create Your First Monthly. Next, you want to create your first monthly spread. This can be as simple or as complicated as you like. There are two common formats: calendar or list. Either works well for beginners.
• Create a Weekly/Daily Log. Weekly or daily logs are the centers of any bullet journal, but what they look like can vary significantly from person to person. You can also choose to combine them intone page or use both the pages.
• Update Your Index. Your index only works if you keep it updated, so go back and make sure to include all of the pages you’ve created.
• Add Trackers. Add whichever habit you want to track
• Customize Your Bullet Journal. There are a ton of bullet journals out there. Some are fancy and some are simple. Its up t you what from yours will take, but remember to make it yours.
• Use It Daily. If you want the bullet journal system to work for you, you need to be sure to keep it updated. Make a habit of using your bullet journal. Begin recording tasks, events, or noted. You want to keep each entry short, as with a bullet list. This is the rapid logging process.
• Begin bullet journaling.

Voila! You’re officially a bullet journaler.

WHY PEOPLE LOVE THE BULLET JOURNAL?

The bullet journal is a great way to stay organized. But most importantly, bullet journals are easy. Here’s why:

•  You can put everything in one place. No more lost or half –fulfilled to-do lists.
•  Bullet journals are easily modifiable to fit your need, habits, and schedule.
•  They don’t require a huge time investment.
•  All topics are indexed and can be found when needed.

I hope this helps you to start your own bullet journal today and make your life sorted.