Turn notebook into custom planner.
Journaling style combines planner, diary and art to help people track their personal goals
We live in a digital age, yet good old pen and paper still have a devout following.
Just peruse the planner section at a craft store (yes, there are entire sections) for proof — you’ll find colorful pens, foil-embossed stickers, fancy paper clips and dozens of options for paper systems to organize your life. Paper planner devotees will spend $60 or more on luxe, customized books with all the bells and whistles (pockets, tabs and meal planning inserts galore).
But there’s a rising trend that skips the expensive planners and accessories and instead embraces the simplicity and flexibility of a plain notebook as a daily companion.
Part planner, part diary and part art, it’s called bullet journaling, and it’s taking social media by storm — just search #bulletjournal, or #bujo for short.
What is bullet journaling?
It all started with Brooklynbased digital product designer Ryder Carroll, who came up with a simple system for “rapid logging” tasks, events and notes each day using bullets, and organizing them within a framework of pages featuring various layouts (monthly, weekly, daily, etc.) and topics (particular projects, lists, plans, etc.). An index at the front keeps track of where each list or layout can be found.
Billed as “the analog system for the digital age,” the original concept is simple and minimalistic, described on Carroll’s website, bulletjournal.com, as “an evolving, adaptable practice meant to be self-curated as you determine what works best for you.”
Megan Rapacz started bullet journaling without even realizing it had an official system behind it. A Marquette University senior with a full load of classes, two jobs and a volunteer gig, Rapacz was looking for the perfect planner to keep track of her busy schedule, but none seemed to fit the bill.
“It started out of necessity. I went to multiple stores to look for a planner,” she said. “I couldn’t find one that met my needs, so I just bought a blank journal. I thought it was just going to be a planner.”
Later, she stumbled on the term “bullet journal” on Pinterest, and from there it became much more than just a way to monitor her schedule.
She keeps lists — lots of them — like books to read, dog names she likes and things she’s grateful for.
“I spend a couple minutes every day updating all of my lists,” Rapacz said.
She tracks things like workouts and water intake in charts with checkboxes.
“The process of taking the time and making the charts inspires me,” Rapacz said. It also feels good to check something off once it’s accomplished.
Monthly, weekly, daily and evenly hourly pages help her stay on top of her schedule.
“I’m a lot more focused now because I know what needs to get done,” she said. “It’s a snapshot of my thoughts, kind of like a brief summary. If I have a sudden idea I can record it and come back to it.”
Creative outlet
On social media, photos and videos of bullet journal pages show gorgeous hand lettering, intricate drawings and creative layouts. Rapacz said hers is more functional than fancy, but she will doodle in her bullet journal for stress relief.
Amy Skibinski of Muskego said she likes the art aspect of bullet journaling but is still finding her “planner peace” when it comes to how much or little to decorate hers.
“When I first started doing it, I got really carried away,” she said. “It would take me probably a good eight hours to do a month layout and my first week (of the month).”
So she scaled back to a more minimal approach but didn’t like the lack of color and “flavor.” Now she said she’s come up with something in between.
In addition to her calendar and to-do lists, Skibinski has pages to track various hobbies: a Packers schedule with columns for wins and losses, reading checklists with boxes to check for each chapter read, series trackers to record what TV shows she’s watching.
She also maintains a habit tracker to record everything from medication refills and house cleaning tasks to hair coloring and reading.
“It stops me from having Post-It notes everywhere,” she said. “I basically have my planner sitting out on my coffee table open every day, all day long.”
Health benefits
On his blog, Carroll touts bullet journaling as a tool for decluttering your mind by externalizing little thoughts that otherwise take up precious mental real estate.
Skibinski’s bullet journaling helps her achieve a more physical health benefit. Inspired by the charts she drew in her bullet journal to track habits, she also created a blood sugar tracker to help her control her diabetes.
“My doctor probably thinks I’m nuts,” she said. “It sucks poking my fingers all the time, but at least you have something pretty to look at. You write it down and you’re accountable for it.”
Rapacz’s bullet journal is as much a wellness tool as an organizational device. She charts her mental health, including how much sleep she gets and how stressful the day was. Then she looks back and reviews why she was stressed and how she could handle it better next time.
“If there are things I’m worrying about, I’ll do a brain dump and write out all the things on my mind,” she said.
Skibinski once met a woman who said bullet journaling helps her cope with her serious mental health issues.
“It’s in line with the whole adult coloring book trend,” Rapacz said. “You’re taking a couple minutes out of the day to be mindful of how you’re feeling.”
Paper over phone
When calendar apps and phone reminders are so convenient, why are people choosing to keep track of their lives on paper?
Skibinski said one reason she prefers paper over digital because she just thinks it’s more effective.
“Something about writing things down makes it stick in your brain so much more,” she said.
Rapacz said she’s glad to have one less reason to look at her smartphone throughout the day.
“Anytime I can eliminate a potential distraction is nice,” she said.
Social component
If you think browsing photos of people’s to-do lists on social media sounds boring, prove yourself wrong by searching “bullet journal“on Pinterest or #bujo on Instagram. You’re in for a dose of planner porn, which is perhaps the biggest reason bullet journaling has taken off, ironic as that may be.
“It’s a non-digital form of planning and here you’ve got all these people sharing it digitally,” Skibinski said.
For Skibinski, bullet journaling has also provided a community on social media. She started an Instagram account to share her bullet journal layouts (@livinthebujolife) and has connected with other bullet journal enthusiasts to share ideas and motivation. Groups of users will organize monthly challenges to practice lettering techniques or improve their drawing skills.
Social media inspiration can be helpful for a practice that may seem a bit confusing at first. Even if your layouts don’t look quite as pretty as the ones on Pinterest, the aspirational component can help you stick with it.
“It’s not just a planner,” said Skibinski. “It’s having fun and getting back to the old days where you had pen and paper.”