 Hey everyone, today we'll be turning any notebook you want into a bullet journal. My name is Nicole and I work in the studio which is a makerspace inside of the Long Beach Public Library. Today on Make Time, we'll be working on creating a bullet journal. If you've never heard of it, a bullet journal is a customized notebook that you can use as a planner, diary, or just a creative outlet. It can also help you organize your thoughts and unwind from stress. Bullet journaling was developed by someone named Ryder Carroll, who wanted a fast, simple, and effective method for keeping track of the day-to-day things in his life. But since then, bullet journaling has evolved into a lot more than that. Anyone can make a bullet journal in whatever style they want. All you really need to start your bullet journal is any notebook and a pen. Of course, it's easy to complicate things beyond that, but you don't need very much to start. If your notebook doesn't have the kind of paper you want to use, such as dotted or gridded, you can easily print some online and make your own notebook. Studio Guide Richard showed how to do this in a previous Make Time video called Japanese Book Binding. Lastly, you can also gather some stickers, colored pencils or markers, and decorative tape. But it's really about your creativity, so don't worry if you think you're missing something. Everyone sets up their bullet journal differently, and there are lots of potential pages you can add. However, we're going to focus on four basic pages to get you started. Whenever you start a new notebook, it's nice to be able to look ahead and see what's in front of you. An easy way to do this is a future log, which generally lists the next couple months or a whole year's worth of the calendar. Next to each month, you list important dates or future events, such as birthdays, holidays, and vacations. You can also use it to outline long-term goals, like what you want to accomplish in six months. There are many different ways to lay this out, so don't worry about copying me. Every time I start a new section of my notebook, I like to use a title page. This helps me mark different months or years. Your title page can be as simple as the name of the month, or as complex as a collage or drawing that you spend a lot of time on. I'm going to make a title page for June, since that's what month it is. However, you can make a title page for the whole year, or with your name if you're just starting your notebook. One other thing you might want to include on your title page is a key. A key is just a tiny chart that lists all the symbols you plan on using and what they mean. For example, you might use an open dot to represent a task that needs to be done or a star for something important. Once you've started a new section with a title page, you can add in a monthly overview. In the original writer-carol method, this page was just a list of dates with important events next to them. However, you can do a lot more than that. For instance, you can design your monthly overview to look like a calendar with little boxes for each day, or you might want to use it to list a collection of short-term goals. You can also combine your monthly overview with your title page for the month if you don't feel like writing too much. Any way you make it is good. The idea is just to let you see your obligations at a glance. Lastly, we have the daily log, which is a key page of a bullet journal. It looks different for everyone because everyone uses their journal in a different way on a day-to-day basis. For some people, one day might take up a whole page, such as if you want to keep a diary in your bullet journal. Others might prefer a weekly grid where they can plan out their work or school schedules and balance to-dos. The most common ways to lay out a daily or weekly log are in either a vertical or a horizontal spread. In a vertical layout, each day is its own column. This is great if you write in short bullets or you want to categorize different parts of your day. In a horizontal layout, each day is its own row. This is a better fit if you tend to write long descriptions to yourself or if you have bigger handwriting. Keep in mind, though, none of these are mandatory. Maybe you prefer your days collaged across the page so that you have space for doodling and photos, or you want to design a grid or other unique layout for your weeks. If complicated layouts aren't your thing, that's completely okay. You can just write down what you need for the day and then draw a line at the end to start the next one. Remember that if it overwhelms you, then it won't be productive or enjoyable. Although these pages will get you started with a planner-style bullet journal, you can mix and match anything you want to make it your own. Some other common pages to add are tracker pages, goal pages, collages, photo galleries, and more. For me, one unique page I have is a gas tracker, where I can write down what I'm spending on gas and also any service that is done to my car. I also try not to worry about having everything in the perfect place. For instance, this page is a grocery list right next to my daily spread, and this one is just a ton of random doodles. Let's take a look at how other people are using their bullet journals. Hey, I'm Emily and this is my bullet journal. I've only been using it a few weeks, but already it's helped me keep track of all kinds of things, like my Dungeons & Dragons games and remembering to water my plants. Plus, I love using all kinds of colors and stickers to make it look awesome. Hi, I'm Richard and this is my bullet journal. So it starts out with this key, and I have different symbols that I will put next to my notes. So I know the priority that each note I make has and their importance that they have. So this is really helpful. I always have something to go back to if I forget what these different icons mean. Next to that, I have an overview of my year. I started last year. As you can see, I've missed quite a few months, but I'm going back on the wagon starting with May. So this is where I'll put the broad notes that I have. So things are important to me, but I don't really need to go into detail with. Past that, I'll have two pages dedicated to a whole month. On this side, I'll have more detailed notes on the tasks I need to complete. And then here, I have different habits that I am trying to accomplish. So the way this works is it's a grid pattern. I have the days numbered, and then I put a little x when I accomplish that task for that month. So yeah, and I have some space to add even more habits. But yeah, I'm excited to use this, and I'm excited to see what you guys come up with. Hi Makers, this is Courtney from the Studio, and here is my bullet journal I've been using for over a year now. I love the dot paper because it's easy to make calendars and check off boxes. I also use it to take notes and make lesson plans. How will you organize for the future? The Studio staff has definitely shown us some great examples. But if you're looking for even more, there's a huge bullet journaling community on the web. You can check out popular platforms like Tumblr, Pinterest, and Reddit for more inspiration. Just remember that it's your journal. If something doesn't work out, move on to the next page. Don't get overwhelmed and simply make it whatever you need. Thanks for making time for make time, and we'll see you from more Studio content next time.