# What’s a Bullet Journal? > A goal without plan is just a dream The bullet journal (bujo) system is a planning method created by [Ryder Carroll](http://bulletjournal.com). It can be your to-do list, sketchbook, notebook, and diary, but most likely, it will be all of the above. It will teach you to do more with less. Consider it a fast-track system to efficient productivity and complete organization. ## Why I use bullet journal? I use bullet journal a year and here are some reasons why: * It makes me more productive. * It increases my creativity. Bullet journal is not only to-do lists, it’s also a great space for creativity. You can make up different layouts to make its more functional, add some drawings or just make it more colorful. Everything that your fantasy can create. * It helps me to relax. Plan your time or just decorate bujo helps you to free your mind. Also if you write down all things you need to do, you won’t be thinking about that when you’re trying to fall asleep. * It helps me to be more confident about future. There is always a worry that you waste your time, can’t do everything you need or you do a lot of useless or unnecessary things that you can’t dedicate time for life-important goals. Bullet Journal helps you divide your goals or projects on small iterations and constantly track progress. ## What you need to start a bullet journal? **A notebook.** Choose any notebook you will like. Something not very big if want to carry it with you. I use notebook of A5 size, it costs around 4$ in my country. There is also an [official bullet journal notebook](http://store.bulletjournal.com/). ![Notebook](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7gL9DrI-HCVbL4dhoYkqkvymeZJMk4QgIQ5HWs57JU-i61WaQl1i8RFlleQ-LLu3I3qkZUf0oenkWmvCbVHgH2gdW-3sBRVwKM8EBzjFfqiTjMbH1rH7sGM8u3X-7Et3EnyHi9jQMWSG9IGUsIB2bx6xooVCLvWWKCsbk8j2FLKYJxTztGPsIF1cY7b6zB2Xhh9tV9zqF9X9xgaj-butd1nfQnzZS_l6Ox6mUhyESXvbqOhnNVOLSRakR2AoRRNe7px3bJjW-wl46dHnjgO3xGLic6bmfhD05ASZ4hV_Lg8m6Pn-bC_pb4mfxmA7iBN6KR_48GEIVBAv9qGHUNDUlRHz-zARBcDgqQDWybc5Qk7V4hi8Jwws7vnRwHRkm4nVOgYk2lMzPS_U0Fvv0GmpGDpky8fNotrULeXkBNxLX33eLh12_UI9op2GiMrz_9bg8oSdIlC4z24a3fFpOqFWhg2Rc0q-S53UcDEcJW_nCcqUlk5WRMi8rrM7KLenrcIj_Voa6vMCA7krXZWw05SKdEhpap-ArMnCgaRSvLJbGln7PiIFVFUc6vb3nd76wUhfZnWlvI5LxCODu9MRwWqpb_1CKoXxBy8=w363-h545-no) ## How to start a bullet journal? There is a nice [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfRf43JTqY4) from creator on official website. But I try to highlight the main points: * **Create a key page.** ![key_page](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/x_Vk9eYT5JTA3mnWe1Fm2a5Gzl-qwnGPZHKqX8uZAuPpol4LpqiW55vR_w7qeiSL4Ded5-KjDjPWaObaLFJXH1lNc5vohpeZ6ZTBe2mZpAPS4F2a30bGVUkpAYuMRxUJgCg2bPO4lfXEEdfvr4urcK12qRdnMQZpVMvpNNl3F5aC_7ZMSZky7GO08FxbP3gk8m65XsuPbD531fIfWISsmnqKKLoYiU_mBNPH0MlmoF8K2ApsOwKkc6HjiXq_VHQrWQHLK4o_80KqSV6VuinMotMXfE4b0uQd3_yIfw-X5Z_U82t7Dt_VSc0ddoGvv39i1bE0uDrrhlQPtPvRq8HYtb9wTSEpuDMddcqOxZ-pRs4GA20UCGOMPfnc_aK05GDDsYVNhGPjgDq7Zr_jkRfXGyYz9R7Dn2HiVFjB2RsdAtBv72JuX5Yr1UtN1wF1UKwQ__SN9tW9E7RoEdqSZVWwg5P2R3es99o7a3UkMvxr-SXRWliz-So3TI85cy_9yitI-W4RXn90VzvNwXHSd6gFlO_F5bpzAIr0k6ZOoBpUcOIGbYVqB471ScZR6v_Uetv_WfydSHWzhKSRYewU8sa3ezDVZZU1xGs=s564-no) A key is basically a well-structured shorthand legend to help understand your tasks in the most simplified way possible. **Tasks**: A bullet (•) denotes an actionable item or task you need to complete. The bullet can modify the symbol by putting an ‘X’ through it, to show it’s been completed, arrowing left (<) to indicate you’ve scheduled it or arrowing right (>) to carry it over to the next day’s list. **Events**: An open circle (O) denotes an event to remember. Events are date-related entries that can either be scheduled (ex. “Mom’s birthday”) or logged after they occur (ex. “accepted campus job”), and should be written in short, objective words. **Notes**: A dash (—) is any important note to remember or jot down from the day, your thoughts, or science class. You can use only these or create something specific for you. * **Index page** By numbering each page, you can create an Index that will allow you to travel back to a specific day or month to see just how you conquered it. ![index_page](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/CBCpuuoadUxl1WTizXfDQdGvI3MJPUIrr5HUz2YZXsCJk5z8Kbfx8V-6FYnE4tVv3Wy1VJc1cNhJ3pIIyFlFR6Cb619jS0nNXiTiMQcJWRZwPaJR9HrDrIA09KnheZspuQ53HVQ5X0TX7IQtJr7woOOmpfJi9eyCrSghy5G8r2EBfik8w8EvqhUAUKLB-ftMxJK0I0-MC8SIeVnKGujM7wYiWfwiunB884lh1tue0JfmW0K3y8GBk6jg6Olbfksv0RQc9sbPrjVia5gkwOy4pGsaVHx3R5P2IlE7FVfRNet48vEzKOAMWR0D6ZJsToQb5mUHhsyTrKfQefMQ5bnJZtDmllRGHqOAXbvYF9buNBnF-i8mr0zkKqxN26fuh-CK4sHP3zltZ13evS5FFWbwFPQrM39QHhxkeYT0mbu7myXBiSe-C4WGEEGNmR3sQs42zlazt-8Ya19zXH4FQWuA6MoA5uvsiBlZNoBuUGhBc3FmEcamKFcWyhcXnOMexzXxcLT_5VlFEn7PaoDEvCaXzYGUibIJu_ugrxATtDqwpebFJCaHUjhqDJ1uGQ3R4VhbQHI9RBkc7H_2r7_NlFyhKLTUHHJeLp8=w781-h505-no) * **Future log** This Collection is used to store items that either need to be scheduled months in advance… or things that you want to get around to someday. Set up your Future Log by graphing the pages by the amount of months you’ll need. ![future_log](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7Sp0chjDFDb60jbJT_QkF0FE-fm2SXjw8lq2Zxc15Ii2S1Bo7BZtPerDjdp3LScxpvxXaB2Z5o5ud-32tJUIy8KuLOKVWDU7r3HCO2888APvyXk01N5Wbr4vzEJnSA9G0wOu1KqT_Ij2FoBtiMxIgP6sRzOMs7LAiPA7zTzLnGnh3pjeg2OzEoIBl3xFiobqj0MwA0j7hUYPaITyCCsaWHWpjLuGXEOS8Cr_qKI5liPD4MkvzPcYOjQMmo_jI5QKSnAbymCClbviunivxqooynV0gnuXKG7ASD5ZnpoTrdcVonUFt2SvZfR1sEhjjhaIoa5nkOEq3dAZri2GwC0-EkdBy8LW6P3HuEQ6a8pRZD2Zry-PGa5y8r2gTYeti0TR82ZeqDyBwW2LrJGlaMPpDmkvuEyqH8unJIGIujWVX3DS-jcGxet0q8JGKUHVspXO87j6QG5RifGMveZ5Ipz08UidSjpfFXafEou2EtceuBtu8kUaTG7FjKssqYnfvFLKDwE4si3sI4dltzj30gYT7A6rFL9VZ5RhNUpBISUzAtAXW0orqOtNq2iyc8oHbFrFMM1kPe7ySruraXpvcffFBMolhN48RpY=s236-no) * **Monthly Log** ![month_log](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y058viDX9fA/V1rq_pDwXbI/AAAAAAAAAgE/w-NhmFVe0msYbZy_3STjH-8VxAyPJj1GgCKgB/s1600/june%2Bmonthly.png) * **Daily Log** ![day_log](http://forevergoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/16_04_30_Bullet-Journal-Setup-April-Daily-1-1024x1024.jpg) * **Habit tracker (optional)** ![tracker](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/uBoFOO89sY5EkMWVrpYMd3XwT75vnfRT3f71qPk0wDl6G5dY9lkBmdZ1q-0cKd1nmYF8dzfft-hM4J5LRhqlUDU6txYeef9h1gvs9UxSTBQZwwcWKWnpg0mxytxjXq3adHsGCM02CTmlyQQzuIOsvk8jmpsDv4_neKidvzQZ-WL4nzHxkTNUh3F66OnWXsa7J5CXiQUtHWVfUpswY6fbyvzvdCwtEIPEy1iMTbVBytvKzKMO3_IcA_B7LZhzIaisBD6_yYyoIIw31HaEZHafUhtZfEpqKADcXs3OO82fpC65BMpYQmN1Zvsz_Z1FyyXAKxOAZtIyy2eBIXGB6EhYuBHbnkm731Vv-tvairAnoYTvtx300Jcn-TS97meuxtjhtzcBnLpzVUj3PjttJt7qnqMdwaqPLimWAwAd2w6dkb6k2bsBH_tOHRtN71ssMWHr5eKHvWyZ0lRuv6kF01tmuIivTGnVAFvO0VZ4Tb7aqSCul4lHIwUAkYTpd1EKqAIrh8_GGzJ8KDwd9M7DrR1V0EpJKrm_U80bBKd0lviR06QFjM6YdHrhuiAIry3OG1NzbBbCeqGdXvIROYI459qMNWmxk8S-oeo=w1017-h609-no) ## Life Cycle I find that starting with a fresh book on the first of the new year will help you catalog them much easier. Even if your book is only a quarter full, there is something inspirational and motivating about beginning the new year with a blank slate. And that’s a wrap! In case this wasn’t thorough enough of an explanation, feel free to checkout [Ryder’s website](http://bulletjournal.com) with all of the in’s and out’s of Bullet Journaling, as well as this awesome [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfRf43JTqY4) for how to get started. *Note: pictures were made by myself or downloaded from the Internet.