What is the point of bullet journals? Or bullet journaling? There is no one answer to that! Bullet journals have plenty of purposes. There are so many other uses for your bullet journal that you are not aware of. Journals can be anything you want them to be. You should never limit yourself by arbitrary rules when it comes to your hobbies.
Ryder Caroll created his bullet journaling method to help him focus and organize his life. It became such a helpful tool for his ADHD that he decided to share it with everyone else. His method was meant to help him and others. If you need to change a few things to make it work for you, that’s okay! Make it yours!
Artistic Outlet
Lots of people use their bullet journal in an artistic sense, meaning that their bullet journal is a creative outlet. For some that might mean doodling or drawing. Others might like to have more of a scrapbook with layers of paper and stickers instead. The means of the artistic outlet don’t matter.
Either way, bullet journals make for great art journals. There are usually some components of bullet journaling, like daily spreads or some sort of journal entry, but the main purpose for some bullet journalers is simply to have something to create in their daily lives.
To-Do Lists
The reason plenty of people choose to bullet journal is to manage their to-do lists. A bullet journal can be a great help for writing down your goals for the day and getting them done. When you keep a to-do list each day, not only do you know what you want to accomplish each day but you are also more likely to do them if you know what your goals are.
A lot of people have bullet journals to keep their to-do lists organized and in one place. It is a great use for a bullet journal!
Journal/Diary
Now, organizing does not necessarily have to be a prime purpose for bullet journaling. Bullet journalers do not have to limit themselves to only one concept of this hobby. There can be far more to bullet journaling than a fancy planner.
Lots of journalers decide that they want to include an element of memory keeping in their journal. They choose to have diary-like journal entries instead of the traditional bullet journaling method. And that’s great! A bullet journal is personalized to you! You get to choose how you use it. So if you want to use your bullet journal as a diary, go ahead!
Quote Journal
A less traditional purpose for bullet journals is to use them as quote journals. I have heard of bullet journalers using their journals to keep collections of quotes.
You might find that your favourite part about bullet journaling is the quote pages that you see other people posts or maybe you love creating your own quote spreads. You are allowed to dedicate your bullet journal to quotes if that’s what you want. Again, your bullet journal is yours. You can and should create whatever makes you happy!
Of course, you shouldn’t feel limited by a quote journal. You can add other elements, like to-do lists, to your bullet journal too.
Planner
Of all the uses for your bullet journal, this one is probably the most known. When you see calendar spreads, future logs, weekly, and daily spreads, you are looking at a planner. It is one thing to simply be keeping a to-do list, but it is another thing to create a planner.
Planners are where you not only have your goals for the day but also the week, month and year. When a bullet journal is used as a planner, you can make sure you are prepared for all your goals in advance. Essentially, using a bullet journal as a planner is a more intricate version of the to-do list.
Improvement Tool
My main purpose for bullet journaling is for improvement. I know a lot of people use theirs for a similar reason. That’s what habit trackers are for!
Tracking your habits, your daily highlights, your budget, and whatever else you want to track, is the perfect way to start your journey to self-improvement. Bullet journals make for great improvement tools!
All you need to do is track the things you want to improve. It helps to know when you have done that habit, which can also motivate you to continue doing it. By keeping track, you can accomplish your goals. It is a great purpose for your bullet journal!
Omnijournal
An omnijournal is just as it sounds: a journal with a little bit of everything. An omnijournal is for those bullet journalers who simply cannot choose which purpose they want for their journal. Maybe you want to include artistic, tracking, and journaling spreads in your journal. Perhaps, you just want a journal so that you can add stickers and little snippets of the newspaper.
Omnijournals are not limited by the restrictions of the previous types of bullet journals. However, an omnijournal is considered to be a completely different kind of journal. So some people might not call it a bullet journal at all.
It doesn’t matter what you use your bullet journal for when it comes to this kind of bullet journaling. As long as you like it, it is perfect!
Bullet journaling is a personal experience. It is meant for you and you only. For that reason, you need to use your journal in a way that is helpful and pleasant for you. Don’t get stuck on what your idea of a bullet journal should be. There are so many uses for your bullet journal. Try them out and see which one works best for you! Just remember that no one else can tell you what you need and don’t need. It’s your journal. Own it!
