A few months ago I downloaded Pinterest. That was when I was introduced to Bullet Journaling. I thought it was interesting, so I read a couple of blog posts about it, and I was hooked. I got mine from Walmart about a month ago, and I have learned a lot.
What is a Bullet Journal?
In my own words, a bullet journal is a place you can, well, journal, plan your days out day by day, and show your creative side. I heard it this way on Pinterest:
A bullet journal is a planner made specifically for YOU, by YOU.
For the first few weeks, I only tracked a few things, like my moods, my dreams, and my water intake. Then I added to it. I found this video from Facebook that is really helpful in explaining.
The Layout
1. The Index
The index is basically the table of contents. You can use this page to keep track of things.
2. The Future Log
This is where you can keep track of events that will happen in the next year, such as a business meeting, a playdate, or a dentist appointment. You can highlight, use symbols, or whatever works for you.
3. The Monthly Log
This is where you can add more details about those events that you jotted down in your future log. Again, you can use symbols, sticky notes, or whatever you want. This is YOUR planner.
4. The Weekly Log
Here, you can add even MORE details. This is also where you can write tasks that need to be done that day, such as laundry, grocery shopping, sweep the house, etc. You can also use this to write down important things that have happened that day.
5. The Habit Tracker
This is where, you guessed it, you keep track of your habits. These can also be things that you want to stop, like no more than 2 hours of screen time. You can also keep track of your healthy habits, like drinking enough water, taking your vitamins, only a certain amount of sugar each day, cleaning, getting exercise, etc. There are MANY things you could track.
Things to Track
1. Mood Log
I have looked around on Pinterest, and there are hundreds of ways to track your moods- from simple boxes lined up, to Christmas tree lights hanging down the page, to leaves falling from a tree. I’ve found that tracking your moods help you see what gets you down, and not let those things upset you anymore.
2. Sleep Log
The way that I keep track of my sleep is by listing the hours, and shading in the hours I slept during the night. Unlike the mood tracker, this is the only way to track your sleep that I have found on Pinterest. This can help you come up with a regular sleep schedule.
3. Gratitude Log
Another thing to track is things that you are thankful for. Since I write three things I’m thankful for every day, I do a list down two pages of my journal. This can help you realize how blessed you are to have the opportunities and things that you have.
4. Dream Log
This may be hard, because, whenever I wake up, I usually can’t remember any of my dreams, unless I just had it. Even then, I only have a vague idea. For my dream log, at the bottom, I drew a bed with a girl sleeping in it, and above it, I write my dreams and draw a cloud around them that leads to the girl.
5. Water Log
I usually don’t drink much water, so I use this to help me remember to drink more. I have the days of the month listed down the side, and numbers 1-8 for however many cups I drink listed across the top.
In Conclusion…..
Bullet journals are an excellent way to save time, take time to yourself to show your creative side, track anything, and plan out your days, weeks, and years.
A bullet journal is a planner made specifically for YOU, by YOU.
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
The HeartWord Way 