All About The BUJO!

Here is the thing, I get bored with things fast if it does not keep my attention. I find myself stopping tv shows if it is the same thing over and over. Yet all things creative, fun, and exciting arts & craft projects keep my attention. When I fell upon the world of Bullet Journaling, I fell in love with the creativeness I could use throughout the Bullet Journal.

Bullet Journal, also known as the Bujo, is a method of keeping track, and organizing past, present, and future. The Bullet Journal system was created by Ryder Carroll, a New York Times bestselling author. According to Wikipedia, the Bullet Journal method is beneficial for personal organization. The system organizes scheduling, reminders, to-do lists, brainstorming, and other organizational tasks into a single notebook. The name Bullet Journal comes from the use of abbreviated bullet points to log information. Still, it also partially comes from dotted journals, which are gridded using dots rather than lines. First shared with the public in 2013, it has become a popular method, garnering significant attention on Kickstarter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest.

According to the Bullet Journal website Ryder Carrol a digital product designer and author living in Brooklyn, NY, diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder, A.D.D early in life, was forced to figure out alternate ways to be focused and productive. Through years of trial and error, he developed a methodology that went far beyond the simple organization. Now he focuses on helping others learn what the Bullet Journal method is truly about: the art of intentional living.

The Bullet Journal system is a meaningful way to organize your purpose and lifelong goals. It's like a planner; however, it is different from a regular planner, with a little more complexity. Continuing from the Bullet Journal website, the Bullet Journal is a mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system. The method is to help you organize your what while you remain mindful of your why. The goal of the Bullet Journal is to help its practitioners (Bullet Journalists) live intentional lives, ones that are both productive and meaningful.

During an interview in the United Kingdom, Carroll explained the reason for the Bullet Journal. He stated because of his Attention Deficit Disorder, A.D.D; and he didn't have many tools to help him stay productive and organized. "It became very evident during the educational career that I had challenges my classmates didn't have. After being diagnosed, I had this problem that I have this condition, but not many tools or solutions to help you out," stated Carroll.

In an era of digital, he explained digital apps helped him stay organized but not productive. However, he clarified that the analog way kept him organized because he had to sit, reflect and think of what was important. He also mentioned that it held him accountable for the task and responsibilities to keep up with it. He wanted a place to organize, track his mood, add a daily to-do list, organize his week. The system created a community of artistic, meaningful journalists coming together to share their bullet journals.

Carroll created a video that shows step by step how to set up a personal Bullet Journal. Many different spreads can go into the journal, such as the weekly spreads, budget spread, mood tracking spread, habit tracking spread, and many more. Depending on you and your life, the bullet journal is a flexible system designed for an individual's daily life. For starters, the Bujo starts with an index page to keep up with all the entries in the journal. The next page will be your calendar page, which will help track dates during the month.

As mentioned before, Bullet journaling has branched into an artistic and creative community on YouTube. A Bullet Journal can be simple or as extravagant as an individual wants it to be. Since the creation of Bullet Journaling, many Youtubers have emerged to share their yearly and monthly spreads on YouTube. Amanda Rachel Lee, also known as Amandarachlee on YouTube, is a Bullet Journalist on YouTube. With a subscriber count of 2.07 million, she posted a video giving beginner Bullet Journalist tips to start. Three things mentioned in her video are keeping it simple, and no one should spend tons of money on material, and try not to set up monthly spreads in advance, which will take away the excitement of setting up the following month. She states trying to set up in advance can be overwhelming to an individual's schedule.

Overall, Carroll created the Bullet Journal to help with his disability and create a tool many others could use. Although the Bullet Journal system is beneficial to most, it does come with disadvantages as well. For example, many journalists will say they don't have the time or money to Bullet Journal. As Lee mentioned in her video, spending tons of money is unnecessary. Starting with a notebook and a pen is the basics needed to get started. Carroll himself only uses a journal and a pen to Bullet Journal because it's a simple method. Anyone can buy tons of art supplies and create extravagant journal spreads, and it's best to keep it simple and easy.