If you have a Pinterest account, you've probably seen several "sample pages" for a bullet journal (otherwise known as a "bo jo" *cringe*). They're usually insanely artsy and beautiful and look super difficult to actually do yourself. I was a little intimidated when I decided to start my bullet journal because I knew I couldn't make my pages look like those, but since starting in May, I've learned that it's not nearly as hard as it might look (even if my pages aren't exactly Pinterest-worthy).

In fact, it can be really simple depending on how crazy you want to go. So, now that you know you can do it, here are 12 reasons why you should.

1. It's relaxing

For me personally, doing my homework and reading is all fine, but it gives me this dull kind of stress. Bullet journaling is a great way to unwind from that because it's a different kind of work. The mental break I get when I pause to fill in my pages for the week is always much needed.

2. It's a fun way to keep up with events

If you're anything like me, trying to keep up with everything you have to do is an absolute nightmare without writing it all down. But I also get bored with just a list. Cue the bullet journal full of fun colors and letters that make me not hate having to do things quite as much as I normally would.

3. You actually want to use your planner

When you've put this much work into actually creating the pages of your bullet journal, you want to keep up with it and actually use it. For someone like me who had a lot of trouble keeping up with a normal planner, this is a great way to get in the habit of using one.

4. You can format it however you want

Your pages get to be whatever you want them to be. I'm someone who is pretty picky about the layout of her planner, so being able to make my own format was one of the biggest draws for me to start mine.

5. You can track your habits

Before I started my habit tracking, I thought it was kind of dumb, honestly. But now that I do it, I realize how helpful it is. Some of the ones I like to look at are my coffee drinking, my skincare routine, my water drinking, my Netflix watching, my workout time, and my reading time. Being able to go back and look at them helps me see that I'm meeting my goals of drinking more water or going to the gym more regularly.

6. You get to practice your lettering skills

I absolutely love to do hand-lettering (or faux calligraphy, depending on who you ask), so being able to incorporate it into my weekly routine is an added bonus of the bullet journal. If you don't know how to do hand-lettering, not to worry! There are tons of tutorials all over the internet that can help you out. Most people can pick it up in about ten or fifteen minutes.

7. It makes you look really crafty and artsy

Not going to lie, part of the appeal of the bullet journal is the aesthetic it gives you. Suddenly, you give the impression of being at least somewhat artsy and crafty (and also majorly organized). So if you, like the rest of the human population, care about your aesthetic to some degree and want the appeal of being semi-artsy, bullet journaling is your new best friend.

8. It's unique

I know that everyone and their brother (or maybe sister?) has a bullet journal, so it doesn't sound like a very unique thing to do, but if you think about it, there are no two bullet journals that are exactly the same. Each one has its own layouts, colors, fonts, events, and writing styles. It's an expression of self and creativity and that's pretty awesome.

With a new semester and year just starting, this is the perfect time to start a new planner, so get yourself some colored markers and a dotted/gridded notebook and go wild!