What better way to have tangible records of our most memorable moments with family and friends than to put them all in a journal with our own special flavor. Making a bullet journal (or bujo) is an excellent way to get started on learning the art of documenting and planning. If you want an alternative to blogging or vlogging (i.e. if you're looking for something more easy accessible) then bullet journals may be the best choice for you. Below are some things you can keep in mind for your bujo journey.
Set Your Journal Goals First
Some people journal solely for fun and excitement, making it one of their many creativity outlets and just go at it with the art style of their liking. Others journal for productivity purposes, making sure that they accomplish their daily agendas and monthly goals.
While you can be a mix of these two, some have complained about being "too artsy" with their bullet journals that it hampers their productivity. On the other side of the coin, some bujo enthusiasts also dread the plainness and lack of design of their everyday journals.
A solution for this is allotting parts of your journal for creative entries and for daily planning. Your free space for creativity should include all the pictures, stickers, or cutouts of your choice, as well as extra goodies like pressed flowers, buses or train tickets, concert wristbands, or any memorabilia that you can paste onto paper that's not too bulky.
Meanwhile, you can pre-design the daily planning part of your journal: work on the borders while keeping the space for tasks blank. When you've accomplished your daily or monthly goals, then you can fill the empty spaces with brush pen strokes, embossed stickers, or whatever you want to put there in your free time.
Art Styles & Ideas For Your Journal
If you're not satisfied with just listing things down, then it's time to define your particular approach to art when it comes to bullet journaling. Would you go for more feminine designs, pick the artsy fartsy route, or just be "anything goes" with your approach? It all depends on your preference of theme, colors, and segment arrangements.
Typography Journals
If you're one of those who loved and embraced the lettering and typography craze a couple years back – special mention if you followed Abbey Sy on Instagram, and you frequented stores like Typo, Common Room, and Hey Kessy – then you'll adore this art style.
Fill your brush pens with the colors of your choice and bust out your washi tapes because these are going to get used a lot. While this type of bullet journal could be a little time-consuming especially if you're on a tight schedule, you can always make the designs before you list your daily tasks down.
Or if you're just too busy, then you can purchase a pre-designed bullet journal so you can save time. Make sure you pick one that's closest to your personal art style or just add your own spice to it after you're done with accomplishing your daily or monthly goals.
Newspaper/Magazine Cutout Journals
While more aesthetically pleasing than functional, this type of bullet journal is more on the decorative (or even therapeutic) side. Some journaling enthusiasts do this on their spare time, cutting out pages from magazines, newspapers, old books, or even buying or printing their own journal stickers according to the kind of aesthetic they like.
However, this will only work if you have the patience for it or if putting pieces together feels like healing to you. But if you're not into taking so much time just to cut and paste, then it's alright to find another bujo style.
Habits & Mood Trackers
From social media use to daily walks, these can all be recorded and illustrated in visually appealing styles. Your everyday habits and moods can also be kept track of, especially if you're trying to trace and regulate your mood swings or if you want something to look back on through the years.
Calendar Style Scheduling
If you're particular with dates or you have a knack for analog calendars, then you can definitely squeeze that into your bullet journal. You can put cute ice cream stickers on it, like if it's World Ice Cream Day or you can draw a cake if it's your birthday. The calendar style can also help you become anticipant of future events aside from setting daily reminders.
Meal Planning
Aside from important dates and tracking your habits and moods, you can also use your bullet journal for meal planning either daily or weekly. If you're a bit lost when it comes to your menu for the week, or even just for the day, then using your bujo for meal plans would benefit you a lot; write down your ingredients and portions as well to be complete.
If All Else Fails, Just Keep It Minimalist
Nothing beats sticking to the original. Keep the "bullets" or the guide dots and just list down the things you need to list down, like your grocery list, your everyday activities, or your newest playlist. You can still add some designs if you wish, but otherwise, leave it plain and untouched.
What Would Your Bujo Look Like?
Would your bullet journal be filled with ribbons and flowers? Would it be minimalist? Or would it be full of stickers, washi tapes, and brush strokes from your watercolor pens? Whatever you choose, make sure that you enjoy the process of jotting down daily activities and keeping record of precious memories with your loved ones with your own unique sprinkle of art and creativity.