In this next in the bullet journal series (you can see part 1 here), let’s take a minute to discuss how you will be using your bullet journal. That starts with a big question:

Why do you want to bullet journal?

Here are the main ways I use my bullet journal.

To stay on top of dates, deadlines, and appointments

I started my first bullet journal in 2014 because I was missing appointments and deadlines, plus I had sticky notes, paper scraps, and notes to myself all over. That was before I had a smart phone with a reminder feature, but even today with the reminder feature, I often just ignore or postpone them. I still need an analog paper journal to keep somewhat on top of things.

The Bullet journal is where I can keep a monthly calendar for long term planning. For 2021 and 2022 I’ve been using a separate preprinted monthly calendar booklet along with my bullet journal, but for 2023 I’m going back to [looking back on my journals, I never have put a year long calendar in my journal. I guess I’ve always used a preprinted separate one.] writing my calendar pages into my bullet journal to show you how it works (plus, doing it this way has less paper clutter to store–or agonize over if I keep it or toss it– at the end of the year because everything is in one tidy little notebook.) This means to set up 2023 I’ll be making 12 calendar pages in the front of my bullet journal plus one more page for notes for 2024. Then each month I’ll set up monthly overview pages (tasks, goals, to-do’s, and memories) and weekly pages.

What commitment does this require?

This will require you to process your notes and scraps of paper into your bullet journal and to sync any calendars you have (digital, family, etc). The time commitment isn’t huge, but you will need to develop the habit of putting everything into it’s place, including scraps of papers and digital reminders. You will need a routine of some sort to be sure to do it or your bullet journal will not work and you’ll be tempted to quit. The bullet journal is not a magic cure for disorganization, you still have to be deliberate about keeping it up to date. It is usually a short amount of time but it needs to be done regularly. It could be a 5 minute daily time in the morning or evening, or a 10-15 minute weekly review on Friday or Saturday.

So if you don’t have any sort of morning or evening routine, start developing one now to help keep your bullet journal working smoothly. It can be super simple. For example, a solid evening routine might look like:

• Load dishwasher and program.
• Make sure wet laundry is out of washer.
• Review bullet journal and plan tomorrow.
• Get any food needed for tomorrow out of freezer.
• No screens after 9pm

To organize and keep annual goals

I usually have a goal list up on the wall at my desk, but I will also return to keeping it in my bullet journal for 2023. I’m going to try to keep them simple again this year, as that really helped me in 2022. I’ll probably have a two page spread for this, with a tab at the top for easy reference, plus I’ll have a reminder to review them at each monthly review. I then populate these goals, after breaking big projects into tasks, into each new month list. Then, each month I decide which parts of this project I’m working on that month based on my time and finances.

What commitment does this require?

This requires you to actually set a few goals. And, in order to actually do the goals, you’d need to have a monthly review routine to glance back over the goals and then add them to your monthly task list. (I’ll look at monthly and weekly and daily routines in a future post. Stay tuned!)

To capture memories and/or journal

I also keep my bullet journal as a way to capture memories. I’m not a journal writer, but I do love to look back on simple memories that would otherwise be forgotten forever. I love that aspect of bullet journaling. For me, I love to doodle, and so I often make a monthly calendar grid to add doodles and a memory from the day. I’ve also just left a page blank to either write one line a day or add a doodle every once in a while. If you don’t like to doodle, you could just add one sentence a day. Over the years I’ve alternated between doing this, and skipping it, and looking back through my journals this is one of my all time favorite things and I definitely want to keep up on this for 2023.

What commitment does this require?

This works best with a quick time time at the end of the day to jot a note or doodle. Even mundane things (like errands) are fine to note, they don’t have to all be spectacular instagram worthy days (like lighting the BBQ on fire for dinner).

To menu plan

I also use my bullet journal to keep on top of what we’ll be eating. Most of the time I like to menu plan the whole month (and even though we don’t always stick to the exact menu, it’s a good way to be sure I have all the ingredients I need for the month). I’ve alternated between that, and making a weekly plan if I just don’t have the time/mindset to plan for the month. (Monthly planning is much easier and quicker if you use this kind of framework.)

What commitment does this require?

This will add some time to your weekly or monthly page set up. Depending on how detailed you get, it will take the time to look through recipes, what you have on hand, and making a plan. I figure what it saves me in stress at dinner time, and in money (because I coordinate meals with our schedule, so I know to put something in the crockpot before we are gone for the day) is well worth the 30 minutes or so of planning.

Other ways I’ve used my bullet journal and will still add in once in a while if needed (again, this is why the Bullet Journal works so well for me, I can add whatever I want when I need it):

To grow habits

I’ve used and benefited from many habit trackers. Some were for the whole month (I never do great on those) and some were weekly (better track record there). We won’t get into different types of habit trackers in this post, but just think through if you want to add this and what habits you might want to grow.

What commitment does this require?

This is not hugely time consuming as far as the bullet journal is concerned, but doing the habits will require you to be sure you are allotting for it in your daily schedule, or they won’t get done, you’ll get discouraged, feel like a failure, quit the habits, then quit the bullet journal… (or is that just me?) But, it will require a daily habit of looking at the tracker, doing the thing, then reviewing in the evening and marking it off. Mainly, to be good at a habit tracker, you need a good solid morning or evening routine to review and track.

To track spending

I’m never any good at doing this in my bullet journal, but some others have had success with it. I keep finances in a separate place. For me, doing this in my bullet journal is a page waster, because I never keep up with it.

What commitment does this require?

It would require daily receipt and spending tracking, so a good evening routine of entering what you’ve spent. It would also take an extra page or two to dedicate to it.

Table of Contents

A lot of bullet journalists keep a table of contents in their bullet journals. While I can see the value in this, I never do it. I’ve tried, but I can’t. If you think you could keep up on it and would like it for later reference (again, this would be great, but I never can manage it for some reason) then add that to your list. Usually they leave a 2 page spread at the beginning of their bullet journal for the TOC.

Your assignment

Okay, so that’s the basics. Take some time to think through what you absolutely need for your bullet journal, make a list, review it, and then re-review and simplify. Yes, it would be great to do all the things in your journal. But, the reality is that will be overwhelming and you’ll be tempted to give up. Keep it super simple. Make a list of what you absolutely need for your journal for the set up pages and for January. Aim for SIMPLE.

My list for my 2023 bullet journal set up:

• monthly calendars (12 of them, big, that go across a 2 page spread so I have room to write)
• annual goals (probably on two pages, so I can break projects down)
• the back pages (more on this next week, but they literally go in the back pages of my bullet journal, so you don’t need to leave space for them in the set up). These are where I keep Christmas gift lists, car maintenance notes, FLYlady cleaning zones, and a period tracker.

Then for January I’ll have:

• January events/tasks for the month
• January memories page
• January menu plan
• January weekly page
• daily pages

P.S. December is “practice month” around here. So if you want to practice this, but not “mess up” your new bullet journal, grab a spiral notebook and set up your basic pages for December in it. Write out appointments in a calendar, use another page to list tasks for the month, and then set up whatever other things you’ve decided to try! It’ll be a great way to see what actually helps you!