skills
typography | grids | color
tools
pens | markers | recycled materials
OVERVIEW
Bullet journaling is a relatively new system created by designer Ryder Carroll with the purpose of creating more efficient lists, notes, and overall agenda. The analog system features tasks, collections, indexes that redefine what it means to keep organized. Learn more here. Recently, bullet journaling has been taken up by many students and adults alike, each person creating their own theme and styles to fit their lifestyle. A simple google search will give you hundreds of different spreads, some minimalist, some colorful, but all personalized and useful to the user.
Welcome to my bullet journal.
Beginnings
I have always been a planner and first began bullet journaling in high school. I was seeking both a creative outlet and a more personalized planner. I found that pre-made agendas never had everything I needed or wanted to keep organized.
Since my first bullet journal, I have played around with color, grids, and typography before even taking my first design class. I found that even the traditional bullet journal structure and format didn’t work entirely for me. So I changed it to include the features I was seeking. Although not perfect, my bullet journal works for me. It is easy to keep up with, and keeps my day to day life organized.
There is something so valuable and satisfying in physically writing down tasks and crossing them off when completed. Despite also using other online tools such as Google Calendar or Google Keep, I always come back to my bullet journal.
Structure
I begin with a single page dedicated to the current month, along with a photo and title. The monthly photo is arbitrary, just something that I find joyful and beautiful.
Weekly spreads are color-themed with cohesive pictures and dates, goals, deadlines, and weekend plans. These features I find most helpful in organizing my tasks. Each week has a different format, which is loosely determined by how much space the pictures take up.
I opt for a gridded background to ensure straight lines and alignments. I pre-make these spreads so that I can plan my next few weeks in advance. Of course, spontaneous and unexpected plans may be made or change, so cross-outs are expected.
Memories
In my bullet journal, I collect my memories and experiences. I keep mementos such as receipts, stickers, and cards. On the right, you’ll see spreads that serve as reminders of my learning and growth when I spent a month studying abroad in Florence, Italy this summer.
Often, these mementos cover the weekly tasks I have completed for that week, which is fitting because what ends up mattering are the things we experience, not necessarily every single task we have to complete.
The Future
In the future, I hope to continue using and customizing my bullet journal. As I reach different milestones in my life, and inevitably change, I am also excited to see how my bullet journal changes as well. And perhaps when I am older and wiser, I will be able to look back at the events of my life through this curated time capsule and be reminded of how far I have come.