Why I Use the Bullet Journal | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Why I Use the Bullet Journal

...and you should, too.

1009
Why I Use the Bullet Journal
Twenty Five Stars

With a new year right around the corner, a lot of people are making lists to what they want to accomplish in 2017. One of the top priorities for many is to stay productive the next twelve months, and finding new ways to be on top of their responsibilities. For me, I made the switch to a more fruitful lifestyle the beginning of my first semester of college, and it came in the form of a bullet journal. The bullet journal is a system of planning dedicated to promoting inventiveness and organization. All you need to make a bullet journal is a quality notebook and a trusty pen, or thirty pens if you’re like me. Its components include tools such as an index, note-taking area, and monthly/daily calendar log, but you can add more modules that you would like as you go, like a weekly grocery list, doodles section, etc. The bullet journal is, in essence, a more personalized planner that has the ability to go beyond what a basic planner is meant to do. You build it up yourself, or with the help of a special notebook designed specifically for this type of journaling, and can add to, remove, or redesign any aspect of the original concept into your own.

I’ve always wanted to be the type of person who is always on top of everything and has a plan for what’s to come, but never found the time in high school to formulate such a thing. That’s why the summer before my college career, I decided to dig further into this thing called the bullet journal. Regular planners at stores always bored me no matter what. Once I got past the beautiful covers and neat calendar layouts, I found there was nothing there but days that I was expected to fill in, and I felt restricted in what I could do with my planners. As a writer, I wanted to have a notebook that I could use for my ideas as well as my educational and life responsibilities, and the bullet journal became that answer for me.

Once I explored past the basic idea and setup of the journal, it came time to actually sit down and create one of my own. Search any social media site with #bulletjournal and you will find pages upon pages of the creative ways that other journalers have personalized their own notebooks. It was from these searches that I decided to make my own bullet journal not just a space for homework reminders and to-do lists, but also for random lines and ideas I think of that may be useful in writing later, albums I want to listen to, books I plan on reading, items I have to buy at some point, etc. My journal holds dates I need to know about and the quirky thoughts I have during the day. Even with the most gorgeous planner from Target, I wouldn’t have been able to fit all of what I wanted into a pre-made notebook, and if one came with space for all of that, the price tag may have held me back from buying it instead.

I kept up with and used my bullet journal every single day of my first semester of college. It kept me ahead of assignments when they were coming up, and I began to look forward to each month because it meant I got to create a new spread for the next four weeks. Writing in my journal, whether for a to-do list or a potential poem, was a form of relaxation and readiness in one, and I never felt unprepared or unsure of what was up next in my school work or personal life. Having this journal by my side forced me to become organized and to plan ahead, and it was most helpful item I could’ve had for the beginning my college life.


A lot of work goes into formatting a bullet journal of your own, and it takes practice and constant use to reap the full benefits from it. Although there are many apps that can do everything the bullet journal can do and more, I believe there is an official-like feel to having a tangible notebook that holds what you plan to do for the days, and possibly years, ahead. The bullet journal can be a direct reflection of what’s going on in your mind, and is what you make it. If you want 2017 to be a productive and more successful year, possibly consider making a bullet journal of your own. Having everything you need in one clear space has benefits that are personalized to you and can give you a glimpse to your life ahead.
Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

4198
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

302964
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments