Why Bullet Journaling is the Only To-Do List You ll Want to Complete

Creating a to-do list is always great in theory. But in practice, it’s easy to get distracted and let those tasks fall by the wayside. So if one of your goals for the new year is to find a system that will help you finally get organized and tackle those goals—small or big—more efficiently, then bullet journaling might just be the practice you’re looking for.

Journaling in general comes with many health benefits to improve your mental well-being overall. “[It] can help you keep track of your goals and holds you accountable for reaching those goals,” says Molly Sherb, Ph.D., licensed clinical psychologist at Mount Sinai. “Mapping out your initial steps, moments of progress and challenge, as well as future action helps you stay connected to the process, rather than narrowly focusing on the end goal. It allows you to see how far you’ve come and where you might need support, resources, or help in taking that next step.”  

The bullet journal method does all that—and more. Below, we break down what it is and how to create your own version so you can stay on top of everything you need to do. Read on to learn more about the ultimate to-do list.

What Is Bullet Journaling?

As defined on its website, a bullet journal (or Bujo for short) is a “mindfulness practice designed as a productivity system.” Creator of the bullet journal Ryder Carroll invented this method to help him stay on top of tasks and document ideas while dealing with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It soon evolved into a method for anyone just looking for a way to accomplish the things that they want to do in a concise and thorough manner.  

Aptly named, a bullet journal consists of bulleted to-do lists of tasks and goals along with other ways to track things such as your mental health and other important notes. The best part? It is completely customizable to your needs. 

The Benefits

The main goal of bullet journaling is to keep you productive and organized in accomplishing tasks. According to its site, it lists clearing your mind, processing the present, cultivating the works, and writing about your life as its main benefits and ways to help you filter out distractions and focus on the goals you actually care about. 

How Do You Make a Bullet Journal?

First, you need a notebook. Most bullet journaling involves a dot grid notebook so that you can get creative with how to format each section and page. Next are pens to write down your task. You can stick to one colored pen or you can exercise your creative flows and be stimulated with color-coded sections.

While a bullet journal can be whatever you want it to be, there are a few basic guidelines to follow when setting it up. A bullet journal is generally broken up into the following sections:

The Index: This is basically a table of contents for your bullet journal and will be a list of what you’re hoping to track inside. Assign each section you want for your journal a page number and add that piece of info to the index for reference.

Future Log: This is a summary of tasks, deadlines, and goals you have for the entire month as it gives you an overview of the important things you want to track. There are many ways to set this up, but the most common ways are to either draw three horizontal lines across two pages followed by two vertical lines down the middle of those pages or draw three horizontal lines across four pages for more room. Label each section by month and then add those page numbers to your index once you’re done filling out each section. 

Monthly Log: Like a monthly calendar, the monthly log breaks down each day of the month. You’ll use two pages and start by adding the month at the top of both. On the left, write down all the dates of the month then write down the corresponding day next to those numbers. The right will be your monthly task list. 

Daily Log: As the name suggests, these pages will lay out your day-to-day tasks. You’ll start by writing down the day’s date and then bullet each task you need done for each day. 

You’ll break up tasks into three categories: tasks (marked with a dot bullet), events (marked with an open circle bullet), and notes (marked with the dash bullet). For very important tasks, you can put a star next as a signifier of its importance above the other things you hope to accomplish that day. According to The Bullet Journal site, this method is known as rapid logging, which makes for a fast and efficient way to capture and organize information.  

Once this is all setup, you’re ready to start bullet journaling. You essentially set up the following monthly log at the end of the previous month. Then you take a look back at your daily logs to see which tasks still need to be completed. Mark completed tasks with an “x” to keep it organized. For each open task, you’ll assess if it’s still worth completing and bringing over to the next month. If it’s not, strike it out completely. If it is, then mark it with a right arrow and copy that entry to the new monthly log task list. If a task is due months from now, mark it with a left arrow and copy that into the future log with the corresponding month. This is known as migration, which helps you focus on the things that are worth your time. And you’ll do these steps again and again as time goes by. 

You can add other sections, such as a collections page for tasks that are all related to one another, a gratitude log, a financial tracker, and a mood tracker. You can play with different fonts and lettering or add fun stickers when designing your logs, with some bullet journals even having colorful cover pages. But beginners need not be intimidated by those bullet journal systems that include artistic calligraphy or any other aesthetically pleasing designs. A minimal to-do list is sufficient. What’s most important with your customized bullet journal is that you are consistent with filling it out. In a world filled with many distractions, it’s an easy way to ground yourself and your goals.

“Many of us now use technology to determine how we’re feeling; we have apps that tell us how we slept, what we should prioritize, how to organize our days, how high our heart rate is, and how much exercise we should be getting. While this influx of information is certainly helpful in many respects, it can inadvertently reduce our own ability to tap into our core experiences, and determine how we’re feeling for ourselves,” says Shurb. “Journaling promotes that mind-body connection, as well as the skill to determine how we’re feeling and what we need.”