RonnieChurch

SPICE UP YOUR LEARNING WITH BULLET JOURNAL WRITING!
Winter is coming, and with it the exams. But there are still a few weeks left of term time, so you have time to review your study habits. Do you feel there’s room for improvement? Or would you like to get started at all? Try bullet journaling, which turns learning into a colourful and creative hobby!

What is a bullet journal?

Bullet journals were developed by Ryder Carroll, who wanted to have all his lists, plans and systems in one place. The great thing is that you decide what you fill it with. You can a pay for assignments to be done simple diary, a study plan, a spreadsheet, keep track of your exams, a 30-day challenge or a list of films to watch. It’s become very popular, as traditional bullet journals basically require no practice or artistic flair, just a dotted notebook, ruler, markers and your usual pens. Using a ruler, you can easily add new lines to the page structure and squares for notes. If you want to spice it up a bit, but drawing isn’t your forte, you can also use the decorative elements available for notebooks. Washi tape, or decorative tape, has become a popular decorative element in this country. Just cut and stick the sticky tape to the edge of the page to easily colour your pages with colours and patterns and create an aesthetic diary.

Share your semester

It’s a good idea to start your notebook with a table of contents and an explanation of symbols. With the symbol explanation, you can keep track of what symbols and colours you use for different tasks, lessons or deadlines. In the table of contents you can keep track of which pages you have written on a particular topic, making it easier to find what you are looking for. It’s also worth writing your current timetable at the top, with the number of classes and other notes. You can then make an annual planner where you can put all exams, deadlines and other important dates. You can later break these down into monthly, weekly and daily pages, although this is not compulsory. One of the biggest positive things about bullet journals is that you decide what to include. So you can find out which way of organising is the most efficient for you.

Use it for notes too

It’s best to quickly jot everything down in a notebook in class, and then use this as the basis for a more focused and elaborate note in your bullet journal. As you write it down again, you are forced to read and interpret the text carefully to summarise it. This step alone will give you a much better understanding than if you had just skimmed through it monotonously. Your highlighters are there to help you, and you can write important keywords with coloured markers. You can also select individual topics using lines or decorative stickers. You can also glue in pictures relevant to your notes to brighten up the text and help you memorise.

Get inspired

If you suddenly don’t know how to get started, look online! Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr all have countless buzzy ideas. With so many beautifully crafted pages, you’re guaranteed to get in the mood to create. Of course, it’s important not to have unrealistic expectations of yourself, as you can usually spend just a few minutes a day writing bujo. And if one day you do have the time and inclination to decorate, don’t set limits to your artistic inclinations! Draw, glue, colour or easy essay typer even paint. For stronger pens or paints, use a stiff backing for the paper so the ink doesn’t bleed through to the other sheets.

A bullet journal keeps you organised, calms you down and brings out your creative side. Don’t worry if it feels bumpy at first! You can find plenty of guides online on how to make a bullet journal, from perfect organisation to calligraphic lettering. And as time goes on, you’ll have more and more unique ideas to fill in the blanks.