Students organize their lives on their own terms through bullet journaling workshop

Lola Claire, Life & Arts Editor • January 29, 2024

The Innovation Lab offers a variety of workshops for students to attend, some of which have been developed into series in which each workshop builds on the previous one. For students who are unable to attend set times, have a mastery of the skill or just want more time to flex their creative muscle, there is open lab time. Every Friday at 2 p.m., students are welcome to stop by the lab and use the materials provided under supervision of a library staff member.

Munday Library’s Innovation Lab invited students to a bullet journaling workshop meant to aid students’ organization through creativity. The Innovation Lab is known for its effort to teach students through fun activities, not only delivering them new hobbies or skills, but incentivizing a new style of learning. “I think bullet journaling is, it kind of serves two purposes,” Library Curriculum and Instruction Developer Brittney Johnson said. “It helps you organize yourself, but it’s also kind of a creative outlet as well. And so in the Innovation Lab, we’re really trying to come up with ideas and activities and workshops that really are kind of creative, and about students creating things on their own.” ( Lola Claire)

Johnson took the lead on the bullet journaling workshop, detailing the contents of a bullet journal for beginners. Johnson emphasized that while this is an effective route to starting your first journal, these items are not the only way to go about it. She encouraged students to include any organizational elements they wanted because bullet journaling is all about organization in a way that allows you to express yourself. ( Lola Claire)

The Innovation Lab offers an array of tools to help get students started on their own bullet journals. Ranging from stamps to stickers to washi tape and beyond, Johnson went all out to provide something for everyone. There were multiple color options of all the materials offered, as well as many different writing tools. Students were truly given a free range of creativity, provided with any item they may need to customize their own journals, which were also handed out free of charge. ( Lola Claire)

When the workshop first began, Johnson introduced herself to the group and asked a few questions to get students’ curiosity peaked. She gauged the room for beginners and made sure to let everyone know that this was a guided workshop but that all decisions would ultimately be their own. In a beginner’s tutorial video, it was suggested that a bullet journal begin with an index so that the user may note exactly where to find each list, item or tracker in their journal. (Lola Claire)

One of the options given in a tutorial video was to include a “future log,” which is used to track the big items and events that are coming up in the next six months. Students were shown how to break up the pages into sections wherein they could label the next three to six months and list the big ticket items coming down the pipe. This information is later used to help in smaller planning sessions, like weekly or daily task lists. The future log offers students a way to glance at the big projects and prepare for them ahead of time. (Lola Claire)

Out of all the items available to students for decorating and customizing their journals, the stamps were among the most popular. When students began to create their journals, more than three students immediately reached for the stamps. They quickly got to creating headings for the months and for individual pages of trackers and lists. Some students had never used stamps before and wanted to get in as many as possible before the workshop ended.
(Lola Claire)

Another example given in the introductory video was to separate the pages of each new month by adding washi tape to the outline of the page, making it easier to locate the bigger sections of the journal. One student outlined the page of their index, letting it stand out to quickly be found when looking for other pages. (Lola Claire)

One student created a mood tracker in which he plans on keeping a log of his mood for each day of the whole year. His plan is to create a key on the side of the page, indicating which color stands for which mood. Then, at the end of each day, he will choose the color and fill in the square of that date. At the end of the year, he will be able to see what his mood looked like over the course of 365 days. (Lola Claire)

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About the Contributor

Lola Claire, Life & Arts Editor

Lola Claire is a junior writing and rhetoric major with a concentration in creative writing and a double-minor in Journalism and Digital Storytelling. This is her second year working with "Hilltop Views" and first semester as Life & Arts Editor. Previously, she has spent time with "Hilltop Views" as a Staff Writer and as Assistant Life & Arts Editor. She is quite excited for this opportunity to learn and grow as a journalist. Lola loves writing, digital media, playing the piano and learning new things. She hopes to bring something new to the table and make meaningful connections along the way!

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