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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
If you have been wondering about trying out a bullet journal, then you are in the right place. With these 5 bullet journal benefits, you are going to be convinced!
Bullet Journal Benefits – Introduction
Bullet journaling is certainly becoming popular. Do you know much about it?
READ: What is a BUJO? Discover the Magic with this Ultimate Guide
But the question we will address in this article is ‘Is it a good thing?’ Just because something is popular does not make it good. So we’re going to look at the benefits so that you can be convinced for yourself that this is the right journey to embark on for you.
Here is a teaser of the 5 bullet journal benefits:
- Enhanced Productivity
- Improved Time Management
- Personal Organization and Clarity
- Emotional Well-being
- Customization and Personalization
Let’s dive into the first one. In each benefit I will give you my own personal experience.
1. Enhanced Productivity
MY EXPERIENCE:
I used to be someone who got easily overwhelmed by a long to-do list. I can be a bit of an all or nothing type of person. So when this overwhelm happened I would just be frozen – do nothing, feel like a failure. I knew there was a better way of dealing with a long list of tasks, but I didn’t know how. Until I discovered bullet journaling. When I started to see different systems and layouts that people were using, I got inspired to try them all. I now have a bullet journal system that keeps me on track and it’s been a mighty long time since I had that overwhelm.
HOW IT WORKS:
Many people use the original Ryder Carrol bullet journal method, which I believe is extremely transformative. I actually haven’t tried it myself, but rather one idea that has really worked for me is the idea of rotating schedules, something like this.
READ: Meet the Stars: 5 Famous Bullet Journalers and their Story
But the great thing is that you will find what helps your productivity. It won’t be the same as me, but you will find something.
You could do some research on the key components of a bullet journal.
The idea of a bullet journal is that you create the custom planning layouts that serve your life. So how can it not enhance your productivity.
If you want to try to improve your productivity with a bullet journal, do a little bit of research for ideas, search for things like ‘bullet journal to-do lists’, or ‘bullet journal productivity’.
Then recognize that a bit of trial and error is needed to find the right productivity system for you.
2. Improved Time Management
MY EXPERIENCE:
I really loved early on in my bullet journal journey doing a time tracker. I made a key for different activities such as sleep, work, cleaning, etc. Then each day filled it in. It really surprised me. It was a massive benefit of bullet journal use for me. I could see patterns of where time was getting wasted. I could see that I was spending more time than I wanted on certain activities, and less on others. I love time management, it’s one of my pet topics, so this is a huge benefit for me and why I love bullet journals.
HOW IT WORKS:
Most planners just have a plain weekly spread with a box per day, but the beauty of bullet journals is that you can create the spreads you want.
Some options that people often use in their bullet journals are: time trackers, time blocking, daily plan bar.
All of these for you to see where your time goes and how to be more intentional with how you use your time.
3. Personal Organization and Clarity
MY EXPERIENCE:
This is one of the benefits of a bullet journal that comes from consistency. I feel like I have experienced this benefit over the long term use of bullet journals. What I mean is: when I started I didn’t have a good idea of what I was doing, honestly I was copying others and seeing what happened. There were immediate benefits, like those mentioned above, but this idea of personal organization and clarity has come further down the road. I have gotten to the stage where I know exactly what I need my bullet journal to do for me. I have a full understanding of what I don’t find it helpful for. I know now what my priorities and values are and how my bujo can help me get there. I don’t copy others anymore and I certainly don’t create spreads I don’t use.
HOW IT WORKS:
I’ve noticed that what I said above has also been the experience of others who have been bullet journaling for a long time. Rylee Autumn talks about it in a lot of her setup videos.
Basically the process of bullet journaling encourages clarity along the way.
You will discover along the way exactly what direction you want your life to go in and how to use your bullet journal to get there and be intentional with your life.
4. Emotional Well-being
MY EXPERIENCE:
This was one of the first bullet journal benefits I experienced. The very first bullet journal I had, in the very opening pages contained ‘the best version of me’. It included 5 sections – spiritual, mental, emotional, physical and social. I then started an action plan to reach those ideals. It will of course be a continual work in progress, but the truth is I started to improve in my well-being in all of these areas. I especially appreciated improving in my emotional well-being, because it’s not easy – right? It can be hard to know what exactly are we suppose to do to improve our emotional health. I started to allow a lot more time to just sit and allow myself to feel – then journal about it. It’s super powerful to truly get to know our own selves.
HOW IT WORKS:
Did you know – a lot of our problems in life stem from our emotions?
So how does a bullet journal help?
A bullet journal can be used to journal, to make a physical copy of our inner expressions.
It can help us real parts of ourselves that we did not know. It can give us peace and help us explore what brings us joy.
If you do tap into this benefit of bullet journal – journaling – please do share in the comments below if you feel comfortable doing that.
5. Customization and Personalization
MY EXPERIENCE:
I think we all possess a creative part of ourselves. If we feel we are not creative, then we just haven’t discovered it yet. Bullet journaling became my creative outlet. I am such a purposeful person, yet even with this I could be creative. I love trying new ways to plan, to create new layouts and to decorate them in a joyful way for me. It has been one of the huge benefits of a bullet journal for me to see that I can be creative.
HOW IT WORKS:
You get to custom make and design a planning system just for you.
This is why I love bullet journals.
You have all of the power to create your own tool for designing your own life. How is that not a benefit of bullet journal.
The possibilities of customization and personalization are endless! If you can dream up a planner layout – you can make it. You can decorate it, or not. Whatever you decide!
Conclusion
So the big question after looking at the benefits of a bullet journal is: Do I really need a bullet journal?
Absolutely, everyone needs a bullet journal! It’s the powerhouse of organization, helping you conquer tasks, smash goals and even improve your emotional well-being. A bullet journal is a personalized planner, but also isn’t the only option. The best combo is using a bullet journal along with other tools.
This is my choice, but of course you will find your own.
If you are wanting more help with that choice you might want to look at whether switching from planner to bullet journal is a good idea. Check that out here.
Please do let me know if you are specifically wanting to know more information on any one of these benefits of a bullet journal.
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