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!

Comments

Bullet Journal for the Hard Working Educator

NOTE: the original page linked to from this post disappeared so I've relinked it to the wayback machine at archive.org. Some of you bullet journalers are teachers. That's a lot on your plate. We home school at our house. I help out when the children are struggling with certain things, but mostly my lovely wife handles the curriculum. She's got a ton of stuff to manage. I'm trying to pique her interest in the Bullet Journal method and I think building an amazing example of a teacher's bullet journal may do the trick. So I've been looking for bullet journal ideas related to schooling. For example, on her blog, Jessica Chung has a post describing 16 layouts for educators . Check out this Class Semester for Teachers inspired by Jessica's post. Jessica includes goals, a monthly/weekly outlook, a semester chart, course overview, assignment map, and much more in her journal. She also provides several photos with the explanations. There are some minor...

DIY Add a paper pocket to your journal

Got a plain old notebook? There are plenty of options out there and you may not find one with all the features you like. But journalers are already familiar with customizing their journals and we tend to like that. Here's a super easy DIY option for a pocket. Not everyone needs a pocket in their journal. If you want a pocket but don't have one, here is a very simple method using one Legal or A4 size sheet of paper and double-sided tape. (Affiliate links included.) The Universal Journals are printed by Lulu.com Any print on demand service will be limited compared to a traditional printer. As capable as Lulu.com is (with quick turn around, worldwide availability, lots of product options for customers, and more), there are lots of things journalers might want in their Universal Journal that Lulu just can't do. At least not at this time. But this also makes for ideal customization. Make it your own. Got any other ideas for adding a pocket to a book? Comment h...

Ultra-Streamlined Style Part 2

Continuing with the Monthly Module set up from the previous post, which focused mainly on the left page of the monthly spread , let's tackle the habit tracker on the right page. Style Basics A quick recap of the principles of the Ultra-Streamlined Style: avoid using unnecessary tools (extra tools require extra time to use) avoid drawing lines when space can be used instead write no more than necessary (purely functional use) If you need a full page or even full spread for your habit tracker, this approach isn't for you. For those who could benefit from a smaller habit tracker, this technique combines the monthly module with the tracker to avoid redundancy where possible. Setting up the tracker In keeping with the recommended monthly module as described at BulletJournal.com , which includes a tasks list, this Ultra-Streamlined Style makes room for a habit tracker on the task list page (the right page of the monthly spread). In this technique, the right pa...

Search This Blog