The first time I’ve watched the YouTube video “How to Bullet Journal”, I didn’t imagine that my beloved notebooks could really became such a special tool. So, I would like to thank Ryder Carroll for creating and, above all, for sharing this amazing system.
About Me
My name is Serena, I’m an italian graphic designer with a huge passion for drawing. Since I was a child, I’ve always spent my free time with notebooks, inks and pencils. Although my job allows me to create customized digital layouts, the Bullet Journal, with its analog system, is the most useful planner that I’ve ever tried as it helps me to manage work tasks and reach personal goals.
My Bullet Journal Setup
Keys
The first page of my Bullet Journal is dedicated to Keys. The bullets that I mostly use are “To do tasks” with a dot, “Completed tasks” with a check mark and a little cross for “Cancelled tasks”. I also use signifiers, such as an exclamation point for “Important tasks” and hand lens for “Research”.
Future log
I use the future log to plan all the events that I have to remember and all the things that I have to do in the future. It also works as a calendar.
Monthly log
My monthly log is a huge instrument to write down all short-term tasks. There’s also a little habit tracker there, which is very useful to check how many times I perform some important task. This spreadsheet allows me to have a quick view of what’s happening on that month.
Daily Logs: the power of drawings
I’ve always added some doodle or drawing on my daily logs, but when I started my Bullet Journal I used to draw without knowing their real power. After several months, flipping through my bullet journal, I noticed that the daily logs with no drawings did give me all the information about what I did, but those days with drawings were totally impressed in my mind. For this reason, last month I decided to combine my daily logs with real comic pages, in order to track what I do, what happens and how I feel everyday.
Work Schedule
One of the best things of the Bullet Journal is that I can use it to plan my work tasks too. I create different schedules for every task that I have to do and write some info there, such as things that I have to buy, how long it takes to complete the job and the delivery date. Being a person who tends to procrastinate, I find this tool very useful, as it reminds me that if I want to be on time with deliveries, I have to plan a functional distribution of work.
Favourite Gear
Notebook:
Leuchtturm1917 (Medium A5 Dotted) Writing pen:
Pentel gel pen 0.7 Drawing pens:
Staedtler Pigment Liner 0.05(characters lineart and background) - Faber Castell Pitt artist pen set (layout structure) and Tombow Dual Brush pen (shadows and midtones).
About the Author:
Hi! I’m Serena, a bullet journalist, graphic designer and illustrator. I live in Italy and since I was a child I’ve always spent my free time with pencils, inks and digital art. When I see a blank space on a paper I can’t help being tempted to draw a sketch on it. I love everything about stationery and art supplies and although my main job consists in digital creations, I prefer the touch of a pen and the sound of the paper.
