I struggle to buy planners. Every time I find the “perfect system” I want something different a short time later. Then, I stumbled upon the Bullet Journal.

The Origin?

In the 1990s, Ryder Carroll was a college student studying design. He struggled with attention deficit disorder, so he started working on a system to help him overcome his “learning disabilities.” This system became the Bullet Journal Method.

In 2013, Carroll shared his method with the world. From there it exploded in popularity.

What is it?

The bullet journal uses a dot-grid paper, rather than lined, for quick notes and “bullets” to designate the note’s purpose. People use a variety of journals, but the most common is the Leuchtturm1917 Journal.

The original bullet journal method is detailed through Youtube or Carroll’s website BulletJournal.com. For those more interested, you can order Carroll’s guide to bullet journalling.

Reddit pages and multiple blogs have popped up devoted to these small notebooks. The styles range from minimalist to-do lists, to habit trackers, to very art heavy journals, and to custom drawn planners.

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How does it work?

It is exactly what you want it to be. You want to track your mood or plan your list for a vacation? This can do that.

This is only limited by your imagination!

Let me know what you like to do in the comments below!