When I need to get something done, I forget about it unless I do it right away. It helps me to write things down to get my thoughts in order. I’ve made journals and to-do lists but never been dedicated enough to keep any of them. Many times I would write things down and throw them away because I would tell myself they are unimportant, but that is simply not true. Everything is important even if it was your bad day in eighth grade. I truly believe writing helps you communicate your thoughts better to others and have a better understanding yourself.

Maybe you don’t want to remember your bad day, but it is still good to write about how you felt and how you reacted. We don’t think about it, but every moment can affect us in some way. When I write, I can see more clearly how I feel and what I want. Although writing takes a lot of time and thought, it makes you more comfortable with yourself and how you feel. We all have something important to share, whether we think it or not.

If you are not into a full out journal, I have found something else you could try. I was recently told about this type of journaling called bullet journaling. A bullet journal is actually a planner as well as a journal. This type of journaling helps you prioritize your day and actually accomplish what you want to, while also being a book where you can put your thoughts into.

At first sight, bullet journaling seems like a lot of work to do but actually, it is really simple. The basics are jotting down anything important to you. It is how it sounds; instead of writing drawn out sentences, you just add bullet points. The way the bullets are organized is really neat. Each type of thought will have a different type of bullet.

For to-do items, you could put a dot or bullet next to it. After it is accomplished, put an “x” over the bullet rather than crossing them off. When you schedule something, put a less than symbol (<) and use a greater than symbol (>) to show that the task has been “migrated” or moved because you didn’t finish it. A dash (-) is used when you want to jot down thoughts, notes, or smaller events. Open circles are used to symbolize big events. These symbols are interchangeable, and you are free to do whatever you feel is better.

Bullet journaling is pretty easy to get into because of its freedom of space and style. You can write a short list of things you need to buy or describe a whole evening. There are many styles and approaches to journaling which makes it seem scary at first. When you look at other’s journals that are super artsy and well planned out, you should not make that your immediate expectation because simplicity is not bad as long as it has a function. I’m not an expert on bullet journaling, so if you want to learn more you can read Dot Journaling-A Practical Guide by Rachel Wilkerson Miller or find guides online. This may not be for everyone, but I think that if you just want to get more things done, you should totally try it.