5 Benefits of Having A Bullet Journal For Goals

When it comes to productivity tools and systems to make reaching your big goals easier, there is one that I always come back to. The tool I’m talking about is bullet journaling.

It can do way more for you besides just being a planner—it’s a powerful tool. I use my bullet journal for goal setting and tracking mostly. In this post I’ll show you how I do it, and why you should start using your bullet journal for goals as well.

What Is Bullet Journaling?

We have a wealth of information about bullet journaling on GenTwenty. Whether you want a catchup crash course, or you’re looking for something more specific, we’ve got you covered. While you are here, here are the main points you need to know about bullet journaling.

• The bullet journal method was started by Ryder Caroll.
• Bullet journals are typically dot grid notebooks, but you can use anything you have.
• Bullet journal spreads consist of pages like a future log, index, monthly layout, weekly layout, daily log, and various collections. 
• There are many unique ways to use your bullet journal, from highly decorated to very minimal. There is no “correct way” to bullet journal.

5 Benefits Of Having A Bullet Journal For Goals

There are many benefits of bullet journaling in general. When it comes to going after your goals bullet journaling can be even more beneficial. Here are benefits you can expect by using a bullet journal for your goals.

1. It Helps You Keep Track Of Your Goals

One of the powerful tools I’ve gotten through bullet journaling has been the importance of tracking habits. When you have a goal you are wanting to achieve you’ll need to create a habit or two.

You can use your bullet journal to do that. This is great for finding patterns and keeping you motivated. Think of it like an action plan for your long-term goals.

2. It Gives You A Specific Place For Your Goals

There is something to be said for having a certain place for your goal setting. It not only keeps you organized, it puts you in a great mindset. Everytime you see your bullet journal you’ll think of your goals and how badly you want to achieve them.

3. It Helps You Stay Inspired

We aren’t letting go of our new year’s resolutions this time. If you are ever feeling unmotivated, take a look at your bullet journal. After flipping the pages, and seeing all your hard work, you’ll get inspired again.

There are many other ways to get inspired to reach your goals. I think looking at your bullet journal is a great strategy because it gives you something tangible to see all the work you have put in.

4. It Will Be Great To Look Back On

Picture this: It’s months after you started your goals bullet journal. You have achieved what you set out to do and now you are looking back on your journey.

How awesome is it that you have proof of everything you did to reach your goals? It can be great to look back on. It also provides a roadmap for your next goal.

5. It Keeps You Creative

While creativity isn’t directly related to goal setting, it does have many benefits. Some of those benefits can aid you in your journey to achieving your goals.

By coming up with new bullet journal pages for goals that you have, you are stretching your creativity. Think of it as an added benefit.

What Types Of Goals Can You Track In A Bullet Journal?

You could have a general goals bullet journal where you track all different types of goals. Some examples are personal goals, professional goals, and time-sensitive goals (like yearly goals and monthly goals).

There are also instances where you may want to use your bullet journal for more specific goals. Here are some different ways that would work well for bullet journaling.

You can also use your bullet journal for quarterly goals, weekly goals, daily goals, smaller goals, daily tasks or even as a vision board. The important thing is that it helps you stay on the right track to achieve any and all of your goals and keep track of any list of things you want to watch.

Reading 

If you are making it a goal to read a certain amount of books in a year, a bullet journal is a great place to keep track of your goal. Some of the layouts you can use for this, besides the tracker itself, are a habit tracker, reading stats, list of recommendations, and more.

You could even have a section for each book where you write your favorite quotes, main themes of the book, etc…This is great for both short and long term goals.

Finances

There could be many reasons why you’d want to track financial goals in a bullet journal. It’s great for tracking the debt you are paying off, or even monthly bills and expenses in monthly spreads.

You can also use bullet journaling for your savings goals too, like for vacation, holidays, and more. Some page layouts you would find in a financial bullet journal would be things like a habit tracker for spending, a savings tracker, debt snowball page, and a no spend challenge tracker, to name a few.

Health

Health is a broad topic, so this could look like a lot of different things. You could set goals like your marathon-prep progress, menstrual cycle, weight loss journey, and much more.

You could even combine all of these to make an overall wellness bullet journal. Tracking your health goals is important and having it in one place is a great way to make it easier to reference when you need it.

School/Career Goals

If you are currently in school, or maybe transitioning careers, a bullet journal can be handy to have. You can use it in school to keep track of any major projects, grades, etc…If you are job hunting a bullet journal is an easy way to keep track of your applications, skills and assessments, and more.

How To Get Started

Now that you have a good idea of what you can do with a bullet journal for goals it’s time to start your bullet journal. Here is how I prep to create my bullet journal spreads. Let me know your process in the comments.

1. Decide on your goals: Your first step is to decide why you are starting a bullet journal in the first place. It can be one of the ideas above, or something completely different. Ask yourself what your biggest goals are is one of the best ways to decide.
2. Gather inspiration: If you are unsure what to put in your bullet journal, Pinterest and YouTube are great resources to help put you in the right direction.
3. Brainstorm layouts: Now that you have some ideas, but you aren’t quite ready to put marker to bullet journal, it’s time to brainstorm how your own spreads will look.
4. Get creative: It all comes down to this. It’s time to fill your bullet journal with all of the layouts you planned, or didn’t plan. Remember you don’t have to have artistic talent to have a bullet journal. All you need is to be willing to create your spreads the way you want them. Don’t be afraid to get messy, make mistakes, or use your best accessories you’ve been saving like those shiny stickers or printed washi tape.

Once you get your first page done you’ll be amazed at the great time you’re having just focused on your goals! I can’t wait to see all the goals you are going for with the help of your bullet journal. If you’re up for it, post it on social media and tag us so we can cheer you on.

About the Author

Kelly graduated from Liberty University with a degree in Advertising and Public Relations and a minor in Journalism. Even though it took her a little while to find her career path, she was always meant to be in Communications. She remembers writing poems and songs when she was a little girl and pitching to my parents the reasons why I should have a cell phone when I was a teenager. She currently has a blog (budding-joy.com) where she talks about her weight-loss journey, mental health and personal development. Her hope is to encourage and inspire readers and let them know they are not alone. Reading blog posts like that are what helped her in tough times and she wants to pay it forward. She loves dance fitness, listening to music, and creating layouts in her bullet journal. She’s a big fan of planning, especially when cute notebooks and pens are involved.
Her dream job has changed so much over the years; right now she’d love to co-own a dance studio.

Website: budding-joy.com