Minimalist bullet journal for students

So you have a lot of classes spread out over campus. Maybe you have labs, rehearsals, group sessions, and more, but you also have homework and studying to do. And you're not a robot, you're a human being who has other needs as well (you'll have to fit in food and sleep somewhere, right?). What is the quickest, easiest way your bullet journal can help with all this?

Let's start off with an understanding: this minimalist's approach to bullet journaling is all about function but in a sleek, elegant way. I have plenty of creative outlets so I don't need my bullet journal for that. The following recommendations certainly leave room for you to artistically express yourself all you want. But for students who want a quick and painless way to manage your academic life, try the following ideas on the basics.

Master Syllabus

In this post on a Master Syllabus you'll see a spread for a quick syllabus where you can keep an overview of all major assignments and their due dates. I don't need to explain to you the value of having all this information in one place. This design also makes for a good weekly layout if you use weeklies. The master syllabus can also help avoid cluttering your future log if you use one. Keeping brain spaces separate is useful for me.

Daily Log: Blocked Schedule

For the overbooked student (which seems to be the norm in higher education these days) a blocked schedule may be the trick to keeping your day properly organized. In this post on a blocked daily log you'll see how to set up your daily schedule in 5 minutes or less, depending on how much you try to cram in each day. Daily logs also serve as a good opportunity for reflection, which is an important part of the bullet journal system.

Notes

What about class notes? This post on minimalist note taking shows how to easily separate content from non-content information. This layout works for class notes, study notes, group sessions, labs, etc. If you have room in your master syllabus perhaps that could be used to index the notes pages to avoid cluttering your front index if you use one. Maybe a second index just for school stuff would help. Organizing these notes for easy access will reduce page flip lag. And don't forget about threading.

Monthly Spread

Even with all this organization you may still need a monthly spread. I use a very minimal but highly functional monthly spread including a couple trackers.

Do you have any minimalist bullet journal suggestions for students? Or do you want to see other spread ideas? Comment here and be sure to subscribe!

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