Rutell - Beyond Bullets

For my three Rutell men.

You fill every page of my life with joy.

Text copyright 2017 Megan Rutell. Photos copyright 2017 Megan Rutell except as noted below. Design and concept copyright 2017 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the Internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Published in the United States by:

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-769-9

Acquisitions editor: Bridget Thoreson

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Renee Rutledge

Proofreader: Shayna Keyles

Front cover design: Justin Shirley

Photographs: Megan Rutell except page 120 (top) Maggie Kan; page 120 (bottom), 121 (top) Whitney Baker; page 121 (bottom) Shelby Abrahamsen; page 122 (top) Torrie Gass; page 122 (bottom) Helen Colebrook; page 123 (top)

Sheena Maglione; page 123 (bottom) Annora Thoeng; page 124 (bottom) Tmea Kocsisnenagy; pages 125 Meka Allen; page 127 Erin Nichols; page 127 (bottom) Denise D. Qvist

Interior design and layout: Malea Clark-Nicholson

Distributed by Publishers Group West

NOTE TO READERS: This book is independently authored and published. No sponsorship or endorsement of this book by, and no affiliation with, the Bullet Journal brand of journaling products, or any trademarked brands or other products mentioned within, is claimed or suggested. All trademarks that appear in this book belong to their respective owners and are used here for informational purposes only. The author and publisher encourage readers to patronize the quality brands mentioned in this book.

CONTENTS

Table of Contents

Creative journaling is easy and enjoyable. You can energize every aspect of your life with simple organization and a dash of art, even if you have no experience with journaling. This book goes beyond mere list-making to explore the many ways of transforming a blank notebook into a treasured life companion.

Instead of providing a formula for keeping a journal, this book aims to spark your imagination by showing fun and functional possibilities. We all have different approaches to life, and journaling is no different. For that reason, Beyond Bullets does not focus on a single journaling system or philosophy. Whatever style of journaling you favor, this book will provide you with strategies to enrich the experience. Youll find a huge variety of techniques you can apply to your own journaling practice. Use them for planning, productivity, artistic expression, reflections, self-improvement, or fun (hey, were a wild and crazy bunch, us journaling folk!). This is your journey.

Youll notice this book is structured around two principal motivations for starting a creative journal: Organization and Creativity. Learning to balance these two concepts is a powerful way to manage your schedule and stay motivated to achieve your goals.

Part 1 tackles basic layout possibilities. Discover dominant journaling styles, useful supplies, strategies for developing a routine, and tips on choosing your core pages. What types of tasks do you manage in your life? What level of detail do you need in your schedule? How often do you want to create new pages? Use the templates as a starting point to design your own perfect planning pages. Youll also get a peek at different styles of charts and graphs that can log information in a visual way.

If your journal were a cake, Part 2 would be the icing. Beautiful lettering and sketches entice you to come back for another taste (and make the process feel much less like homework). Even if you have no experience with drawing, you can recreate eye-popping doodles and designs to energize your pages and fill them with color.

Spend some time getting to know the structural options in Part 1. Its so tempting to dive right into artistic pagesI sometimes feel like a magpie chasing jewels: Look at the pretties! After all, those creative elements are what attract many of us to journaling in the first place. So, we dive into fancy lettering, intricate doodles, and different colored pens for everything. Sure, the pages are gorgeous, but that creative energy waxes and wanes. A dependable structure will give you something to fall back on, even when you dont have time or motivation to be artistic.

That being said, focusing only on planning can feel bland for many people. Creativity without structure is chaotic, but organization without inspiration is lifeless. The two concepts depend on each other. Once you develop your system, the artistic elements will emerge naturally. On the other hand, if you ever feel your journal becoming joyless, indulge in some creative play. Its amazing how much stress you can purge from your task list with a hand-lettered quote and pop of color.

Now that you know how to use this book, youre well-poised to be a creative journaling mastermind. Take your time, be intentional about your planning, and have fun with it!

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.

A.A. MILNE

Modern journaling is more than simply writing your daily thoughts in a notebook. Todays journal enthusiast demands a private space to contemplate life, as well as a system that can be an all-in-one organizational solution. The trick is to keep it all organized from the beginning.

Starting a journal from scratch can be intimidating at first, but it doesnt need to be. Like most other things in life, the process is very simple if you break it down. This section will help you choose a journal, give it purpose, and develop a routine that molds to your lifestyle.

Journaling is an old, familiar tradition. It calls to mind images of ancient leather logbooks carefully penned by candlelight. The practice goes back centuries. Some of the most prominent figures in historyBenjamin Franklin, Leonardo da Vinci, and Virginia Woolf, among otherskept journals. Theres an inherent romance to cataloging life in this way.

In recent years, journaling has experienced an explosive boom in popularity, but with a new twist. Modern journals contain more than long written entries describing the days events. Theyve become catch-all sketchbooks, planners, list-keepers, health trackers, and private spaces for self-reflection. The flexibility they offer simply cant be matched by pre-printed calendars and agendas. Creative journal users appreciate the freedom of blank pages because they can design their own layouts and add personal artistic touches. Whether they need fitness charts, simple to-do lists, or space to work out a problem on paper, each page is designed and drawn to suit a specific purpose.