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Due to the overwhelming amount of beautiful spreads out there in the bullet journal community, it’s easy to make the mistake of thinking that bullet journaling is “for girls” but that couldn’t be further from the case. But just to make it easier, here is the go-to guide for bullet journaling for men.
In this post we’ll cover a few things:
- Who invented the bullet journal and why
- Reasons men bullet journal
- How to do it
Let’s get started!
The bullet journal method was invented by a man
Ryder Carrol, the creator of the bullet journal method came up with the system as a way to organize himself, NOT to get fancy or artsy.
That way you can reflect on them and use them to keep track of what you’ve done, what you’re doing, and figure out what’s next.
Ryder has a learning disability that makes it hard to focus for long periods of time. Bullet journaling is supposed to be a quick and easy way to get organized with minimal effort. You can see that in the photos of his spreads that he put on Instagram.
You can read more about why Ryder invented bullet journaling in this great post on the Evernote Blog.
So if you want to be better with your time without having to put in a ton of effort bullet journaling is a great option.
Reasons men start bullet journals
The men I’ve talked to that keep bullet journals say they keep them for the same reasons that women do. This is not all that surprising. There’s this weird misconception that bullet journaling and creative journaling are the same thing. They’re not.
Take a look at this post on bullet journal myths to see why it’s not the case.
1. Traditional planners didn’t cut it for them.
Many men try and lean towards digital calendars but there’s just something about the old analog way. (Read more about using Google Calendar and a bullet journal here.)
Actually writing something out allows your brain to really absorb it. Writing down your goals or to-dos cement them into your brain making them easier to remember and prioritize.
But many planners are marketed towards women so it can be hard to find one that sports a more masculine feel.
This coupled with the fact that many traditional planners don’t have the layout you want or the space you need makes bullet journaling for men an attractive option.
The reason that I started bullet journaling was for this very one!
I didn’t have the space I needed to write down and organize the things I wanted to have readily available. Creating my own was what made the most sense.
2. Men are just as creative as women.
Maybe not in the same ways, but I know tons of men that love to doodle and draw. Art is a way to express yourself and capturing emotion. Drawing in your planning system makes complete sense. Just check out this post on how having a creative mindset can help you in your planning.
Many people find it therapeutic to doodle. And if your planner is always in front of you then doodling is just naturally going to happen.
Also,
Many men like to have a place where they can get creative and if it can help you be productive at the same time, it’s a win win.
3. It’s a productivity tool
When it comes down to it, a bullet journal is a productivity tool.
If you want to get more organized and have somewhere to store your plans and goals then a bullet journal is for you.
If you want one spot where you can keep everything you’ll need to keep your day, week, month, year on track, then a bullet journal is for you.
The best part is that you can use any notebook you like. As a man, that can be good since you can pick something that fits your vibe and your not limited to all the hoopla many planning companies put out there.
Bottom line the actual bullet journal method is not designed for women or men, it’s designed for a type of person that exists in a fast-paced environment that wants to make the most out of their time.
Bullet Journaling For Men – A How To
First I have to say, bullet journaling for men isn’t that different than bullet journaling for women 😛 but here are a few things that you’ll want to know.
Keep it simple
A common misconception about bullet journaling is that it has to be elaborate and colourful.
FALSE!
Black and white minimal spreads are favoured by men and women alike.
I highly encourage you to keep it simple when you’re starting. Knowing why you want to start a bullet journal and what types of things are important for you are the key factors.
Start basic and you can always add more if you want to later.
You don’t have to buy anything
All you need is a notebook and a pen.
So again keep it simple.
But if you need a few supplies, here are my suggestions.
A notebook
A pen
A pencil case
A ruler
A pencil
An eraser
You can check out a whole list of bujo supplies here if you want to get crazy.
Bullet Journaling for Men: The Basics
OK so now that you know what you need and why you’re starting let’s put it all together.
The Index
To start your bullet journal you need an index.
An index keeps track of the contents of your journal. Some notebooks come with an index and for others you’ll need to dedicate 2-4 pages for this purpose.
Either way, write index on the top of the pages for this section and you’re all set!
Every time you add something new to your journal that you might want to refer back to, add it to your index so you can find it easily in the future.
The Future Log
Since a bullet journal doesn’t have the whole year drawn out in advance you’ll want to make a future log.
This is usually 4-6 pages that will be used to record future events that you want to remember. You can keep it super basic and just split your pages into sections, using each section as a month of the year.
Title the section and then write in any important dates that you’ll need to remember. Things like birthdays, holidays, trips, deadlines etc. This will be a running list, so make sure there is room to add things as necessary.
It’s common to add little calendars so you know which dates land on what days of the week but this is completely optional.
Read all about creating and using a future log here.
The Monthly Log
After you finish with your future log, you’ll start a monthly log.
The monthly log is just a deeper dive into what you have going on in the next month.
It often includes a calendar and a running task list.
You can draw out a traditional calendar if you want to
or you can do a “ryder calendar”.
On the tasks list, you will write out things that need to get done this month and transfer over anything from the future log that you might need. As you accomplish things, cross them off and as things pop up, add them to your list.
Boom, you’re good to go.
Resources to help you with your monthly log:
Bullet Journaling for Men: How to Rapid Log
Rapid logging is kinda like brain dumping.
I have a whole post about it here
It’s where you’ll write down everything that you need to have available for you throughout the day.
All you need to do is write the date at the top of your first page and transfer anything applicable from your monthly task list. Then as the day goes on write down anything pertinent.
Things you need to do, follow ups to make, things to remember for tomorrow. Anything that’s important and you don’t want to forget.
At the end of the day go back through everything and cross out things that are unimportant or have been handled. Then move what’s left to the task list of the next day. This is called scheduling and migrating respectively.
Custom Collections
Custom collections are where you can get personal.
The bullet journal method is meant to be extremely flexible, offering you a framework to build a system that works for you.
You can add literally anything you want into your bullet journal so keep it simple or get creative.
The collections that I’ve found most helpful are collections that layout my goals or where I can plan my time.
More of how I use my bullet journal for goal setting here.
Other common collections include:
Trackers
Helpful Lists
- Master Packing List
- Master Grocery List
- Meal Ideas
- Important contact information
- Gift ideas
- Wishlists
Fun Stuff
- Monthly memories
- Tv/Movies to watch
- A doodle a day
- 2 lines a day
- Brain dumps
For more on Collections, I got a post for that.
Go forth Bujo Master!
Bullet journaling is a pretty simple concept. It just seems complicated since there are some very zealous, creative people out there that like to share the system that they’ve built.
In short, bullet journaling for men and women can be as easy and simple as you need it to be or as complex as you want it to be.
Figure out what works for you and do that.
I always stress how important it is for you to build your spreads and setups around what is important to you. Knowing what you want to get out of your bujo as a productivity and/or creative tool is essential in making it a successful thing for you to do.
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