How Bullet Journaling Helped Me Get My Life Together
Written by Lauren HartmanPhotography by Noah Laroia-NguyenCollege can be overwhelming. Essays. Exams. Quizzes. Practice problems. Work. Clubs. Friends. Exercise. Keeping track of it all can be exhausting. After all, who wants to have to schedule time to relax? To budget time to take a nap? Honestly, calling college overwhelming might be an understatement.For the first two years of my undergraduate career, my planner was my lifeline. Every essay, every exam, every club meeting was meticulously penciled in, only to be messily crossed off once I had completed the task to my satisfaction. By the end of the year, my planners were tattered messes, full of illegibly scribbled reminders to buy textbooks and pay my roommate back for pizza. Just looking at those planners stressed me out.Over the summer I heard about bullet journaling, and I knew I had to try it. According to the Bullet Journal website, bullet journaling will “show you how to go from passenger to pilot of your life through intentional living.” Sounds great, right? Through some quick research, I learned that the goal of bullet journaling is to help its users stay productive and organized while also practicing mindfulness. You can keep track of goals, whether you’re hoping to visit your professor at office hours three times a month, call your mom once a week, or start bringing your lunch to work instead of scoping out the Badger Market next door. Bright colors and cutesy drawings – tiny little footballs for game day, grinning ghosts in October, pink hearts for Valentine’s Day – are common, but some bullet journalers prefer more minimalist styles. I scrolled through the nearly two million posts under the #bujo tag on Instagram, and I was sold.Then it came time to create my own. I’ve always thought of myself as a relatively creative person. I’m definitely not the next Monet, but I took art classes in high school and play the violin in the All-University String Orchestra here at Madison. I’m a creative writing major! The nonnegotiable deadlines and regimented rubrics of college, however, sometimes feel like they suck all the creativity out of me. Bullet journaling quickly became my creative outlet. When I got overwhelmed by homework, I added a doodle to my September page. As my professors started discussing of October deadlines, I browsed Pinterest for ideas for that month’s page in my bullet journal. It was fun and relaxing, and I didn’t even have to feel guilty about wasting time!Wondering if bullet journaling is right for you? Check out the official website at https://bulletjournal.com/. I promise you, you’ll never go back to your boring old planner!