Bullet journals, or dot journals, are the new way to get organized. They include every aspect of everyday life from to-do lists or areas to doodle. There is a space for rants and also space for gratitude. A bullet journal starts out as a plain notebook, but can soon turn into whatever its owner wants it to be. Different bullets such as dots, squares and diamonds are used to indicate things such as tasks, events, and thoughts.

A bullet journal can be used as a habit tracker or an agenda depending on what works for that person. Bullet journals, however, may be more trouble than they are worth.

Cathy Yan, a senior, loved the idea of a bullet journal: “The journal gave me ideas that were helpful. I started using the monthly habit tracker so I could track what I do every day.¨

Annie Hodge, a senior, was also hopeful of becoming more organized: “I wanted to try to keep organized in a new way.¨

Bullet journals are used for organization, but that does not mean it will make a person more organized. Sophomore Mikayla Brucoli is hopeful that the bullet journal will help her, “I’m not organized. I think it will make me more organized.”

Depending on the person, however, organization is not always the result. Hodge did not think it made her a more organized person: “Honestly not because I spent so much time getting organized that once I got organized I wasn’t motivated, and it just felt like a bit waste of time. It just didn’t feel worth it.”

Yan had a very different reaction: “Yes. There are certain tasks that I have to do every day, and I can go to it at the end of every day and see what I didn’t do so I can do it right then.”

Bullet journals can be helpful for some, but for others they aren’t ideal.

Deciding if a bullet journal is right to use, you first have to weigh out the pros and the cons. For Hodge, there are more cons than pros: “Pros: it helps you think in steps, and it’s good for goal setting. It’s good for making a plan for your future.” Some cons would be that: “It takes a lot of time. It doesn’t really help you get organized. It just helps you appear organized. If you’re not organized at the beginning it’s hard to use such an unstructured thing to get organized.”

It could prove to be time consuming for many people which presents a major concerns when it comes to bullet journals. Yan agreed with the fact that although she liked it, the bullet journal is a huge time investment.

The biggest factor in deciding to use a bullet journal is time.  All three girls agreed that it is not a good investment unless that person has the time. Yan said she would recommend the bullet journal: “If they have the time and they like being organized; and using a lot of colors.”

Brucoli would also recommend it to someone: “Yeah I think I would. I think it’s good for people  who have the time.”

On the other hand, Hodge had a very different outlook: “It’s a big waste of time because you spend so much time trying to get organized through an unstructured was so it doesn’t help you stay organized.” 

Bullet journals are an innovative way to stay organized. They are fun and a way to let your creativity out. They are not for everyone, but might be a new and exciting way to get organized.