When I first joined the studyblr community, I was taken aback with the amount of studyblrs posting photos of their planner and their bullet journal spreads. I’ve only known and been in the fandom side of Tumblr for years, so I found it really cool that there are others who share the same appreciation for keeping things organized and staying productive.

I began to post my own planner spreads and since then, I would receive a lot of messages every day about planners/bullet journals and how to set them up. I decided to create this series to give you an overview of the art of using a planner or a bullet journal (right on time for the new year!) and address if not all, most, of your questions. Hopefully, as we progress through the series, you’ll find that keeping track of your tasks and staying organized isn’t as hard and tiring as it seems!

In this first part of the Plan and Play series, I’ll be covering the basics of planners, bullet journals, and planning in general. So let’s start: a planner and a bullet journal, what’s the difference?

A planner comes in a ready-made layout and design. Its contents include themed pages like a personal data sheet, health tracker, expense tracker, monthly and yearly calendars, and a spread for holidays/birthdays. It primarily focuses on the things you have to do in the present or in the future. A planner is simple and practical to use when you’re always on the go and it requires less effort to maintain as compared to using a bullet journal.

On the other hand, a bullet journal (or bujo) is a combination of a planner and a journal. You can set aside pages for your to-do lists and have sections that a regular planner won’t have like books to read, movies to watch, goals, or a mental health tracker. It feels more personal and I guess that’s what makes a bullet journal so appealing. The possibilities to make your bullet journal your own are endless! Sure, it’ll take time and patience to setup but it’s you - from the design and layout all the way to the content.

**Your bujo doesn’t have to be super pretty or artsy! You can keep it clean and simple!

What should I choose?

You can go back to the pros and cons above and think about what best suits your lifestyle and needs. What matters most is that it’ll motivate you to become more organized and have fun while doing it!

I have a planner but I really like the concept of bullet journaling!

Me too! No one’s restricted to the traditional use of a planner or bullet journal. You can incorporate the symbols used in a bullet journal to your planner. Sometimes, there are planners with blank pages towards the end for notes. You can use these pages to set up a future log, trackers, etc. The same applies to a person who uses a bullet journal. He/she can draw out inspiration from the layout of a planner, etc. to his/her bullet journal. It goes both ways. If you think about it, these planners and bullet journals are encouraging and helping us become more flexible about things and express our individuality.

I tried to use a planner/bullet journal but I’ve come to realize that it isn’t for me. I really want to become more organized with my tasks though. Help!

It’s okay, hun! App and program developers got you! There are a lot of great apps nowadays that will help you maintain your to-do list. They’re efficient, easy to use, and readily accessible through your gadgets. I’ve personally tried to use Google Keep, Wunderlist, Any.do, Todoist, and Swipes. 15/10, for sure. For the times when I can’t write in my planner, I make use of iCal, Google Calendar, or Microsoft OneNote. We’ll talk more about this in the next few posts!

So there you have it! I hope this post gave you a better idea of planners and bullet journals and maybe inspire you to start using one. On Wednesday, we’ll be checking out some ideas and layouts that you can incorporate on your planner or bullet journal!

See ya and thanks for dropping by!

(Source: thearialligraphyproject)