Introduction

I started bullet journaling in my sophomore year of high school. Having crossed paths with it on social media, it initially seemed to me like an aspirational way to improve my organizational skills and to glamorize the more stressful parts of my life, like chores and homework. Although I got off to a rocky start with the habit, it stuck, and I still maintain a bullet journal (of sorts) today.

One of the biggest strengths of bullet journals is that they are highly modular compared to comparable digital tools or pre-organized planners. I’ve noticed through the years that my journals have changed significantly as I figured out what worked for me (and what didn’t). Bullet journals can include a range of organizational and mindfulness activities, ranging from simple to-do lists to complex habit trackers and crafting entries. In fact, although it seems logical to group everything in a bullet journal into the “Journal” type in the Museum of Everyday Writing, during the process of this archival it became apparent that one bullet journal easily spans several categories of everyday writing.