All About Bullet Journaling: An Interview with Rayna Lo

The official bullet journal (or “Bujo”) method is the creation of Ryder Carroll, a digital designer, who first began sharing his journaling system in 2013. The idea was simple but powerful: to add visual cues to written journal entries with a “bullet” system of symbols that add a layer of meaning to each task or idea you log. His method combined elements of calendars and productivity planners with a mindful journaling practice, to make it easier to make sense out of the noise of our busy lives.

Bullet journaling quickly took off. The visual nature of the bullet journaling method appealed to the journaling community, and the concept grew as creative journalers shared their own ideas, creating beautifully framed and illustrated pages to track habits, log ideas, and lay out calendars. Its popularity has endured over the years, leading to online tutorials, videos, blog posts, Instagram accounts, and more devoted to bullet journaling.

We interviewed artist and friend of the shop Rayna Lo about bullet journaling. An accomplished illustrator and calligrapher, Rayna keeps her own bullet journal and teaches a Mindful Bullet Journaling workshop here at The Paper Mouse. Rayna tells us more about how bullet journals work, how they can help us stay organized, and how to conquer that well-known fear: the blank page.

The Paper Mouse: Most of us have probably heard the term “bullet journaling” before, but for those who don’t know, what is a bullet journal? 

Rayna Lo: To be honest, I wasn’t even sure myself when I was introduced to it by a friend. I saw what she was doing with her planners and then went down a rabbit hole to see what others were doing and found out there was so much variation and not a one-size-fits-all definition. After some exploration, I have defined bullet journaling for myself. For me, bullet journaling is art around our thoughts. We’re pairing our writing with fun drawings for a more appealing visual cue. We’re using art to emphasize and draw attention to our written words. Also, you can turn any notebook or journal into a powerful bullet journal.

How is a bullet journal different from other kinds of journals, and what makes it special or useful? 

The bullet journal’s specialness is truly in the eyes of the beholder. What makes a bullet journal special is how it’s being used. For me, the bullet journal is a tool to make my life work for me. One component of a bullet journal is the schedule aspect of my life—the monthly/weekly/daily layouts. But it’s not just about creating a calendar. In my workshops, I go further and challenge you to think about what you’re putting in your schedule and why it matters to you. So we’re not just collecting information on what we did or ate, we’re also making sense of it. A bullet journal is a way to make sense of our lives through thought-provoking prompts that influence what we put into our schedules.

How can a bullet journal help someone stay organized? What are some examples of things that can go in a bullet journal?

One example that can help us stay organized is simple lists. An important list that I advise people to make is a values list. I would advise putting this in the beginning of the journal. It’s a list of things that are really important to you. You can refer back to this values list as a compass for the rest of the bullet journal. For example, if one of your values is family time, your calendar should have more family time scheduled in. But if it doesn’t, now you can visually see the disconnect with what’s important to you and how you’re spending your time. And now you have the opportunity to say no to things that take away from your family time. This will help you prioritize your schedule and do what’s important to you. Staying organized isn’t always about adding more to our schedule. Sometimes, it’s taking things away that are not important.

How should someone decide what sections to include in their bullet journal?

I would first take some time to ask yourself what’s important to you to record. There will be some trial and error to this and that’s expected. You may think you need a tracker for certain habits, but maybe you won’t need it down the road. You may need a food tracker if one of your goals is to eat healthier. I would go in with the mindset of using this journal as a tool for exploration rather than a set-in-stone template with all your pages perfectly aligned. After all, there is no such thing as perfection. To start, try a weekly layout and a daily layout. See if these layouts work for you.   

How do you like to set up your journal? Are there particular pages you always include?

After some iterations and exploration, I realized that all I really need are monthly and weekly layouts. The month gives me a high-level overview of what’s to come, and the weekly pages allow me to explore fun layouts every week and to dive deep into what can be done within a week's timeframe. I like this layout because I can write down a quote that resonated with me for a specific day and even have small sections for quick reflections on a particular day. I, of course, have my values list in the front pages of my journal. I refer back to this list to remind myself what is important to me.

There are lots of pictures online of beautiful journal pages with illustrations and colorful writing. They look gorgeous, but they can be intimidating to a beginner. Does a bullet journal have to look beautiful? How can somebody who isn’t confident in their artistic skills get over this feeling and get started?

The simple but hard-to-implement advice is to just start. Starting is the hardest part. Start with one writing tool and limited colors. Otherwise, you’ll be overwhelmed with options and end up with decision paralysis. And then you’ll inadvertently stop yourself from starting. Also, know that what is posted on social media isn’t an accurate reflection of real life. Everyone has their unique life and everyone’s time looks different. A timelapsed post of a beautifully illustrated page may have taken hours, if not days, to plan. And realistically, we may not have hours to plan. If you don’t have hours to devote to journal pages, start with ten minutes a day and just write what comes to mind. Don’t have the expectation that you need to have it all figured out. Everyone starts not knowing what to do. But you have to begin to start knowing what you want to write or draw.

Do you ever have trouble starting a brand new journal? How do you get over the difficulty of starting the first blank page? 

Oh the tyranny of the blank, untouched, crisp-clean page. Blank pages are so intimidating! But let’s think about it this way: the whole journal is filled with blank pages. And each page is a new chance. So you’ll have lots of chances to start again. Also, I always tell myself that I am fulfilling the journal’s destiny by writing in it. The journal is begging you to use it, as it wants to be a safe vessel for all your words and thoughts. 

It can be hard to stick with a habit like journaling that takes time and effort. Do you have any advice for someone trying to build time for journaling into their day? 

New habits are hard to form, yes. But very doable and achievable. I would advise starting with small, actionable steps each day that you can build on. For example, if you have a goal to be more active, try walking outside for five minutes a day. It may seem too easy of a task, but that’s the point. The easiest things to do are often dismissed because they’re “too easy” and we feel like we’re not challenging ourselves enough. But try going outside to walk for five minutes every single day for a month. You’ll notice that it does get harder, because you’ll find yourself saying things like, “I can skip today because it’s only five minutes.” But the point is to show up every day. The same goes for writing. If you have a goal to write more, try writing for five minutes a day. Five minutes a day for thirty days is one hundred fifty minutes of writing. The time you spend each day building a habit will compound over time. And the habit will start forming.    

Do you have any favorite supplies you recommend to someone who is getting started with bullet journaling? Is there a type of notebook that works best? 

Yes! For me, all you really need is your favorite pen and some highlighters. I love the Zebra brand Mildliners for highlighters. They’re dual-tip, so you get a 2-in-1, and the colors are not overpowering. I also love pens from Muji or any fine-tip pen for writing. Just these two tools can create so many possibilities. As for notebooks, I love MD notebooks. The pages are so soft to the touch and I personally like the gridded pages for guidance. I tend to go for simple notebooks that are easy to find, since I plan on getting them for each year.

How did you get started with bullet journaling? What role does it play in your life? 

I was bullet journaling since I was a kid, but I didn’t even know it was called bullet journaling. I was always making lists and writing. I remember having a notebook and I would fill the pages with things my friends liked. I would write down all of our favorite foods and TV shows. Even today, I’m still recording all my friends’ birthdays and milestones. For me, one of my values is to build meaningful relationships, and one way I do that is to remember birthdays and other things that are important to my loved ones. When I know someone’s birthday is coming up, I’m able to plan ahead and send a care package or write a card to keep in touch with far-away friends. I also use my bullet journal to plan ahead for my various art workshops. Writing things down in an organized way helps me stay on top of my schedule. Now that I have a baby on the way, I’m so curious how I’ll use my bullet journal to help me stay organized. I’m sure it’ll be chaotic at first, but I’m excited to explore how the bullet journal can assist with things like baby’s sleep and feeding times. More to come on this!

About Rayna 

Rayna Lo is a calligrapher, illustrator, and educator living in Boston, MA. She bridges traditional Asian and contemporary art by studying traditional Chinese calligraphy and illustration through a western lens. Rayna teaches workshops in calligraphy, illustration, and bullet journaling at The Paper Mouse and around greater Boston. You can find her work at www.raynalo.com and on Instagram @rayna.lo.