Bullet Journal

The Bullet Journal (BuJo for short) is an analog system for the digital age it was created by Ryder Carroll, a digital product designer living in Brooklyn, NY. Most people who love the Bullet Journal system use it as a combination planner and journal. It’s the perfect way to keep track of your life and your goals in one place.

You can also read more details in the following traditional post.

 

Other Uses for the Bullet Journal

I’ve found the Bullet Journal to be indispensable in planning my content. I have 2 websites with different posting schedules—plus an email list. On top of that, I have my writing schedule. Finding the time to do these things isn’t half as difficult as finding the ideas to keep the content flowing. For me, this is where the Bullet Journal comes in.  I’ll show you exactly what I mean in just a minute. First, I want to talk about…

Which Journal to Use

The bullet journal system is used on a dotted (bulleted) journal. You can use any dotted journal that works with your style and needs. When I first decided to try the Bullet Journal System, I bought one of the least expensive journals I could find. It was from Minimalism Art, and it was sold on Amazon for a very reasonable price. It was good enough to figure out that I love the system.

The Leuchtrurm 1917

Then I got a hold of a Leuchtturm Bullet Journal.  I can tell you that quality really does make a difference. Let me point out some things the Leuchtturm Bullet Journal has going for it. The Leuchtrurm 1917 has 240 numbered pages. Most off-brand journals have fewer pages, so it’s important to pay attention to page count when you’re making your journal purchase. This Leuchtturm journal is 145×210 mm. The comparable journal is a bit smaller, meaning there’s less room to get creative. Speaking of getting creative, let’s look at how to use the Bullet Journal System to plan out your content.

How to use the Bullet Journal for planning your content

The Bullet Journal system has 4 core modules that you’ll use.  Once you put them all together, you’ll wonder why you haven’t done it for years.

Future Log

The future log is a big-picture overview of your monthly goals and projects. Some people also like to put birthdays here, along with other big life events to plan for. Because I have 2 websites to plan for, I’ve given each month a page and divided it into 2 (half for each site). This is where I put the focus of my blogs for the month. For example, I know that April will be the month of the A to Z Blogging challenge, so I write that down there.

I’ve also included some big projects/goals.  In January, I did a digital detox. So, I got a lot of writing done, including completing my next book, Facing Cancer as a Parent. I wrote a lot of future posts, as well.

The Monthly Log

The Monthly Log is where you organize your month. You’ll take the things from the future log that corresponds to that month, as well as other goals and events that come up, and organize it all right here. Notice the date, as well as the day.  I also have a sort of personal code to keep track of which website I’ll post to that day.

I had been putting some big daily goals here, but soon decided that the better place to deal with daily goals is in the Daily Log. So let’s turn there…

Daily Log

The Daily log can be a place to write down what you plan to do. I like to do this the night before. It’s a great way to get everything laid out, so you don’t lie awake thinking about it. This is something you do as you go. The flexibility of the Bullet Journal system means your planner can reflect your needs, as busy or as relaxed as your day is.

Notes

Some people need space to take a lot of notes. Examples for me are the pages I’ve dedicated to Guest Post Ideas and Videos. I’ve done a little guest posting in the past, and I’m completely new to creating videos for my websites. So, I’ve written some ideas here. Another example of notes (and probably a better one since they are true notes rather than tasks) is a note I began on e-book formatting.

What about these symbols in the planner? Let’s look at them.

Key

The key is on the inside of the journal cover. This is another way the Leuchtturm Journal stands out. In my Minimalism Art journal, I had to create my own key. These symbols let you know where each item in your journal stands.

. Task

X Completed

  Migrated (to next Monthly Log),

At the beginning of the 2^nd  month, look back at the previous month for any undone tasks. Either strike-through irrelevant tasks with a line or migrate them.

<  Scheduled (to Future Log)

These are the things you want to get done but haven’t yet scheduled. You are saying, “This can wait until October.” Then you schedule it in the future log that’s designated for October.

–Note

O Event or Appointment

*Priority (That’s a tiny asterisk)

Index

The first few pages in your Bullet Journal will be dedicated to the index. Each page will be numbered. In my red Minimalism Art journal, I needed to number them myself. The Leuchtturm journal came pre-numbered and also has a beautiful set of lined index pages.

One last note on Style

You can use a pen or pencil, one color, or as many as you can find. Your style is your style. There are stencils available to use if you’re the kind of person who wants his or her artistic flair to shine. I’ve decided in my next Bullet Journal I’m going to use 1 or 2 colors. What you choose to do is up to you. That’s the beauty of the bullet journal.

Where to find out more

BulletJournal.com

What are YOUR thoughts?

I’d love to hear in the comment section, below. I appreciate my readers as well as the writing community. To show that appreciation, I use Comment Luv. Just leave a comment below and your latest post will get a link next to it. Thank you!

About Heather Erickson

I am an author, writer, and speaker, with 3 beautiful daughters. My husband lived with stage IV lung cancer from his diagnosis in 2012 until his death in April 2019. Because of this experience, I’ve focused my writing and speaking on helping cancer patients, caregivers, and their families advocate for themselves and live life to the fullest despite their illness.

My goal is to help people face cancer with grace.

My books, The Memory Maker’s Journal, Facing Cancer as a Parent: Helping Your Children Cope with Your Cancer, and Facing Cancer as a Friend: How to Support Someone Who Has Cancer, are available at Amazon.com.

I also blog about living with cancer at, Facing Cancer with Grace.