how to brilliant journal and how to bullet journal

The first step in Brilliant Journaling is to prepare your journal to collect your ideas. The initial act of preparation serves as a primer for your journal and your mindscape to become acquainted with one another. We'll leave the particulars on the layout of the journal up to your personal preference. But, once your journal is established and syncs up with your thoughts, you'll find it much easier to collect your ideas, lay out your plans, and be brilliant.

Step 1: Personalize Your Journal's Layout

There are as many layouts for a journal as there are grains of sand in the sea. On one end of the spectrum, some will jump headfirst into the deep-end of journaling with no need for structure at all. On the other hand, many start out with the intention of journaling every day but create an overly complicated system that is fun to set up, but very dry in execution. To combat this when starting out your Brilliant Journal, we recommend not to put up too many barriers to the flow of creativity. Rather, stick to a few simple guide rails to keep you on the path to brilliance.

Another common misconception is that any amount of structure will impede a creative endeavor. By peering into the past at Leonardo Da Vinci, it's easy to see the inverse is true. He would begin by stretching the canvas taut, then under-paint the shadows and highlights of his newest piece. In other words, he layered glazes by coordinating his color palettes. Da Vinci honed and utilized the preparation process that brought his art to life and immortalized him.

Journaling is your work of art, and it's paramount to give your journal some structure from the get go. Ideas are a lot like individual strings of thread. When they're knotted and tangled together, it's impossible to parse. When organized, you can figure out how they go together. Your journal will serve as your worktable as you assemble, blend, and merge ideas. Ideas will quickly add up into a mosaic for you to reflect upon.

Brilliant Journaling Organization Techniques

People's journals are manifestations of their thought, and the interior of them can vary wildly. We talked to three journal innovators and were able to glean how they customized their journals.

Option 1: Divide Journal Into Sections

We first sat down with Bill. Bill is an engineer based out of Boston. He dedicated his journal to his business. He divided it into three distinct sections. The beginning portion is for his current projects, to-do lists, and accomplishments. The second portion collects data and results from engineering tests. Lastly, at the back, you may find his open space for brainstorming, new inventions, and everyday inspiration.

Option 2: Use Table Of Contents To Keep Track

Another way of personalizing your journal can be gained from Jackie. She's an interior designer and blogger located in Manhattan. For her, her journal is a daily record of inspiration and notes. In contrast to Bill, she uses her journal space as a stream of consciousness style log of meetings, sketches, mockups, and lists. Key sections are highlighted in her table of contents for easy future reference.

Option 3: Customized Bullet Journal Lists & Symbols

Brian, an entrepreneur in Austin, has created his own system. His journal's sole purpose is for the launch of his new tech business. He has adapted the classic Bullet Journaling symbols to keep a record of his thoughts, to-dos, and upcoming industry events. It even pulls double duty and works as his personal planner. His system is a bit more flexible than Bill's or Jackie's in layout but is more rigid in the nitty-gritty. For him, he can track and categorize according to his personalized code.

Drawing Inspiration From Others' Brilliant Journaling

These unique journaling organization techniques are all founded upon an initial vision and layout. By assessing what you want from your journal, your own system will flow naturally. Just as Da Vinci stretched his canvas, you'll choose your writing implements, the size of the journal, and maybe even a leather journal cover that will lay the groundwork for the creativity to blossom. Choose a system that works for you, and the rest will follow. Mix and match different ideas, and be sure and share yours in the comments!