Bullet Journaling for Authors

Bullet Journaling for Authors

Are you an author looking for a way to better manage your daily work? Then bullet journaling is for you. Read on and find out all the important information about bullet journaling.

What is Bullet Journaling?
A bullet journal is a notebook that you can use to plan according to the bullet journal method. It is often abbreviated as Bujo. The translation is derived from Bullet Point, which means bullet point, and Journal, which translates to the diary. The name already describes very well the function of bullet journaling. It’s about setting goals, taking notes, planning tasks, and recording moments.

The History of Bullet Journaling
Born in 1980, Ryder Carell is the inventor of bullet journaling. Carell originally comes from Vienna, but for his studies, he moved to the USA, where he still lives today and works as a digital product designer. In 2013 he published the Bullet Journal idea on the Internet. He created this analog system to track the past, organize the present, and plan the future. Ryder strongly believes that using a bullet journal can lead to a more focused and targeted life. Millions of people now use the so-called bujos. Ryder Carrell informs about his method in his book “The Bullet Journal Method” and on his own YouTube channel.

What are the benefits of a bullet journal?
The special thing about the bullet journal is that it is created step by step. This makes effective use of each page and allows you to customize the Bujo to your current needs. This is also one of the differences between a ready-made calendar. Bullet journaling has no rules or limits, so you can be as creative as you want! The complexity of your bullet journal depends on you, if you want to keep it minimalistic, that’s not a problem. The trend of turning the bujo into a work of art and decorating each page is just a fun side effect and not the core of the matter. Do not be intimidated by the many beautiful drawings, but concentrate on the actual purpose. The Bullet Journal is designed to help you make your everyday life easier and get a good overview of your daily work.

How does bullet journaling work?
Bullet journaling is basically very simple. According to Ryder Carrell, there are three components for each bujo. These are tasks, notes and events.

  1. Tasks are things you want to get done
  2. Notes are information that must not be forgotten
  3. Events are moments you want to capture

In addition, there is a symbol system, also called key or legend, which you can change according to your wishes. This could look like this:

Mark your entries with the appropriate icons to understand what they are.

Benefits of Bullet Journaling for Authors
Bullet journals help you improve your daily writing practices.

Goals & To-do Lists
In a bullet journal, you can set achievable goals and write to-do lists. Check them off when they are done. This helps you to work in a structured way and gives you an overview of your successes.

Collecting ideas Also, the Bullet Journal provides a place where you can write down your ideas before they fall into oblivion.

Story Planning
You can schedule characters, locations, storylines, and timelines in a bullet journal, among other things! The planning of your story thus advances in a creative way.

Research
Also use your bujo for research, where you can bring together all the information you need for your story in one place.

Brainstorming
Bullet journals are also an excellent place for creativity techniques such as brainstorming to find new ideas.

Available everywhere
Unlike a mobile phone or computer, a bullet journal does not need electricity or the Internet. You can use it at any time and take a digital break on the side.

Habits
With the Bullet Journal, you can train yourself in new routines. This will establish new habits.

Overview
In your Bujo, you always have an overview of which project phase you are currently in and which tasks still need to be completed for your book.

There are really countless ways that bullet journaling can help you as an author.

What do you need for a bullet journal?
Necessary materials:
Notebook: You can use notebooks specifically designed for bullet journaling or a normal notebook. Usually, the bullet journal is an A5 book that is white with dots on the inside. But it can also be completely white or have lines or checks. Choosing the right notebook is important because you will spend a lot of time with the book. It should meet your personal requirements. If, for example. B you are planning to design a very colorful book, then you should pay attention to thicker pages so that the colors do not push through the pages. You could also create your own bujo with different templates and preferences online and then have it printed.
Pin: All you need is a pen to add to your notebook. Preferably a ballpoint pen, but that’s up to you.

Optional materials:

  • Other possible pens: fine-liner, pencil, highlighter, adding, charcoal pencils, fountain pens & ink, wax crayons, felt-tip pens, brush pens, etc.
  • Stickers, Stickers
  • colorful papers
  • Brushes & Watercolors
  • Washi Tape
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • Stamp
  • printed collages, pictures & photographs
  • Tipp-Ex, Ink Killer, Eraser
    etc.

A possible structure for a bullet journal for authors
The bullet journal begins with a double page for the index. The index is the table of contents that indicates which page a topic is on and that needs to be updated regularly. This is followed by the Future Log, which is about 4 pages long. But more pages are also possible if you have many appointments. The Future Log is a calendar annual overview that lists the individual months and the most important dates. After that comes the month when you start the bullet journal. Here you are free to choose what content you add to the month. The only important thing is that you only fill out the month in which you are. The next month is not scheduled until the last one has passed. This ensures effective use of the pages.

Our suggestions for the Monthly Log:

  • Habit Tracker (regular documentation of habits) e.B. for the NaNoWriMo – track the 50,000 words
  • Set goals, e.B. for a year or a month
  • Time management
  • Write down ideas for your books
  • Creating Lists
  • Write down monthly highlights
  • Create a playlist for your book
  • Your plot
  • Cost
  • Motivating quotes
  • Record rewards for achieved goals
  • Worldbuilding
  • Character Planning
  • Definitions
  • Name list for characters
  • Daily to-dos
  • Research
  • Book Plan a washing slip
  • Organize appointments, e.B. for the Frankfurt Book Fair
  • Writing drafts
  • Plan a book trailer
    Tip: You can find more content ideas on YouTube, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Design options for your bullet journal
If you feel like using your bullet journal not only for a specific purpose but as a hobby, you could start to deal with the design. The people who design your bullet journal usually choose a topic for this. This either changes every month or applies to the whole book. Of course, a topic is not a must, but it can help to find ideas for the design. Topic ideas can be found again on YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, etc.

Here are a few suggestions for you:

  1. Sunset
  2. Northern lights
  3. Wildflowers
  4. Fairy tale
  5. Jungle
  6. Social Media
  7. Summer

Tip: Always design your bullet journal according to your current book topic to get more writing inspiration. For example, if you’re writing a horror book, the topic of horror would be a possible approach to book design. But you could also paint your world as a map in your bujo, design your own cover or make character sketches.
FAQ
How long does it take to create a bullet journal?
Bullet journaling is a process that has no time limit and only ends when your creativity is exhausted or all pages are full. How long it takes you to do this depends on how elaborately you design your bullet journal and how often you use it.

How often do I have to write to bujo?
As often as you want. It doesn’t have to be every day.

Is a bujo complicated?
No! Bullet journaling is easy because there are no rules for it. Bullet journals can be designed in the way that is best for you!

Is a bullet journal the same as a planner?
Bullet journals take on a planning function but can do much more. After all, in a bujo, you can also write down quotes or text ideas for your book, so a bullet journal and a planner are clearly not the same things!

What is the difference between a diary and a bullet journal?
A diary records your daily sensations, while a bullet journal is not meant to be an all-encompassing recording system. In addition, a bullet journal can be used in a much more diverse way, for example through trackers and schedule overviews.

Where can I buy a bullet journal?
There are various online shops that sell bullet journals or notebooks. Many bloggers and bloggers show your bullet journal link to the websites from which you bought your book. In bookstores or creative shops, you should also find what you are looking for. Of course, you can also get creative yourself and design a notebook. You can’t do it more individually.

How much does bullet journaling cost?
The price of bullet journaling varies depending on which notebooks, stickers, or pens you want to use. A notebook and pen are all you really need. However, most do not limit themselves to these materials but buy stickers, papers, glue, crayons, etc. to make the Bullet Journal more beautiful. The more you buy, the more expensive your journal will be. But that’s your decision. You can also run a bullet journal very cheaply.

Does every bullet journal look the same?
No, a bullet journal is very individual and designed according to your wishes.

Where can I find inspiration?
There are many people online who share your ideas about bullet journals. The sources for this are practically unlimited. Examples would be Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, etc.

Which bullet journaling terms should I know?
If you want a detailed explanation of bullet journal terms, we recommend a video about bullet journal ABC.

Result
We hope this blog post inspired you to try bullet journaling and make your everyday life easier for authors. Realize your dreams with the Bullet Journal and write down your thoughts and plans bundled.