On January 16, 2017, the day before the beginning of my second semester, I went to dinner with my friend. We ate, exchanged gifts and solved Sherlock riddles for about 2 hours, so it was a successful night. Anyways, the present she gave was one of the best things I have received. Not just for the quality of the notebook and fancy pens, but for the quality of the experience I was about to gain.

That gift was a bullet journal.

I am a person who loves organization; I love planning and I love crossing items off a check-list. The problem is I have not figured out a steady method of keeping track of everything. I had a planner with my to-do list, a calendar on my laptop to remind me of due dates, and random pages throughout different notebooks filled with doodles, lists, ideas and thoughts. Everything was everywhere.

What is a bullet journal?

A bullet journal is basically a diary, planner and a to-do list all in one. It can be whatever you want it to me. Using various colors, unique fonts and artistic styles, you have the ability to turn an ordinary notebook into your life plan.

The best thing is that it is for no one else's eyes; only yours. You can make it pretty, but you don't have to. The best thing is to do what makes you the most comfortable.

Journaling

I, personally, suck at reflecting. I never know what I am feeling or why I am feeling it or how to describe it. I mean I cry when I am happy, sad, angry or worried: so tears aren't a way to deduce my emotions. That is why journaling is probably the hardest component of this experience. I would be lying if I stated that I journal every day. I have gone a few days without journaling. It is hard to remember and even harder to stick to, but once you get in a habit, you would be surprised how writing it out often allows you to release negative emotions.You can put every bitchy, unwanted, or terrible thought in your journal. You are the only one who will see it. I even took my bullet journal with me when I went to Trump's Inauguration because I knew that I would experience a boatload of different emotions; let's just say that that day's reflection is the least pretty, the least colorful and consists of a handful of scribbles.

Planning

This one is my favorite. The planner part of the bullet journal is essential for keeping an organized life. I can organize the events that are happening, write down the homework assignments that need be completed, mark those ever so fast approaching due dates and upcoming big assessments and keep track of my nutritional intake. It is so helpful that all of these are together in the same journal; thus, I only have one place to reference when figuring out if I can actually have a "lazy Sunday".

To-Do List

Got a lot of things to do today? Got a lot of places to be? Don't worry; you can plan every last part of your day in the bullet journal. Keep track of when it is time to do your next load of laundry or what days you want to workout. We all know that the best thing about to-do lists are checking items off as your day progresses, right? You don't only have to create to-do lists for the day; you can create them for books you want to read, movies you want to watch, activities you want to partake in or really anything that can be put into list form.

Bottom line is that a bullet journal is an essential item to an organized life; you won't regret. It takes time, dedication and hard work but it has kept my life in order for the past three weeks.

Want to know more about bullet journaling? Easy! Just google "bullet journal" and you will be graced with many different websites.

xoxo,

A new bullet journal-er