How to Bullet Journal in 5 minutes a Day

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There are a lot of common misconceptions about bullet journaling and the most common one I hear is that it takes up a lot of time. It’s easy to see where this idea comes from, just type bullet journal into any social media platform and you’ll be overwhelmed with the crazy intense versions of the bujo. But I’m here to give you a ray of hope! It IS POSSIBLE to learn how to bullet journal in 5 minutes a day.

So if you have no time, but want to try this amazing organization method out, this is the post for you!

Keeping a bullet journal doesn't have to be hard and time consuming. It can be quick and easy! Being busy is an even better reason to start bullet journaling in just 5 minutes a day.

The purpose of a bullet journal

The purpose of the bullet journal will vary depending on the person using it. But that’s the thing, it’s meant to be flexible so that you can make it work for you, no matter what that ends up looking like.

Yes, the purpose of the bullet journal for some people will be to unleash their creativity and have a place to be artsy and extravegant in their expression through multi-media use.

But that’s not necessarily you.

At least not right now.

The core of the bullet journal system is as Ryder Carroll (the creator) puts it:

Track the past, organize the present and plan for the future

Ryder Carroll

There is nothing in there about washi tape, colouring, or anything else.

My interpretation of the purpose of the bullet journal is

  1. To make a system where you understand what’s happened and can learn from it
  2. To know what your current responsibilities and priorities are so you can do them
  3. And to dream up goals and put together action plans to see them accomplished

But Rachael, that sounds like it takes TIME

Well you wouldn’t be wrong.

But it doesn’t have to take that much time.

In this handy video Ryder shows you how to set up a bullet journal in literally five minutes.

See it doesn’t have to be something fancy. It needs to be something that works.

Setting yourself up for bujo success

Really the key to learning how to bullet journal in 5 minutes a day comes down to just a few simple things.

5 minutes

Save time, stay on track.

You actually need to be consistently setting aside 5 minutes to do it.

Insert your bullet journal time into one of your current routines. My suggestion is to add it to your morning or night routine to start. I find putting it my evening routine the most helpful.

By doing this I can go through my day fill out my trackers, cross off to-dos or reschedule them and add in my to-do’s for the next day easily.

If you choose to do it in the morning the pro there is that your priorities are at the forefront of your mind heading right into your day.

Either way, just make sure that you make that 5 minutes available.

Make it easy to use

Minimalist January bullet journal monthly set up.

The easier it is to use the more likely you’ll be able to do it quick.

If you choose to make your bullet journal super fancy, it will take longer to set up your layouts and spreads.

But if you choose to keep things simple it’s really easy to get your tracking and organizing done daily in under five minutes.

The key here is not to overwhelm yourself when you’re starting.

Don’t worry about having 75 habits to fill in, a fitness tracker and mood tracker to stay on top of and a daily doodle page if you only want to spend 5 minutes a day on your journal.

Start with tracking 3-5 important things that contribute to a future goal.

This tracks your past, makes it’s way into your present and sets you up for your future.

Boom.

Accomplishing the bullet journal’s purpose.

Add those extra fun things on as you get the hang of the basics. And even then, only if they contribute to your enjoyment or your future plans.

The Power of Habit

Use your bullet journal by keeping it out in the open so you can reference it easily.

Besides being an awesome book, if you harness the power of habit you’ll start using your bullet journal as an integral tool through out your day.

This means you might start using it for more than five minutes but it won’t feel like that since it’s just there to keep you on track.

The way to do this is to just have it with you. If it’s always right there you’ll use it more and you’ll see yourself getting more organized and productive.

As an example I always have my bullet journal open beside my computer. And I just find myself referring to it often through out my day. Since I do this I always know what I need to be doing. It’s the window into my mind.

So in order to get the most out of your journal just have it with you.

Bring it out while you’re having breakfast. Take it to work and open it on your desk. Bring it back home. Rinse and repeat.

Having it as a constant companion will make it something that continuously adds value.

This will also allow you to find out when you get the most use out of it.

Bullet journals SAVE you time

All you need to do is start.

Learning how to bullet journal in 5 minutes a day will save you tons of time in the future. Even if you spend a bit more time at the beginning to set up your journal or even monthly in order to plan your future, you will get that time back 10 fold.

I was told by a mentor of mine to put a few hours into setting up a system that would save me at least 15 minutes a day every day afterwards.

It’s a smart thing to do.

And this saves me way more than 15 minutes daily.

Just imagine how often you think to yourself “Man what did I come in here for?” or “what was I supposed to be doing on the way home?”.

Every time one of these situations comes up, which used to be daily for me, you waste your time.

You waste your time trying to remember, you can waste your time by getting home, remembering then and needing to leave the house again, etc.

But if it’s written down all you have to do is look.

Tons of time back in your week.

Having a consistent place to put everything will free up your time AND a bunch of brain space so that you can be more present and focused on everything else that you do.

Win Win.

So go ahead, invest your time in yourself and reap those returns!

Keeping a bullet journal doesn't have to be hard and time consuming. It can be quick and easy! Being busy is an even better reason to start bullet journaling in just 5 minutes a day.

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