Bullet Journaling for Homemakers

Are you a stay-at-home mom struggling to keep track of all the details? Is your out-of-the-box planner just not cutting it? Do you start strong with a gorgeous planner in the new year and then find your enthusiasm for it waning before spring is over? Then perhaps this post all about bullet journaling for homemakers is for you!

I started bullet journaling in 2017 and have not looked back. I was always the type of person who loved using a planner, but I could never find one that fit all my needs and had space and categories for everything I wanted to track. I would inevitably end up with scrap pieces of paper stuck into the planner, or post-it notes stuck to my desk or the refrigerator with random things that I needed to remember but didn’t fit neatly into the planner’s design.

The bullet journal solved all of my planner problems. Literally all of them. I now had a space where I could keep my monthly at-a-glance calendar, my daily task list, memorable quotes, my grocery list, furniture measurements, my home projects list, my to-be-read list, and whatever else I wanted to write down and remember or track.

I tend to roughly follow the original conception of the Bullet Journal Method with a few modifications (if you’re unfamiliar, there’s a great video from Ryder Carroll–the inventor of the Bullet Journal Method–here).

So, is bullet journaling a good option for a stay-at-home mom? In my opinion, absolutely. As homemakers, there are so many little details that can fall through the cracks, whether its doctor appointments or random bills to pay or remembering to drop off a meal for someone.

My bullet journal gathers everything in one place and it has been an almost-foolproof system for me…and I’m a fairly forgetful person! It has morphed in form and function as my life has changed (what my bullet journal looked like as a new wife working a job four years ago versus what it looks like now as a stay-at-home mom of two littles is very different).

If you’re a homemaker and wondering if the Bullet Journal Method might be a fit for you, here’s a few things to consider:

Pros of the Bullet Journal

• It can be whatever you need it to be. In addition to typical calendar and task list stuff, the bullet journal can catch the random details of life so you don’t lose them. The name and measurements for that tile you liked at the home improvement store for the kitchen remodel. Action items from the meeting with the trust attorney. A food diary to help nail down that food reaction your child’s been having. You can literally put any information into your bullet journal and with the straightforward Bullet Journal Method, you know it’s accessible and organized in a way that makes sense to you. Bonus: your bullet journal can also be a space to unleash your creativity and create beautiful lettering and artwork if you so desire (but this is not at all required).
  
• It’s free! You don’t need any special journal or pen to get started. That’s why it’s called the Bullet Journal Method and not simply the Bullet Journal. The method will work in any kind of notebook with any sort of writing instrument. Now, I have become partial to some particular supplies (more on that below), but they definitely aren’t necessary to bullet journal successfully.

Cons of the Bullet Journal

• You’re creating everything from scratch. Some homemakers like a traditional planner because everything is already laid out and you basically just fill in the blanks. That never suited me because it felt too constricting, but if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t want to spend time creating a monthly spread or a weekly spread from a blank white page, bullet journaling might not be for you.
  
• It’s an analog method. Again, I don’t consider this a downside, but some might. I am definitely an analog girl at heart. I don’t like digital calendars and have only used them when forced. I like writing things by hand, scratching things out, erasing, re-writing, etc. It’s part of my process. For some, however, not having the option of alarms or reminders or the ability to sync with someone else’s calendar is a deal-breaker.
  
• It’s hard when you lose it. Unfortunately, you basically lose your brain when you lose your bullet journal. If you’re the type of person who has trouble keeping track of physical objects, this method may stress you out more than a digital method.

Getting Started

There are many tutorials out there about bullet journaling, but I would recommend you go right to the source. Ryder Carroll has several helpful videos that get to the meat of how to set up a bullet journal. Watch a few and see what you think. He also wrote a book which goes in-depth on the Bullet Journal Method.

I got started with this little grey leather journal I already owned and a ball point pen. It was not fancy, but that didn’t hold me back, and once I got into bullet journaling, I was sold. For me, it was a match made in heaven.

Supplies

Like I mentioned above, I started with a journal and pen I already owned. As I have continued to bullet journal through the years, I’ve gotten more specific about the tools I prefer to use. I write in a leuchtturm1917 journal and I use a Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen. My brother-in-law also recently introduced me to Muji pens from Japan and I like them, as well.

But again, you don’t need anything expensive or complicated. The power in bullet journaling is the system itself, not the tools you use to get it done. So mama, pick up what you have at home and give bullet journaling a try to see if it’s right for you.