We all have different brains that see the world in different ways. Some of you see words as colors, others see the months in a circle, and I see just about everything as linear as it can be. That means we all need different perspectives on our calendars. I like for my Monthly Log to be a list of dates rather a traditional calendar with squares; I tried both and totally prefer the list. But I still like to see the year at a glance, especially when holidays and birthdays fall. So in the front of my Bullet Journal is a simple calendar with just that - holidays and birthdays.

I did make it a little extra pretty, but since this page only has to be created once and I had the time, I embellished more than I usually do.

If you need a yearly look, create one. If you need your month to be boxes, do it.

Set up your calendars the best way your brain sees time.

The Bullet Journal is the Meryl Streep of organization; it can take on any role you need it to. But it doesn't have to.

Everything can go in your Bullet Journal, but not everything has to. The trick is to take it slow.

When you begin a Bullet Journal, practice with the most basic signifiers and stick to log pages only. Most of the hacks out there are for folks who have found their Bullet Journal rhythm and have a lot of pages to show for it. But move too soon and it's like being asked to choose your first car when you're six and just learning to ride your bike. Give yourself time to figure out what matters to you. Then you can create mini systems within the larger method to work best for what you need.

Here are two examples of what doesn't go in my Bullet Journal.

Grocery Lists and Meal Plans

I tried meal planning in my Bullet Journal, but it wasn't intuitive for me. I have a dry erase board in my kitchen that is the easiest spot to write down what we just ran out of and what we'll probably have for dinner that week. It's more natural for how I think and move in my kitchen, and that's totally fine.

Ideas

I'm a verbal processor, and when I don't have anyone to process something with, I write. I scribble. I draw lots of arrows that lead nowhere and hope that a sane idea eventually surfaces. Those kinds of pages drove me MAD when I saw them in my Bullet Journal, and at least 95% of the time, the words on those pages were never needed again. My brain just needed to process before it was able to file away a concrete idea; the process wasn't relevant anymore.

Yes, I value the processes of life, but I know myself well enough to know which ones don't need to be remembered. So I have a separate "processing" notebook. If I'm fleshing out a blog post, for example, I'll brainstorm and map it out in my processing notebook instead of my Bullet Journal. The important information will eventually be right here on this very website, so I don't need to store the unorganized version. It's like SAT scratch paper; you only need it until you find the answer.

If a new idea or a memorable discovery comes out of my processing, I'll write it in my daily log and give it the appropriate signifier. For example, let's say I'm brainstorming a new blog post series about the lazy genius way to throw a party. I'll probably have a few ideas of the kinds of parties to throw and actually want to throw one myself! So I'll write in my daily log "throw a milk and cookies party for my girlfriends." Then it's back to my "scratch paper" to find more answers.

The point is you can use your Bullet Journal however you want. Yes, it can hold everything and does for many people. But if that makes your life harder, the journal is not serving its purpose. Get in the practice of utilizing it for as much as you can, but don't feel badly if things change. Because they will.

That's a lot of stuff. Need to see it practically?

Here's how I use my Bullet Journal.

At the end of every month, I set aside a few minutes to set up the next. I write the name of the month, list the dates and days, scan my Future Log and insert relevant events and appointments, and after looking at the overview of my month, decide if I also need to set up a Monthly Task List or simply go with what each day or week calls for. This is also when I migrate relevant entries from the previous month.

In my Index, you won't see individual entries for each day. You'll simply see "January" with the relevant page numbers next to it. If I create a collection in the middle of the month, then the Index entry might read "January: 9-12, 15." Anytime I need to access something that happened in January or just feel curious about it, I know it all resides on pages 9 thru 12 and again on 15. (This would be a great spot to use threading.)

So now that my month is set up and the page is added to my Index, the only thing remaining is to participate each day in my Daily Log. Sometimes I write out any tasks and reminders the night before. Sometimes I don't write anything at all until the end of the day. And, yes, sometimes full days get skipped. There are no rules; I try and engage with it at least once a day, but I grant myself tremendous grace if I don't. My Bullet Journal rhythm changes drastically depending on what's happening in my life, and yours will, too. Lean into it. Hold it to a very lazy genius standard.

The Bullet Journal might change your life; you just have to give it a try.

I feel like I should serve you a glass of wine at the end of all this information. I realize it's a lot. But I wish there had been an article or post out there for me that sifted through all the Bullet Journal noise. I hope this serves that purpose for you.

P.S. It won't be noise once you find your rhythm. Then it'll be a choir of voices doing things the ways that work best for them, and you'll simply join in.

Ready to try? Here are my tools. If you use these links, I get a few pennies from your purchase which helps keep The Lazy Genius Collective alive and well. Thanks for the support, friends!