What Is A Bullet Journal?

Perhaps you heard the words “bullet journal” and became intrigued. Perhaps your friend showed you their bullet journal and it’s got you curious for more. Or perhaps you stumbled here and you have no idea what on earth this thing is and you’re starting from square one. Good news! You’re in the right place. I’m going to walk you through exactly what a bullet journal is, where it came from, and what it can do for you.

First, let’s cover the most obvious question – what is a bullet journal? While I have found tons of joy in the bullet journal, I did not create it and I don’t own it. The bullet journal is a planner system devised by Ryder Carrol. I would highly suggest you watch his video here to get a basic understanding of his vision of the bullet journal system.

As he lays it out, it is a blank journal that houses a combination of certain elements, such as an index, monthlies, dailies, collections, and a future log (don’t worry, we will cover each of these below). Basically, this is a planner system that allows you to plan for the future, track the past, all while making the most of the present.

WHAT MAKES A BULLET JOURNAL?

While any blank journal can become a bullet journal, not every planner in a blank journal is a bullet journal. There are lots of different planning systems that can occur in a blank notebook! The bullet journal has a few specific pages that set it apart (plus some extras if you want to spice it up – more on that later). For example, my watercolor planner is not a bullet journal because it lacks several of the elements of the bullet journal system and adds a heaping dose of art. As long as you’re working with the system laid out in Carrol’s video, then you’ve got yourself a bullet journal!