Meet the bullet journal, a useful and cute tool for organizing your day

Useful tool, the bullet journal It has been a great resource to help with the organization, whether it's personal or professional. Method created by an American designer named Ryder Carrol, seeks to "trace the past, organize the present and prepare for the future", the creator's own motto.

This analogous method of organization is designed to bring together all aspects of everyday life: reminders used with post-it notes, upcoming travel plans, daily tasks, and upcoming appointments.

In addition to being a multipurpose method, it can also be targeted according to your needs: contain only topics to be studied, home cleaning routine or deadlines and work projects. Faced with such versatility, this tool has been gaining more and more fans around the world and becoming darling in terms of helping the disorganized.


How to assemble your bullet journal

To start using this method a notebook is required. The most commonly used are checkered or dotted and moleskines, hardcover notebooks. But as the method author himself reports, "the best notebook is your favorite." Nothing prevents you from using lined or blank sheets as layout for your bullet journal.

Check out a selection of stores with various notebooks, choose the one you like best and start your planning:

Also read: 10 Habits You Must Avoid To Be More Productive


Checkered executive notebook for R $ 54,90 at Saraiva

Caderneta Moleskine for R $ 55,24 at Submarino


Also read: 10 Qualities Every Professional Should Strive to Have

Checkered Passbook for $ 67.49 at Americanas

Extra Large Moleskine for R $ 186,90 at Staples

Notebook dotted for R $ 11,52 at Extra

Also read: 12 Things You Should Do Every Day

Cicero Passbook for $ 59.90 at Shoptime

Notebook without staff for R $ 46,90 at Livraria Cultura

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Notebook not ruled for R $ 26,99 in Extra

There is also a subtitle system or symbols to be used in the bullet journal which facilitates the division between tasks, appointments and degree of importance, for example. A filled circle or square is a task to be accomplished. Upon completion she earns a? X? to determine its end. If it is rescheduled for another day, it gains an arrow to the right or the plus sign (>). If it is an old task, the arrow is leftward or the minus sign (<). If the task is canceled or becomes irrelevant, it is completely crossed out. An event is represented by a blank circle. One note for a dash (-). If something is important, it is represented by an asterisk (*) or star, if you need more information about the item, the exclamation point (!) Is used. These symbols are used universally, but nothing prevents you from creating your own coding.

By following these steps, you can put this method into practice and transform your life with more organization and productivity:

  • 1st step? Index: the index will be the first page of your notebook, the summary, and it will contain the division of your bullet journal and their corresponding pages. Ideally, it should be populated after setting up the remaining pages.
  • 2nd step? Monthly Calendar: On the first page (left) you will find the month name and its days in list format. Beside important dates you add appointments or commemorative dates. The second sheet (right) lists the tasks to be completed that month using the subtitle system already described above.
  • 3rd step? Daily Calendar: On these pages, you must enter the name plus the date of the current month and list what needs to be done on that particular day.

In addition to this default setting, over time you will notice that some tasks repeat themselves. This is one of the great advantages of the versatility of this method. This makes it possible to create specific pages for these topics. For example: Do you want to read 50 pages of a book daily? Then create a reading plan on a separate page and keep track of your progress only at this location.

4 tips to avoid problems and make the most of your bullet journal

  1. Write the pen: While not mandatory, writing pen ensures that writing does not fade over time, which is very common if you use a pencil.
  2. Organize: Numbering the pages and annotating them in the index makes it much easier to find specific projects. Another tip is to add bookmarks making it easy to find them.
  3. Always take it with you: As it has no electronic back-up, you must always have it on hand to add appointments and tasks that may come up.
  4. Protect it: just like any other notebook, the bullet journal must be handled with care and may soil, tear or even wet. A good option is to opt for hardcover notebooks or even cover them with contact paper for example.

20 photos of bullet journals for you to be inspired

Although the technique is still more widely used abroad, many people are getting into the habit of using this method to help with organization and increase their school or work performance. Check out some examples and get inspired to create your own:

A tip to leave your bullet journal even prettier and nicer is to add stickers, washi tapeshandmade drawings post-it notes or use different colored pens. For sure it will be even more cheerful and personalized.

Opinion of who uses the bullet journal

Some of the many benefits of using this feature include helping you prioritize, being able to keep important events, helping you get things done everyday, exercising your creativity, practicing cursive when technology is rampant.

Still have questions about the method? Then check out the opinion and step-by-step of people already using this feature:

Survival Inventory

In this video blogger Leticia demonstrates a bit of the division and symbology used in bullet journal.

Maria Lowen

Already in this video, blogger Maria demonstrates how she uses her bullet journal, including specific sections where you jot down read books, goals, and citations.

Isabelle Felício

Blogger Isabelle explains in detail how to assemble your bullet journalby exemplifying decorations and using colored pens to make it more personalized.

Dear Click

Here, blogger Nina explains a little about the origin of the bullet journal and explains how this method was able to bring all calendars and planners together in one place.

If you are looking for a method to help you better organize your life, whether short or long term, this may be a good option. Vale recalls that like any other method of organization, it is necessary to introduce it into your routine to have a satisfactory effect. Choose your notebook and start organizing now!

How to Start a Bullet Journal | Plan With Me (March 2024)


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