If you've ever searched for "Bullet Journal," you've likely been surprised by the sheer number of materials and photos showcasing notebooks and planners. Some BuJo notebooks, as these notebooks are called, are true works of art, adorned with tons of stickers, doodles, and colorful brush lettering. But don't let that deter you—the true purpose of a Bullet Journal lies elsewhere.

Today we want to present you a short guide - what is a Bullet Journal and how you can use this method for planning without having extensive resources of writing materials, just a good quality notebook, such as the Bullet Journal 2 Leuchtturm, which will serve you for a long time.

Bullet Journal – literally "bullet journal," takes its name from the bullet points. They are used to mark to-do lists, plans, schedules, reminders, etc. The Bullet Journal method itself was created by Ryder Carroll, a designer from New York. Diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) in early childhood, he was constantly searching for a way to be more efficient while also relieving his memory, which was overloaded by focusing on several things at once. Thus, the Bullet Journal was born, which soon became a hit and was launched on Kickstarter.

Carroll discovered that his method helps, as he puts it, "clear a mind cluttered with too many decisions and tasks." Writing them down and getting them out of your head frees up mental resources to focus on something productive. BuJo also allows us to sift through the things that occupy our minds pointlessly because they're beyond our control, as well as to divide the remaining, important issues into tasks and goals, and then divide those into smaller, more manageable units.

In this case, the calendar is on one side, and next to it are tasks and events to remember.

How to start?

All you need is a notebook and a pen. You don't need any colored markers, stickers, or tape. At least not at first.

Another advantage is that you can start at any time. If you haven't needed a year-round calendar before, or you've been frustrated by the fact that some pages go unused, the BuJo method should be your saving grace.

It's quite important that the notebook has numbered pages, as is the case with the Leuchtturm Bullet Journal. We create an index on the first two pages. This allows us to create a table of contents with references to individual pages.

The next four pages provide space for creating a table reflecting future plans. We divide it into 12 months (3 months per page). This space allows us to enter future tasks for each month. This allows us to check whether we've accomplished what we planned for a given month or whether it needs to be postponed to the following month.

The next pages are the "Monthly Planner." The left side is the name of the month and the numbered days of the week. On the right side, we list "tasks." On the left side, we write down events.

For example, on the left "Zuzi's birthday" and on the right "Buy a gift"

If necessary, we transfer tasks to subsequent months.

Once we have a monthly planner, we create a daily planner. We map out the week for the days we plan to take action and have plans. This is where a list of bullet points and markers comes in handy.

By writing things down, we get rid of them and don't have to worry about the order. Using labels, we can quickly identify what's important. For the same reason, we don't need to use color—bullets are clear enough.

Why Bullet Journal Leuchtturm?

For the method to work, any notebook will suffice, because as Ryder Carroll himself writes, "A Bullet Journal is like an empty house - you furnish it and you make sure it is as functional as possible and serves you best."

However, if the framework of this house is solid, furnishing goes much more smoothly. Hence, Carolla's collaboration with the Leuchtturm brand, which created the Bullet Journal notebook. It features numbered, dotted pages and a pre-labeled table of contents, three bookmarks, a pocket for loose notes, and instructions on how to get started with BuJo. This year's edition also includes sheets with various stickers, and the paper has been changed to a thicker 120g weight.

Dots are recommended because they allow for more freedom in writing and creation than traditional lines or grids.

The cover will tell us where to look for markers that make it easier to draw even tables.

Each page features additional markers that allow you to quickly divide the page lengthwise or widthwise, making it easier to create various tables. Below each page number is a dot that you cross out when all tasks on that page have been completed. This is useful for quick leafing through – any uncrossed pages will catch your eye.

Stickers in the second edition: names of months, 12 strips with the first letters of the names of the days of the week, golden dots to mark more important tasks, large golden dots and lightning bolts that we can stick on various objects that we need to remember to use.

While the Bullet Journal will always be black, each year a new edition will be released in a color that will never be repeated. For 2021, it's powder pink.

Is Bullet Journaling for Everyone?

Everyone should at least try it. Fans and users of this method praise the paper-saving nature and the clarity of their notes. They believe it helps them actually achieve their goals and tasks. It can also help them track their well-being and habits, serve as a tool for jotting down ideas and lists of important things, and even serve as a confidant for their greatest dreams.

If you want to learn more about this method, be sure to check it out here.