How I save time each week by using a bullet journal

And how you could do too

What if I told you that there is a system which can save you time each and every week? Yes, really. Next to that, it would also help you cut back on screen time. All you would need is just a simple notebook or anything which consists of paper.

So, I hear you. Just a quick glance in the App Store reveals that there are hundreds of apps to plan your day, get your notes synchronised across all of your devices and that there are apps to journal your day in general. I’ve had my share of these apps (and still use some apps on my phone) but something about a physical journal has some kind of appeal to me.

Now, I’m not talking about a journal which has prefabricated forms and page layouts. I’m talking about a blank journal, one which you can just fill in however you want. Okay, so how does that work? Let’s dig in!

Alright, what is a bullet journal and how to make a bullet journal? Bullet Journaling could be seen as a way to organise the following things:

And of course many more options, why? Because it is a system which you would preferably design yourself after becoming familiar with the basics. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

As you can see, this is the bullet journal I use. It is one with a grid which makes it easier to draw things on the fly like a content table or to keep track of habits. I’m not much of a Picasso myself, so this helps me a lot. Of course there are other options like blank pages or lines, those work as well.

My bullet journal would consist of the following parts:

Keep in mind that you can design your bullet journal however you like, it should be seen as a system which you can design at hearts desire but which still contains a few basic elements for navigation. In the end I will show you how it all works together. I will be using a blank sheet of paper to show what I would be having in my bullet journal. Since mine is in Dutch, I will be making an English one to show what I mean. The great thing is the versatility to use a bullet journal with almost everything that you would want.

Alright, so I’ve talked a bit about a bullet journal being a system. This system uses different symbols to make it possible to quickly jot down different kind of things, the idea is to save time here.

This key is used throughout my bullet journal. Tasks are deliberately marked as a circle so that it is possible to cross things off or migrate them. When a task is no longer relevant, you should pull a line through it.

The next symbols are used for things like events and notes. It is also possible to mark a task with priority or inspiration. The symbols marking priority or inspiration woud be best used in front of task circles.

In the daily log, I’ll show you how all comes together with an example.

A bullet journal will get filled quickly with everything you write down, especially if you start to make your own collections (more about collections further along in this story). The index is your home page to make navigation easier. This would be the place to write down everything with corresponding page numbers.

The index would future everything that you have written down. I included the key and the future log which will be spoken of further along.

The index would be a place to write down the months and their page numbers to quickly find the corresponding monthly log (or daily logs). You should also write down the page numbers of any collections you make for a quick search.

This layout is basic, you could create it how you see fit and add colors for some nice flair.

Alright, this part will be where you write down tasks and goals for the upcoming six to twelve months. Try to keep it compact and short here and keep more space than you think you’ll need. The items in your future log will be transferred every month to a monthly log.

The future log is the place for just anything you need to remember in the future. As you can see in my example, I left insufficient space which would be restricting what I could write for each month. You should really try to keep plentiful of space for each month for tasks you decide to migrate to the future log or something that comes up.

This log will be all about the current month that you’re in. I recommend making some sort of calendar here and a list of tasks that you want to complete this month. To start with your monthly log, be sure to check out what is written in the future log and make a corresponding task in your monthly log. Below is an idea to fill in this monthly log.

Of course, you should do it however you see fit. Here are a few basic liners to go with:

The daily log, your to go spot to plan everything day to day. This is also the place where most of the symbols will come to good use.

So, let’s say that today is Tuesday the 5th of May. You can see that I finished a haircut yesterday which is marked as an event. I also migrated the task to finish a paper. Last but not least I made a note about a recipe for banana bread.

Now, the task to finish the paper is still open, I did however walk the dog. I also made a note about plants on Pinterest, also note that I gave this note the symbol for inspiration. At last there is an event today which says that college is from 11 to 4.

Remember, those are the basics.

These symbols were taken from earlier in this story. You can also make your own symbols or change something. These symbols however make for easy switching to migrate a task or move it to the future log.

This part is about anything you want. As you can see in the index earlier in the story, I made a collection about books. This would be about the books I’ve read and still want to read. Still, you can make a collection about anything, there is no form for this so feel free to make anything you want. Here is a list for inspiration:

Here are some examples:

Yes, setting up a bullet journal takes time. Yes, you’ll have to keep it up to date. But you won’t be searching for notes, have everything in one place and you’re also more aware of the time you’re spending on each and every task. You’ll get to recognise which tasks are important to you and which you can beter avoid in order to reach your desired goals.

The system also encourages you to keep everything as short as possible in order to maximise your output. Think symbols here.

You will also get the versatility to create your own system that works for you. Gone are the days that you buy a calendar or agenda to have it filled with forms which you actually don’t use.

Not really convinced? Give it a try anyway, for me it was overwhelming at first but when I got the hang of it, I replaced my digital apps for this physical bullet journal. You can always let me know if you have questions, just shoot me a message on LinkedIn.

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