Lately, I’ve been pretty into bullet journaling. I’m not sure if anyone else can relate, but I think that bullet journaling is the perfect way for a creative person like me to organize my schedules, project timelines, and goals. However, when I was first getting started, I was having a hard time finding page ideas and templates that would be useful to me as a college student. So if you’re also experiencing this predicament, look no further! In this blog post, I’ll introduce you to some templates that I have been using, and really liking, this semester.
I like using my bullet journal to keep track of incentive points for clubs. Some clubs, like Hercampus at Pace, require minimum levels of involvement for members to stay on the club’s roster, which are tracked through a point system: incentive points. At Hercampus, members are supposed to earn 15 incentive points per semester. Attending a general meeting counts for 1 point, attending an event counts for 5 points, and writing an article for publishing counts for 5 points! By tracking these points in my bullet journal, I have a visual representation of all that I’ve accomplished so far, and how much I still have left to go.
Sticking to a budget has been challenging for me this year, but I find that writing down my expenses helps me to stay on top of everything. A bullet journal template that I really like for budgeting is a no-spending habit tracker. In fact, this one is so versatile and can be modified for any budget, from a $10-a-day limit habit tracker to a $100-a-day limit one. This keeps me really organized, and I end up saving a lot of money in the long run!
I so badly wish I could take credit for this idea; Oliver, our Herald Editor-In-Chief is a genius for using his bullet journal to track unexcused absences from class. At the beginning of the semester, a professor will lay out their absence policy, and sometimes that includes a certain number of unexcused absences you’re allotted until your grade is affected. While regular class attendance is important, it’s nice to know when you have some room to be able to take a day off if needed.
I was scrolling through Pinterest one day and I found a page that was set up as a timeline, with dates marked for “complete draft,” “revise draft,” “prep for defense,” and “submit defense form.” I think this is just such a good idea for planning out a bigger assignment. Any time you have a big assignment like a final paper, it’s a good idea to break down that assignment into many smaller pieces so you don’t get overwhelmed. To put this idea in the context of Honors at Pace, I think this would be a great template to use to plan out an Honors Thesis, which sounds like a gargantuan assignment at first.
Countless times this semester, I have gone through the ordeal of Google searching for “Pace academic calendar,” opening the first link, clicking the ‘2023-2024’ tab, opening the dropdown menu ‘Academic Scheduling Dates, and then opening another dropdown menu ‘Fall 2023 Semester Dates’ just to find out when our academic breaks are. I had enough of this, so I decided to write down all the academic scheduling dates of this semester on one page in my bullet journal, which streamlines the process of remembering upcoming school breaks. I find that this is also great motivation for someone like me, because I can physically see how far I am into the semester.
Some things to keep in mind…
Your pages don’t have to look Pinterest perfect. A lot of times, I look to Pinterest for bullet journal inspiration, but seeing everyone’s intricate spreads can make bullet journaling seem intimidating. It’s important to keep in mind that your bullet journal doesn’t have to be perfect. Your bullet journal can also be structured however you like; that’s the beauty of working with a completely blank notebook. While others may find numbered pages with a table of contents helpful, you might not. If your bullet journal is functional, you’re golden.
