Episode #12: Get Started With Bullet Journaling the Fast and Easy Way
In this episode on the HobbyScool podcast, I chat with Masha with Masha Plans. As a completely disorganized person with not a single creative cell, she decided to give Bullet Journaling a try. It changed everything and helped her build the life she always wanted. Listen in while we chat about all things bullet journal and how you can get started as a beginner.
Highlights
Planners versus bullet journals - what's the difference?
Do you need to be artistic to bullet journal?
Supplies needed for bullet journaling
The pages for a beginner bullet journal
And so much more!
Mentioned In This Episode
Resource Vault with 100+ free Bullet Journal printables
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Transcript:
00:00:02 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
And today, my special guest is Marsha with Marsha plans and we're going to be talking about how to get started with bullet journaling and March. I'm so excited to chat with you on this subject. But before we get into all the questions I have for you, can you tell the good audience a little bit more about you and your business and how you help people?
00:00:25 Masha (guest)
Hi. So I'm super excited to be on your podcast and sure I'd be happy to share a little bit of my background. So just to be clear, I am not an organized person.
00:00:41 Masha (guest)
My life was a complete mess and I didn't have any idea where things were going. I'm not a creative person. I don't really have like any special talents or something. Just just your normal person.
00:00:59 Masha (guest)
And so I think around 2018, I kind of hit the point of my life where.
00:01:08 Masha (guest)
I felt like it wasn't really going to somewhere like it's not like I was unhappy, but.
00:01:17 Masha (guest)
But it kind of just wasn't going anywhere, you know, it's like if you would ask me what did I do last week or even yesterday, I would have nothing to say for it except for, you know, like, I go, I would do my work, I would come back home, I would have some rest, and like, that's it. So I was feeling very unfulfilled and I felt like this disorganized part of myself.
00:01:43 Masha (guest)
Actually caught up with me. So I felt like I needed to change and I needed to actually get organized. And of course my first idea was to get a planner, but I kind of have a very long history with planners because I always love stationery. So I always try to have a planner. But it never really worked. Like it never stuck for more than just a few weeks. So then a friend of mine introduced me to bullet journaling and I read up.
00:02:13 Masha (guest)
Everything I could on the system and I was like OK so this is what I'm going to be using.
00:02:19 Masha (guest)
My goal is to get organized, to set goals for myself, to kind of get myself moving in some direction.
00:02:29 Masha (guest)
So, you know, I set my goals, I got my journal and I started doing it and it was life changing.
00:02:39 Masha (guest)
Yeah. And basically within the first probably like two months, I already saw things changing like in my life with my mindset and I kind of felt like I really would like to share that and I would like to help others to make it a kind of a smoother journey. Because even though I came there quite prepared, I read a lot of blogs and books and I did have a very clear vision on what I want to get out of it.
00:03:10 Masha (guest)
I still made so many mistakes and I still had a lot of struggles. So I was thinking that I want to create a space where I can help others to get all the benefits of bullet journaling, but without all the struggles, if you will. And well, how many years has it been? I guess 4, four years, four years later and here I am and I'm happy to say that I have.
00:03:41 Masha (guest)
Thousands of people by now and it's just something that makes me so happy.
00:03:47 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
And you actually matches something that I had a question about. So I'm used to planners and I'm very familiar with planners and in fact I'm a little bit infatuated with them. But I've always been intrigued by planners versus bullet journals. Can you tell us the difference between the two and when you would choose one versus the other?
00:04:12 Masha (guest)
Right. So I would say the main difference is that planners come kind of premade, so they have their own limitations and usually planners come with.
00:04:25 Masha (guest)
Well, usually planners are there to help you plan your day if you will. With Bullet Journal, it's kind of more.
00:04:34 Masha (guest)
More things are included in it because basically it's an empty notebook, so you have to create pages inside yourself, which is of course something that takes a little bit more time than using your standard planner, but The thing is that it gives you that extra freedom. So the problem I had with planners for a very long time was that they were quite limited. Like sometimes I needed more than just to plan to write my daily tasks.
00:05:04 Masha (guest)
And sometimes I would just get so busy and I wouldn't fill out the week in my planner and then I would feel horrible for it, like it's a waste of it's a waste of a planner page. And it was just like sit there mockingly looking at me. You'd be like you failed. But Bullet journal kind of gives you more flexibility with it. So you can create your usual daily planning pages, but you can customize them.
00:05:34 Masha (guest)
Sometimes you need a lot of space so you create like 2 page weekly spreads. Sometimes you don't, so you just have like A to do list on half a page. And more than that with a bullet journal you get an opportunity to include other things you need help with. For example, something I really like using our habit trackers and mood trackers, which is something that first of all helps me to kind of establish better habits in my life, so.
00:06:05 Masha (guest)
I generally kind of.
00:06:08 Masha (guest)
Better lifestyle, but.
00:06:11 Masha (guest)
Also, much tracker for example, is an amazing tool for mental health. So I when when I had kind of a rough patch tracking my moods in my bullet journal is what it kind of helped me to figure out. Like what are some of my triggers? How am I generally feeling? How can I change things up and feel better? So the bullet journal method is more than just about planning, like your standard planner, it's more about.
00:06:41 Masha (guest)
Encompassing all areas of your life where you need help and kind of helping you build that perfect life, not just make sure that you follow through with whatever are your tasks or your goals.
00:06:57 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
So I love that, and I think that's one of the reasons why I buy these planners. But, you know, after a few weeks, I'm like, I'm not feeling them out because I just don't feel like they're fitting in with my life and what I'm trying to accomplish.
00:07:13 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
Because as you mentioned, there's other things in there and you just lose interest. So I love the idea of kind of moving away from a planner and moving more towards bullet journaling. Can we talk a little bit more about why somebody would want to bullet, you know, use a bullet journal?
00:07:35 Masha (guest)
Well, I think the The thing is that that system it really encompasses like.
00:07:44 Masha (guest)
Well, the bullet journal method is kind of about everything, so.
00:07:51 Masha (guest)
Whatever you have struggles with, the bullet journal can help you with. So if your main goal is just to get organized, for example, and make sure you follow through on your tasks, you might just go with a standard planner. But if you find there are some other areas in your life where you need help, then the bullet journal might be a better option because it kind of can help you with.
00:08:20 Masha (guest)
Practically anything, I always say that the limit to what your bullet journal can do for you is your imagination, because you can create anything you want in your planner. And I I think, I think it's kind of a more of.
00:08:39 Masha (guest)
Maybe I would even say that it's more of like a lifestyle planner because it helps you with your health, with your fitness, with your mental health, with your work, with your kids, with your house, chores, like everything. Of course it has its own difficulties, like the fact that you actually have to set up the pages, which it doesn't have to be like that super long process. It can be easy, but.
00:09:08 Masha (guest)
I don't know. If you're not that kind of person who wants to do that, then, well, maybe bullet journaling is not for you. But generally I I think.
00:09:19 Masha (guest)
I think most of people should kind of give it a chance and see if it works for them or not just because of that fully customized thing.
00:09:32 Masha (guest)
Fully customized.
00:09:35 Masha (guest)
Fully customizable feature.
00:09:40 Masha (guest)
Because if you've been trying a lot of different planners and none of them worked for you, that's probably because what you need is not the standard that they release. But with bullet journal, you can do it yourself, you can make it fit your own thing. And I think that's like the most amazing thing about that system. So I say everyone should give it a try, but of course my opinion is a little bit biased.
00:10:05 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
Well, you definitely have convinced me so I am.
00:10:09 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
Ready to get started? Actually, I was like, thinking about it. I think I'm gonna go to your website after we call, after we talk here and figure out, you know, go go buy my stuff. But what what would you do to tell somebody like me? How should I get started?
00:10:25 Masha (guest)
Hmm, that's a good question. I think the most important thing is to understand why you get it started.
00:10:32 Masha (guest)
Because starting a bullet journal is kind of like starting a new habit. Like it's not gonna be super easy smooth sailing. At certain point you'll hit that moment where you're like, oh, I don't really feel like doing it or like, this doesn't seem very interesting anymore.
00:10:51 Masha (guest)
There, these things are going to happen. Like with every new habit you try to develop, you will heat the little bumps that will. That some of them might stop you for good, unless you have a clear idea on what you want to get from the system and why are you using it.
00:11:11 Masha (guest)
So I think once you get.
00:11:14 Masha (guest)
So I think the most important thing is that you get this solid base and solid understanding on what are your goals. Because ultimately when you do that it will help you to figure out what kind of pages to use to figure out what kind of stationery to buy.
00:11:32 Masha (guest)
To figure out how to implement it to your life, and most importantly, to figure out how to create that system that works just for you. For whatever you need help with. Because online you can find thousands and thousands of page ideas and they're fun, but not all of that.
00:11:55 Masha (guest)
And they're fun, but not all of them are going to be something you need. And it's very easy when you get started to just get overwhelmed by it and create like 10 pages every month, which is something I used to do when I started my first journal. And that's a huge mistake. But if you know exactly what you need, it's easy for you to filter through all the information and find the pages and the the stationery and.
00:12:24 Masha (guest)
Everything else that you need for your goals.
00:12:29 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
So would you say that probably some of the first things that I need to do, and I'm, I'm, I don't know a lot about this, so I'm making some of these assumptions. Would it be to buy a journal that I could actually write in and then do what kind what are, what are some of the other tools that are used? Do you use pencils, use pens, use markers? You know what do, what do you use to actually create your pages?
00:12:57 Masha (guest)
Ohh, you got me started, but I'll try. I'll try to condense it. Obviously I'm not a good example because apart from doing it for myself, this is also my business, so I do have way too excessive collection of stationery. So don't look at my collection because that's not what you need. Ultimately what you need to get started is just one pen.
00:13:27 Masha (guest)
And one notebook. And of course there are tons of recommendations, but honestly, it can be any pen and any notebook. It doesn't have to be a dot grid, which is my favorite format, but it doesn't have to be that. It can be your kids all notebook that they never used. It doesn't matter. This whole beauty of this system is that you don't. If you want to, you can have all the colors and markers and highlighters and pencils.
00:13:57 Masha (guest)
You can if you want to, but you don't really need it. And my best advice is not to go like that crazy stationary shopping, because when you get started you don't really know what are some things you are going to enjoy.
00:14:16 Masha (guest)
I when when I got started, I went on that crazy shopping spree and I spent way too much money. But I don't really use any of the supplies I bought at the beginning because there were just something I saw online and I was like, Oh my God, this is so cool. But it wasn't really my kind of thing. It wasn't my style, it wasn't something I enjoyed. So they kind of just sitting in the box just.
00:14:42 Masha (guest)
So they kind of just sitting in the box in the closet somewhere.
00:14:46 Masha (guest)
So my best tip would be to start with a small collection of supplies and then like.
00:14:53 Masha (guest)
When you get the better feeling on what kind of journal style you're going to have and what kind of things you might enjoy, then you kind of might want to invest into more things to begin with. A notebook, a pen, and if you want to get some color, just get some markers. My favorite are probably Crayola super tips because they come in so many colors you can use them in so many ways and they are some of the most affordable markers out there.
00:15:23 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
So as you were going through all that, I'm like, I'm thinking of myself. I think we have all of the stuff already in my house somewhere. I definitely have the markers. We definitely have the journals, probably some old journal type notebooks that kids have or they get my kids have had from school. So I really think I have it just laying around the house. So let me ask you this. So we have the, the notebook, we have the PIN or the markers or whatever we're going to use.
00:15:50 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
What kind of pages? If we're just starting out, what kind of pages do you recommend that we start with?
00:15:59 Masha (guest)
Well, I would say the best idea is to start from the basics.
00:16:06 Masha (guest)
So.
00:16:08 Masha (guest)
The basic pages would be a key.
00:16:11 Masha (guest)
Which is kind of like a deciphering mechanism for your bullet journal, because the whole like specifics of this system is that every time you enter some data, you have a special symbol next to it. And it kind of helps you like visually understand the information better because you because you're assigned special symbols to different types of information, like it's a dot for a task.
00:16:42 Masha (guest)
It's a.
00:16:44 Masha (guest)
Well, I use like a triangle for birthday. You can use like a dash for a note, whatever symbols you choose to do.
00:16:54 Masha (guest)
It visually really helps you when you look at the page, to sort the information right away. So the key is basically the place where you write what symbols mean, what kind of thing. So that's a very important part of the system and.
00:17:12 Masha (guest)
That's not the page I recommend anyone to skip, especially when they're getting started, because as a beginner you probably don't really know those symbols yet, so it's it's best to have that page so you can reference it until you memorize them. Like by now I don't really have a key page in my bullet journal because I've been using it for so long I don't really need that extra reference, but for beginners for sure.
00:17:42 Masha (guest)
Another page would be an index, and that's something I think you might want to skip, or you might want to use it. It's kind of up to you, but that's not something I personally use at the moment. And that's basically a table of content. Because the whole beauty of this system is that when you need to create a new page, you don't. You don't need to like divide your journal into equal parts, you just create a new page on the.
00:18:11 Masha (guest)
First empty page you have in your journal.
00:18:14 Masha (guest)
And it can get very messy unless you have an index. So because the pages are can be can be numbered. So basically every time you create a new page you just add it to the index. So the way it works is that you know, you would have for example your weekly spreads where you write your weekly To Do List and then like out of nowhere it's like, Oh my God, we have this family BBQ next weekend. So you make like a huge list of the guests for the BBQ.
00:18:45 Masha (guest)
Of the food and everything right there on the next page, and that's fine. And then you turn the page and you keep on doing your own planning and it's easier to lose all this information. But again, if you have an index, you just add it to the index and then you know when you need to find it, you just open your index page.
00:19:09 Masha (guest)
Another one is a future log, and that's probably one of my favorite pages because it kind of gives you an overview of the year.
00:19:20 Masha (guest)
So it allows you to plan out the year. And I feel like it's especially useful when you're like a parent and you have all those schedules like your kids holidays, your vacations, your husband's vacations. Because this is basically the things you add to your future log. It's the things that are going to happen during the year.
00:19:44 Masha (guest)
Which you know for sure they will. So I don't have kids, but I usually add some of my payment deadlines, birthdays, holidays, any other like important days I have during the year. And it's it's kind of a useful way to plan for the future because you don't always get like when you for example if I have this month.
00:20:14 Masha (guest)
Right now and then I get an appointment for next month's future. Log is the place where I'm going to write it, because I obviously cannot write it in the current month since there is no space for it.
00:20:28 Masha (guest)
And so once you're done with the future log, you go to your standard pages which is a monthly log and a weekly log. So monthly log is just an overview of the month with kind of more details. So in future log you will write kind of bigger events. In a monthly log you write all.
00:20:48 Masha (guest)
Smaller events like more details like Oh yeah, it's like tomorrow I'm going for a coffee and this weekend we are going, I don't know, to park, walk with my dog or whatever it is.
00:21:02 Masha (guest)
So monthly log is a place where you plan out your month and you just write whatever appointments and little things you have planned. And well, weekly log or a daily log you can do either. I prefer to plan by week because I like to have an overview of the week so I can kind of.
00:21:22 Masha (guest)
Plan my tasks equally for each day.
00:21:27 Masha (guest)
But yeah, and then the week is where you plan your week.
00:21:32 Masha (guest)
There are a lot of other pages and what I always say is give them a try. I think you never. I mean you, you can have an idea on what are some things you need help with, but you don't really know if the page is going to work for you or not until you try it. So I always encourage people to try the new pages, but the key here is not to overdo it. So when when you get started.
00:22:01 Masha (guest)
You might want to try all of these pages, but this is just going to turn your bullet journaling into a chore, and you never want it to be that, so try new pages.
00:22:15 Masha (guest)
But, you know, try one. You pay your month and then, you know, review. See if it's something that works for you, if it's something that didn't, if it didn't, out with it.
00:22:26 Masha (guest)
And of course, always.
00:22:30 Masha (guest)
And of course, it's always important to remember that even though I mentioned those pages right now that I think are kind of the essential pages, it's really up to you. So Bullet Journal is fully customizable and there is no right way to do it. It's you, it's your journal, you do it your way. So a lot of people are using weekly spreads, but it might not be something that you need. Maybe you don't actually need to plan week by week.
00:22:59 Masha (guest)
Maybe you just have your monthly spread and the list of the things you want to do per month and that's it and that's fine. Don't kind of be afraid or pressured into doing things the way most of people do it. Kind of experiment, change things up and try to find your own way to create your own planner that works for your personal needs.
00:23:23 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
So, so much I love all those that you gave us. I wrote it all down. Have a key page in this index page, a future page, a monthly page, a weekly log and kind of play around with and try out others and see if they work for us. So all good tips. Now before we wrap it up here today, do you have any last minute tips for somebody who is thinking about?
00:23:53 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
Dipping their toes into bullet journaling.
00:24:02 Masha (guest)
So I think.
00:24:04 Masha (guest)
As a last tip, I just want to talk about several kind of misconceptions that are out there about bullet journaling, and I feel like a lot of these things are stopping people from even giving it a chance.
00:24:19 Masha (guest)
So one of the things we we're ready to talk about the idea that you have to buy all the stationery, which you don't, the idea that it has to be done a certain way, which it doesn't, you do it your own way. But I think a very important last point I want to make is that a lot of people feel like they have to be artistic to have a bullet journal because once you open like Instagram and Pinterest, you see all those like absolutely incredible.
00:24:49 Masha (guest)
Ages where people spend hours drawing like almost art pieces in their bullet journal. And so a lot of people look at it and they feel like, oh, so that's how it's done. And I'm not artistic to do that. So this is not for me.
00:25:06 Masha (guest)
But that's completely, completely wrong. Like the creative aspect of bullet journaling is out there. And if you want to be creative in your journal, you can, but it's not a must have. Like if you actually look at their original system, you will see that it's extremely minimalistic. There wasn't even any color. It's just a pen and a notebook, so.
00:25:34 Masha (guest)
Of my last big message is that you don't really have to be an artist to start a bullet journal. And if you actually do want to be creative.
00:25:46 Masha (guest)
There is a way to teach yourself to be creative. Like when when I started my bullet journal, all I can do is probably draw like a :) and my handwriting was absolutely unreadable. Like doctor's handwriting. That was me.
00:26:06 Masha (guest)
But once I started my bullet journal and I realized that I really enjoyed the creative side of it. So I started training myself and here we are. So creativity, if you want to develop it, it's a muscles, so you kind of just need to work on it. Yeah. So that's my last big message. So you don't have to be creative, but if you do, it's something you can learn. It's not like some.
00:26:34 Masha (guest)
Tell him that you have to be born with.
00:26:37 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
Well, that's definitely good news for me because I am not artistic and I do have Doctor Sam writing. So, so there you go. So before we hang up here today, Marsha, can you tell people where they can find you if they want to learn more about bullet journaling?
00:26:55 Masha (guest)
Sure. So probably the hub for all the content is my website, marshaplans.com and I have their page with freebies where you can find all the information and all the good stuff to help you get started. I'm also on most of the social media, so it's like Instagram and Pinterest and Facebook and YouTube. All of it is just martial plans. So yeah.
00:27:24 Masha (guest)
It's all pretty easy and I'd be happy to see you among my community.
00:27:30 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
And we will make sure that those links are in the show notes for the audience and I know that you have a free gift for them also with the free printables and we'll make sure that link is there also. So thank you so much, Marsha for joining me today. I love hearing a little bit more about bullet journaling and what exactly it is.
00:27:51 Masha (guest)
Thank you so much for having me. I'm always excited to share my knowledge on bullet journaling and well, I hope you'll get started too.
00:28:00 Dr. Destini Copp (host)
Certainly will.