Mental Health • 10/12/2021
Bullet Journaling for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know
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While reading about wellness trends and mental health tips, you’ve likely come across posts about bullet journals. They’re notebooks with polka-dotted paper instead of blank or lined paper. What makes them so great? This guide explains everything you need to know about bullet journaling for beginners.
Why Do People Use Bullet Journals?
There are many reasons why people love using bullet journals. The dotted paper makes anything possible. You don’t have to follow strict lines across every sheet, which opens the possibility of using fun coloring tools, stickers or other stationery supplies to log whatever’s going on in your life.
Tips for Your First Bullet Journal
Once you find a bullet journal with a look and feel that speaks to you, follow these tips to begin your bullet journaling journey.
1. List Your Goals
Many people use their bullet journals to turn their goals into step-by-step guides. You could dedicate multiple pages to a single goal and map out each step you need to accomplish with boxes, arrows or stickers.
You’ll have much more room to track your progress, making it easier to start new healthy lifestyle routines. You could finally create a self-care checklist and track how steps like eating more nutritious meals make you feel long-term.
2. Create a Calendar
Others use bullet journals in place of traditional calendars. You could draw a calendar weekly or sketch daily calendar sheets on each page. It allows users to expand the outlines for days they’ll be busier. You could also highlight deadlines alongside your daily to-do lists for a comprehensive place to track all of your responsibilities.
3. Focus on Deadlines
Deadlines for school or work can go in your bullet journal too. Put deadlines at the top of each page and expand the steps to accomplish them in the space underneath. Whether you prefer bullet lists, pictures or notes, you’ll know how to finish related work to check that deadline off your to-do list.
Bullet journals are especially helpful for deadlines that are further down the road. Brides often use them to record their RSVP responses while tracking the guest lists for their weddings. They’re also great for semesterly exam deadlines in college or work-related projects.
4. Doodle Alongside Your Entries
Traditional lined journals don’t have much room for doodling. Most of each page has bright lines running across wherever you would typically draw, but bullet journals give users more space to doodle. Use your notebook to have more fun while logging goals or writing entries. It’s an excellent form of self-expression and even benefits your mental health by reducing stress.
5. Make an Index Page
Remember to make an index page when you know how you want to use your bullet journal. It will explain the color-coding or abbreviations you’ll use in each entry. Depending on how you organize your notebook, you could also list page numbers for each feature.
Learn About Bullet Journaling for Beginners
Bullet journaling for beginners is much easier than most people realize. They present pages full of possibilities. Use your journal for doodling, goal tracking or writing about your daily life. No matter what you decide to put in your notebook, you’ll love the many benefits of bullet journaling.
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