Opinion: Get Your Mojo with Bullet Journaling

Alex Luther

Maybe you’ve heard of it, and maybe you haven’t. Either way, bullet journaling is sweeping the nation, calling together everyone from the planner obsessed to those wanting to add just a little more organization to their lives.

“BuJo” is the internet term for bullet journaling, a trend with a wide range of ideas and spreads, including mood trackers, weekly plans, bucket lists, braindumps, to do lists and anything else you can imagine. Centered around creativity and personal development, bullet journaling focuses on the unique aspects of each person’s bullet journal and the way their bullet journal benefits themselves.

Bullet journalists all swear by their own brand of notebook, but popular brands include Scribbles That Matter and Leuchttrum 1917. Both brands have their positives and negatives, but an important factor is finding the paper style- dotted, lined, grid, blank, or any other- and design aspects that appeal to you. True to the term bullet journaling, dotted or bulleted, sheets are the most commonly used notebooks. The bullet point dots allow for line drawing, calligraphy, sketches and many other techniques without the structure of lined or grid pages and with the needed structure beyond blank pages. The goal of the bullet journal will determine the necessary style and design.

Bullet journals are solely what the artist and author make of them. Some use bullet journals in place of or as a supplement to a planner with daily, weekly and monthly spreads. Others use it as an outlet for art and fill the pages with sketches and paintings. It may a place to practice calligraphy or even a place to drop all of your thoughts for later. Braindumps are another common trend found in bullet journaling. The technique is simply the transfer of all of your thoughts onto paper. This may be in the form of journaling, diary entries, mind maps, brainstorming or a place to store ideas. Collections are also fantastically unique to bullet journals. Creative spreads with common topics ranging from to do lists, books and movies to watch, health and fitness improvements and life goals or bucket lists are just a few.

A crucial piece of advice to keep in mind with bullet journaling is it is a process. Many people begin bullet journaling and put pressure on themselves to be at the same level as the elaborate spreads seen on Instagram or Pinterest. While these sources are beneficial in finding ideas for spreads or focuses, remember that if you are starting bullet journaling, it is a process. Like any art form, skills take time and practice to develop. Embrace the mistakes you make on the pages. They will happen and that’s OK. Don’t feel pressure to snatch the white out and destroy the imperfection every time. As with life, mistakes happen. Think about the moment, accept the flaw and let the artform of bullet journaling bring you closer to yourself and your creativity. Commit fully and you’ll find a new mojo that you can only experience with bullet journals!

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