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In the psychoanalytic theory, we talk about the part of the personality regarding the ID; which is our impulses and desires to do certain actions while completely disregarding the consequences.The ID relates to my personalty specifically competitively in reference with sports. I play water polo. I absolutely love the sport from shooting the ball to bonding with my team, I adore every second of it. But, knowing the intensity of the sport, you are bound to have some difficulties along the way. Where my ID is unleashed the most in during games is whenever a player form the other team provokes me somehow during the game or is simply being super annoying. I start to play dirty on them and grab, scratch, kick, and push. One time a splashed a girl so hard in the face, the crowd even gasped. Usually, this ends up being a kick-out called by the referee but I honestly do not care because the adrenaline rush it gives me keeps me going through the game and honestly, gives me a sense of happiness knowing I was able to get back at the other player.

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When talking about the psychodynamic theory in regards to the ego, we reference essentially a happy middle between the ID and SUPEREGO in attempts to achieve a reasonable way to satisfy the ID's needs while at the same time taking the SUPEREGO's needs into consideration as well. The EGO relates to my personality with relation to the current diet I am on. Earlier this year i went on a diet, in-fact it was a raw vegan diet so no dairy, no meat, only veggies and you cant even cook them! It was absolutely insane but it did make me feel good. Consequently, i started getting really sick of this diet and was seriously craving some candy. Going a full month without my TWIX was a hard task, considering they are my favorite candy. So instead of going all out on my diet being raw vegan, I decided to simply be vegetarian. Also along with that I decided that some junk food is okay in moderation as long as i don't snarf down a whole bag of cool ranch Doritos. This made me enjoy my diet more as I was able to eat some of the things I love and still feel healthy.

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The SUPEREGO in the psychodynamic theory states that it diminishes the desires of the ID and turns the simplistic values of the EGO, into a strive for perfection. The way that the SUPEREGO relates to my personality is through my positive attitude. Whenever others around me are feeling down or are upset, for example, my cousin not getting the job he really wanted, i always strive and go out my way to make sure that that person will soon be feeling content, even if it interferes with what I am doing in the moment. When I was driving to the grocery store to pick up some ordered pictures for my mom, i got a call from my cousin telling me he didn't get the job. The second he told me that, i took a U-turn and drive straight to his house to hang out with him. I couldn't bear myself knowing how devastated he was, so i of course I waned to be there for him. Thankfully, my presence for him definitely brightened up his day ad made me feel really good and proud about myself knowing that my act of kindness made somehow feel a bit better about themselves.

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Within the psychodynamic theory, we are told how childhood experiences influence personality within adulthood. Specifically, un-pleasing events. A childhood event I believe has greatly impacted my personality is how I was viciously bullied for about 4 years. My childhood bully, Lizzie her name was, simply was not fond of me. I was hit, kicked, spat on, made fun of, and one time she even stapled my hands together for her self-amusement. It never stopped even after school, once we found out about social media, the bullying would continue on from there. I thought that it would eventually stop but it never did, and for some reason I never told my parents. I don't remember why I didn't tell them, possibly I didn't want to stir up more drama. This has shaped my personality in a negative way consequently after the situation because I became not only extremely self-conscious of myself, but I would never speak to anyone and practically have no voice. I felt very alone and I never voiced my feelings as they would always cloud up my head. Thankfully, I learned to break out of that shell once middle school hit. I met many new friend sand really got to see a new part of me as a person. In moments, I am often thankful for those moments I was bullied because I feel that without them, I would not be as strong as I present myself to be today.

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Displacement refers to taking out your frustrations to taking out your feelings or frustrations on people or things that are less threatening to lessen the feeling of guilt. I use this defense mechanism the most on my family, specifically my mom. Whenever I am very angry and my family is near me, they usually get to know why I am angry and often consequently be blamed for it when in reality they have no correlation to it. For example, after a hard loss against North in a water polo tournament a coupe weeks back, I was obviously not in a good mood, no one on the team was. When my mom picked me up from the game, she asked how the game was, and immediately I just blew up. I yelled at my mom blaming her for my anger, saying she never should have asked me about my day and that I never should have gone. I blamed her for ever convincing me to do polo and somehow found more to yell at my mom about. Although this consequently made me feel much relieved, this defense mechanism is not good as they can put your guilt on to somehow else making them feel like the problem.

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Reaction Formation refers to a person hiding away their feelings and emotions while at the same time displaying the complete opposite emotions in attempts to tricking others you feel a certain way. I use this defense mechanism often when I am feeling underneath weather. I do not like feeling sad or upset, i realize that these emotions are completely okay, but I simply do not lie when these feelings cross my path. So whenever the feeling of sadness, i usually convert to the quote, fake it till you make it, and cover those emotions up with a smile. For example, I remember that after a swim meet earlier this year, I got second in a event that I really wanted t get first in. Immediately when I got second, i was in a state of shock. I had no idea I would lose, and considering all the work I put in, I was honestly devastated. But i didn't not want to come home that way and complain to my parents, so i sucked it up and pretended that I was still proud of my race and content with the outcome, when in realty I was feeling the complete opposite.

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Projection refers to seeing your own flaws and faults in someone else and seeing them as very poor, when you reality you posses of these qualities as well. I use this defense mechanism often when my friends and I gossip. Because I am a 16 year old girl in high school, gossiping about other girls is no surprise, especially with your close friend group. My friends and I often talk about the super popular girls and they usually are not the nicest things. We often call them out on bad things they have done, their looks, and the way they act and, happened to notice a while back that sometimes, the things we say about others we often posses ourselves. For example, I was talking about a girl in the swim team that i dislike, She is always so loud and annoying. She constantly screams on deck and sometimes I wish I cloud put a mute button on her. After talking bad about her to my friend for a while it finally hit me...I CAN BE SUPER LOUD AND ANNOYING TOO! I often scream and dance around and have fun. I was making fun of someone and bringing someone down on their personality, when in reality we are very alike!

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Sublimation refers taking out your anger and stresses in a much more acceptable form. I use this defense mechanism into my water polo. Whenever I am frustrated about school and sometimes even my close relationships whether it is family or friends, I always feel better after my water polo practice. For example, I got a bad grade on a Spanish test that I studied very hard for. I was infuriated with my grade in fact. But since I have water polo practice after school, i knew that I would be able to release my anger out. With the hard swimming and shooting the ball, all the anger would consequently be released from within me, leaving me feeling much more relived and often happier then when I came into practice.

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Love and belonging is Maslow's 3rd stage in his hierarchy of needs. This stage relates to the needs for being social and the feeling of belonging. Although I feel as if i ave surpassed this level in Maslow's hierarchy of needs, this level very well motivates me. In fact it may motivate me the most!  This level motivates me the most because of my great desire to always be around people. I am most certainly an extrovert and get most of my energy by being surrounded by many people. I thrive off of social interaction. I despise being alone with a passion. When I am alone I feel as if i have no friends and a complete loner. Also, I always make sure that I am getting the most out of my relationships with people around me whether it is family or friends. I always do my best to commit to fulfilling friendships and makes sure that each one has purpose to improve on my life and hopefully theirs. I definitely crave social interaction and without it, my personalty probably wouldn't flourish the same as with love and belonging.

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Self-esteem is the fourth stage in Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This stage relates to a need for respect and to induce esteem for oneself or receiving esteem from others. I definitely am motivated quiet a bit by this stage because I have a strong desire to be have a good reputation and  to have people, believe that I am a good person. I often go out of my way to do things so people believe I am much greater of a person than I actually am. Sometimes I will completely start a conversation with someone just so I can get some sort of validation from then to feel better about myself. I definitely am stuck in the self-esteem level of the hierarchy of needs, but once I completely embrace who i am and ignore what others opinions are f me, then i believe that I can possibly work my way of of this stage.

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My ideal self and real self do not differ form each other too much. The only place they differ extremely is relating to the topic of time management. Although I consider myself very well organized with my work and my work is very well thought out, I definitely struggle in being able to set times for myself as well as stick to something for a certain time duration. For example, this project, I feel that I am easily able to lay out certain things in a certain format that presents itself to be very well thought out and overall, organized, when in reality it took me a lot of work to get there. This project could easily be well thought out and finished in maybe 2 days when for me it took me from the first all the very to the last day to thoughtfully finish it. It doesn't have anything to do with whether i enjoy something or not, because I in fact really liked doing this project, simply, I cant stick to doing something for longer than 30 minutes.

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Openness in the BIG 5 has synonyms of curiosity, imagination, and creativity; while the antonyms are stubbornness and unoriginal. I definitely fall very high on the openness because i have a very broad amount of interests and are very eager to learn new things. Whenever I am able to do some new experience around me, it is very rare I will ever say no. My family was actually offered a free ticket for all of us to do scuba diving, but I was the only one who ended up doing it because they were all scared. Also, I am very passionate about art. I love being able to unleash my creativity in a  way where their are no rules to give you limits. There is no right or wrong and everything is left to your interpretation and whatever you make is sincerely your and no one elses.

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Conscientiousness has the synonyms of organized, persistent,and responsible; while the antonyms are negligent and careless. I definitely fall very high on his scale due to high standards regarding detail and my goal directed behaviors. Although i struggle on time management quite a bit, there is no doubt in my mind that i love organization. In fact, my own parents call me a clean freak. My room is practically spotless and I clean endlessly. I make sure all my school supplies are clean and I am pretty sure that consequently leads to better success within my school life. Overall cleanliness gives me a lot of joy, seeing everything things gives me a sense of relief and definitely brings calmness to my mind.

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Extroversion has synonyms of talkative, energetic, and active; while the antonyms are antisocial and withdrawn. I most certainly rate high on this scale because of my of how being around people and being social gives me energy. I am certainly an extrovert and love being around people. Being alone and in a quiet environment leaves me irking to just meet people and talk to others. I was actually asked to leave a library due to the fact that I was talking so loud. Being in a social environment makes me very happy and being around people forming relationships gives em a sens of purpose that makes my life feel very fulfilling and complete.

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Agreeableness has synonyms of cooperative, trustworthy,and forgiving; while it has antonyms of aggressive and argumentative. I definitely rate high in this level due to my great interest and empathy that have towards people along with my interest to help others.I absolutely adore helping others and making sure hat somehow their day get better by my actions. I actually really enjoy doing many different types of community service. My favorite place to do community service is actually feed my starving children. I don't enjoy community service for the sake of myself, it is mostly knowing that somehow this will benefit somehow in the world that gives me a better sense of empathy and makes me much more passionate about making change in the world.

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Neuroticism has synonyms of emotional, anxious, and moody; while it has antonyms of confident, secure, and hopeful. For me, my levels can change drastically depending on the day so I would put myself in the middle. Some days I am completely confident in myself and loving myself. Cherishing whatever comes my way and living carelessly ignoring others opinions and only caring about what I think about myself. While other days, especially on a very stressful filled school day, I feel completely unsure of myself and reserve myself from many activities and keep most of my thoughts to myself. All in all, I place myself in the middle due to how often this level can change. I all depends on the day but I am constantly working to keep it relatively low to ensure a much more actualized lifestyle.

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I just wanna be somebody to someone, oh
I wanna be somebody to someone, oh
I never had nobody and no road home
I wanna be somebody to someone
(Love and Belonging)

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Lift your eyes see the things unseen
Remember who you wanna be
Let the light hit your eyes
Let out the beauty that's been trapped inside
Let them know that your not gonna hide
Hey up there your arms open wide spread your wings and fly But the sun is always there to shine
(Being content with yourself)

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But who am I?
Oh, how fast the evening passes
Cleaning up the champagne glasses
(How i like to clean)

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HARDER, BETTER FASTER, STRONGER BY DAFT PUNK

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HARDER, BETTER FASTER, STRONGER BY DAFT PUNK

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Work it
Make it
Do it
Make us

Harder
Better
Faster
Stronger

Work it harder
Make it better
Do it faster
Makes us stronger

More than ever
Hour after
Our work is
Never over
(Hard worker and likes to win)

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So, so what?
I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves
And I don't need you
And guess what
I'm having more fun
And now that we're done
I'm gonna show you tonight
I'm alright, I'm just fine
And you're a tool
So, so what?
I am a rock star
I got my rock moves
And I don't want you tonight
(Being confident in yourself and ignoring what others have to say about you)

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THE EAST SWIM POOL AND MY FAVORITE POOL!

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THE EAST SWIM POOL AND MY FAVORITE POOL!

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MY COUSIN (who didn't get the job) MY SISTER AND I!

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MY COUSIN (who didn't get the job) MY SISTER AND I!

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A PLAYER AND I (#11) FIGHTING FOR THE BALL!

# data[].attributes.subject
A PLAYER AND I (#11) FIGHTING FOR THE BALL!

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ME EXPLORING THE SMOKEY MOUNTAINS IN TENNESSEE!

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ME EXPLORING THE SMOKEY MOUNTAINS IN TENNESSEE!

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MY FRIENDS TAKING CARE OF MY ROBOT BABY FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT!

# data[].attributes.subject
MY FRIENDS TAKING CARE OF MY ROBOT BABY FOR CHILD DEVELOPMENT!

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MY FAVORITE ORGANIZATIONAL TOOL, MY BULLET JOURNAL!

# data[].attributes.subject
MY FAVORITE ORGANIZATIONAL TOOL, MY BULLET JOURNAL!

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Hello there!

In this article I will go a bit deeper into how the Bullet Journal system works and walk you through how to get started.

The absolute best place to get started with the Bullet Journal is by going to the Bullet Journal website.

First, please watch the official video, even if you have already, it is always a good idea to get a refresher. :)

What is the Bullet Journal?

The Bullet Journal is an analog system created by Ryder Carroll, a Designer based in New York. In his words, the Bullet Journal is meant "to help you track the past, organize the present, and plan for the future." It's an amazing system that keeps a record of everything you could ever want to toss at it. It can be your task manager, sketchbook, journal, idea catcher, and much more!

The Bullet Journal is a organizational system in a notebook that keeps track of anything you would like to write down in an coherent way.

What do you need to get started?
Mindset
First, let's talk about your motivation for using the Bullet Journal. Most of the people who Bullet Journal tend to do it because it's a flexible system that lets them work the way that they work.

It's important to think about what you want a system to do for you before you dive in. That said, you'll figure out your needs more as time goes on, so get started after you've thought about it for a little while.
Tools
Honestly, any notebook and pen will do. If you'd like to grab one that's already set up for the Bullet Journal with an Index and page numbers, then I recommend a Leuchtturm1917 notebook. It is archival quality which means that it will keep what you write in your notebook safe. Options Bullet Journalists really seem to like are:
Notebooks

Official Bullet Journal Leuchtturm1917 (Definitely highly consider grabbing one of these beauties at some point to thank Ryder for sharing the system with us!)

Leuchtturm1917 ( Amazon) (Fountain pen friendly, some show-through)

Moleskine (Show-through and possible bleed-through)

Rhodia (Fountain pen friendly, little to no show-through)

Essentials (Little to no show-through, possible bleed-through)

Field Notes (Pocket-sized notebooks, possible bleed-through)

Clairefontaine ( Amazon // GouletPens) (Fountain pen friendly)

Markings by C.R. Gibson

Zequenz (Small, light grid option, flexible, 400 pages. Show-through, possible bleed-through. Their 'small' is an awesome size in between pocket and medium size)

Pens
As I mentioned before, however, you can get started with any pen and notebook that you have on hand. If you decide that you like the system, you can grab a different notebook and pen later on.

Let's dive in!

Indexing, Collections, Rapid-Logging, and Migration make up the foundation of the Bullet Journal.

1. Index

This is the genius of the Bullet Journal. In order for Indexing to work, you need to number your pages, this way your entries can be added to the Index. The Index is how your organize your entries in your Bullet Journal.

Entries in the Bullet Journal are called Collections.

2. Collections

Every page in the Bullet Journal is given a topic and these topics are referred to as Collections.
Every entry in the Bullet Journal is by definition a Collection, regardless of what it looks like.
There are 3 main types of Collections that make up the Bullet Journal (Future Log, Monthly Log, and Daily Log):

1. Future Log

This is where you write down events occurring in future months. You can create the layout that makes the most sense to you, the basic iteration is this one:

Also create a blank page to keep Events and Tasks you don't have a specific date in mind to get to, but want to at some point, such as buying a motorcycle.

2. Monthly Log

The Monthly Log consists of two facing pages, one is the Calendar Page and the other is the Task Page.

Calendar Page
Use this to write down your Events and/or add a Note of what happened. The Calendar is laid out this way to give you enough space to write a short snippet of Events you may have going on and also to Note anything you may wish to remember. This will allow you to get a snapshot of what happened.
Task Page
This list consists of Tasks you want to get done this month and tasks from last month. I will explain the second part of this sentence in a moment.

3. Daily Log

This is the heart of the Bullet Journal. This is used on a day-to-day basis. The date will be the topic. Throughout the course of the day you will rapid-log Tasks, Events, and Notes as they occur.

No worries if you skip a few days here and there. The beauty of the Bullet Journal is that you can pick it up whenever!

Other Collections

Collections are a group of related ideas. Every single page in the Bullet Journal is by definition considered a Collection. This includes the Monthly Log, Daily Log, Future Log, and any page you give a topic to. Every page in the Bullet Journal will have a topic assigned to it, thus every entry you add into your Bullet Journal is a Collection.

To reiterate: every entry is considered a Collection.

For example, a food log, shopping list, meeting notes, and more are all considered Collections.

Collections can take any shape or form.

Collections can be mindmaps, goal plans, trackers, brainstorming, journaling, sketchnotes, notes, blueprints, design mock-ups, sketches, doodles, ANYTHING. If your mind can conceive it, your notebook can contain it.

You can make a drawing on a page and the way you'd add that to the Index is by writing, "Drawings: 5, 8-9, 17, ..."

Let's take a look at some examples of Collections to help you cement the idea that EVERYTHING you could ever want to add into this special notebook system is considered a Collection.

Remember, a Collection is a grouping of related ideas, no matter what the form.

Collection (List):

You can make a list of anything! Here I made a list of songs I like. If you recall, in the Daily Log I have these songs with a Note Bullet. I have since Migrated them to a Collection to keep them in one place, as per the Bullet Journal guidelines when you find yourself writing down the same kind of idea over and again in your Daily Logs.
Collections can begin organically, however, and do not need to be started in the Daily Logs. You can start a Collection anytime you want to write down related ideas.

Collection (Log):

Collections can be logs of some kind. Here is the Gratitude Log I created to write down 3 things I am thankful for each night, seeing them all in one place makes my heart happy.

Collection (Notes):

Collections can be a series of notes.

Collections (Log & Tracker):

Collections can take a bit of form and set up according to how you need them. Here I set up a tracker and log hybrid to write down notes about how I feel after my C25K runs.

Collection (Mind-map):

Collections are free-form by nature, which makes it a perfect place to create mind-maps to connect thoughts.
The thing to remember is that at its core, the Bullet Journal is based in a notebook, and because of this reason you can add anything to it and organize it with the Index. Simply begin an idea on a new page, give it a topic (title) and Index it!

Collection (Goal Plans):

Goals are fun to think about in a notebook. The Bullet Journal allows for a huge amount of flexibility and because of this, you can add ANYTHING to it. Here I wrote out my plan for losing 15lbs, wrote out my motivation (to remind me of why I'm going for this goal on tougher days), wrote out a S.M.A.R.T. game plan, and color-coded to connect the ideas on how I would follow-through. (Please try to ignore the fact that I misspelled a word...)

Collection (Tracker):

Simply making an intentional plan isn't enough, there needs to some sort of system implemented to help you reach your goals. A tracker is the perfect thing to help you reach your aims! Here's a week-by-week tracker related to the goal plan from the last photo.

Collection (Sketches):

Sometimes you just want to turn the page and sketch. Simply make an entry in your Index called, "Sketches: 22, 45-49,..." and add to it to keep track of your Collections that span across several pages. Here are some quick sketches I made.

There are many, many other forms and types of Collections I'm sure you could come up with! It's a notebook, first and foremost, and the blank page is a canvas to create anything you wish! Loosely paraphrasing from Ryder. You fill Collections with short-form notations. In the Bullet Journal, these notations are referred to as Rapid-logging.

3. Rapid-logging

This is the basis of how the Bullet Journal got its name because Rapid-logging consists of Bullets and Signifiers. Rapid-logging is meant to be short-form notation. Rapid-logging consists of 2 parts (Bullets and Signifiers):

1. Bullets

These are divided into 3 main categories:
Task Bullet
The Task Bullet is indicated by a dot: * and it turns into a completed, migrated, scheduled, or cancelled as needed.

* Task - Precedes any Task you write down.

X Completed - Once you've completed a Task, mark it with a X

> Migrated - If you didn't complete a Task, you Migrate it to another Collection.

< Scheduled - Tasks with specific dates in the future. These can be added to the Future Log.
Examples:
* Wash clothes

* Clear gutter

* Math hw ch5 probs 62-90 (odd)

X Buy groceries

X Shine shoes

X Ask for a raise

> Pick up mail

> Buy shoes

> Call Joan

< Visit to the Vet, Sep 16

< Begin budgeting for Anniversary present, June 4

< CL, March
Event Bullet
Indicated by an open circle: O. These are date-specific. You would add them to the according Collections: Future Log, Monthly Log, and Daily Log. Sometimes other Collections if you need to, for example as part of a project planning Collection.
Examples:
O Run

O Meeting at 2pm

O 10am Calc
Note Bullet
Indicated by a dash: -. These are Notes that you want to remember such as ideas, observations, thoughts, and facts.
Examples:
- Night terrors of 1927: Perfect day

- Timer bubble bath

- Got to see AndyAna Jones!

2. Signifiers

Signifiers add extra context to the Bullet Journal. This helps you to see at a glance what the Bullets represent. You do not need to add a Signifier to each Bullet, only the ones you'd like to have more information about stand out. You place these to the left of the Bullets.

Here are some examples:

* = Priority

Eye - Explore

! - Inspiration.
Examples of how you combine Signifiers with Bullets:
$ * Buy ink

* O 9AM phone call

! - Timer bubble-bath

You can create your own Bullets and Signifiers as you see fit. For example, you can use a checkbox instead of a dot for a Task.

Rapid-logging occurs throughout the entire Bullet Journal in Collections (this includes the Month Log, Daily Log, Future Log, and other Collections) by using the Bullets to jot down short snippets and Signifiers to add more context if needed. You do not need to use a Signifier with every Bullet, only add them to the ones you would like more information from at a glance.

Review is key to keeping up with any system. In the Bullet Journal, there is a regular type of review process called Migration.

4. Migration

Migration is the cornerstone of the Bullet Journal. Another way you could think of Migration is active reviewing.

Migration is the act of moving over undoneTasks over to another Collection. You can also Schedule Events and Tasks to the Future Log is they will be occurring at another time.

Migration is done at the end of the month when preparing the next Month Log. You look over the undone Tasks from your Collections and assess each one and Migrate the ones you still want to do over to the new Month Log. If there are Tasks you no longer want to do, cross them out. If there are Tasks and Events you want to Schedule to another month, add those to the Future Log.

Next, Migrate Scheduled Events and Tasks from the Future Log to the new Month Log.

You now know the framework of the Bullet Journal (Index, Collections, Rapid-logging, and Migration), now how do you apply them?

Putting the pieces together:

When you create Collection, you add it to the Index.

You Rapid-log with Bullets & add Signifiers to the left of Bullets as needed.

You Migrate Tasks between Collections as needed and on a monthly basis. At the end of the month, look over through all of your Collections (This includes the Monthly and Daily Logs) to assess whether they are worth doing. If they are worth doing, Migrate them to the new Monthly Log. If they are not worth doing then cross them out, remove the noise. If they are worth doing, but at some other point in time, Schedule them in the Future Log (either in a specific month or in a blank Future Log page).

Variations:

The Index, Collections, Bullets, Signifiers, and even Migration can differ for everyone. At the beginning, I recommend going with the basic framework and then add as needed. Over the following weeks we will discuss variations of each of these and dive into alternatives to get the same effect.

FAQ

Really? EVERY entry/page is considered a Collection?

Yes, at least according to careful analysis of the instructions in the official Bullet Journal notebook, Ryder mentions that Collections are one of the 4 key concepts and goes on to illustrate the 3 main ones: Future Log, Monthly Log, and the Daily Log. This makes a lot of sense and brings everything together in a concise way.

What do you do if you're out and don't have your Bullet Journal?

I usually have a small notebook with me, a mini Leuchtturm1917 (smaller than pocket) to be exact. I use it to write down an errands list or notes while I'm out and about. I've heard of others using a notes app on their phone and then migrating that information to their Bullet Journals when they get home.

I'm a guy, and I don't carry a bag with me, what notebook do you recommend to carry around in my pocket?

Field Notes are a common choice. Here's an awesome article full of pocket notebook recommendations.

I keep seeing all of these elaborate Bullet Journals and I'm a little overwhelmed.

The awesome thing about the Bullet Journal is that you can keep it as simple or make it as complex as you like. My biggest tip is to keep it as simple as possible, even if you make a more complex layout later on. I always, always, always, strongly recommend keeping things as simple as possible such that you'll want to continue to use the system. If you find yourself not liking something in your notebook, simply turn the page, give the other one the bird, and move on! Life is too short to fret about a notebook page.

What size and format notebook do you recommend for a beginner?

I'll echo Ryder's recommendation to make sure your notebook is big enough that it's practical and small enough that you can carry it with you. Medium/A5 is a great choice. Zequenz does have a pretty cool size ( small) that is in between pocket and medium, you might look into that!

As for the format, I recommend a grid or dot grid to work with. You'll have much more flexibility. Leuchtturm1917 ( Amazon ) is the favorite notebook amongst Bullet Journalists.

What do you recommend as a beginner fountain pen?

My first experience of a fountain pen was a cheap Pilot Varsity. It's disposable and there's not much of a commitment if you don't end up liking it. As a starter starter fountain pen, that's the one I recommend. If you want the real experience of one without investing too much, the Pilot Metropolitan ( Amazon ) is a popular choice, the fine nib in particular.

I don't have too much going on, can I still use a Bullet Journal?

Of course you can! Maybe you'll use it to see what you do have going on and you can use the other pages for creative things or to practice your handwriting. Speaking of handwriting...

How can I improve my handwriting?

Honestly, I think everyone's handwriting is pretty awesome. That said, if you find your chicken-scratch less than enjoyable to you, a recent #bulletjournalchallenge was on improving your handwriting, check it out to get some tips. My biggest tip for improving your handwriting would have to be to slow down and/or write in caps. I like writing in caps because it forces me to really create the lines for the words and thus makes the words more legible.

Here's an article I wrote on how to improve your everyday handwriting with free handwriting guides :)

I'm afraid of 'messing up'

I'm going to stop you right there and tell you that there's no such thing as 'messing up' in a notebook, these are all things to learn about. If you do 'mess up', then use some white-out, no need to fret about it. Turn the page and move on :)

I use apps for things like my calendar, do I have to switch to full-analog?

No, you can keep using the apps you already use! I always recommend sticking to the right tool for the task at hand. If a digital calendar works for you, then keep to that! Ryder, I, and many others use Google calendar in addition to the Bullet Journal. The Bujo (short for Bullet Journal) works nicely with other tools, it's a notebook, remember? (; I use plenty of apps concurrently with the Bullet Journal because that's what works for me. Stick to what works for you!

What notebook did you use in these photos?

I used a black dot Leuchtturm1917 ( Amazon ). This is my mock-up notebook, where I create ideas for the benefit of my readers when I want to share specific ideas.

What's your relationship to the Bullet Journal?

Hi, I'm Kim! I've been Bullet Journaling for nearly a year and a half now (Update from years later in 2020: I've Bullet Journaled since 2014). I've written many articles about the Bullet Journal, you could say I'm obsessed. I created a #bulletjournalchallenge early 2015 to help others get more out of their Bullet Journals, to help build a community, and to share ideas. The challenge was a great success month after month and I eventually got invited by Ryder, Inventor of the Bullet Journal, to host it over at the official Bullet Journal blog every month, which I do. I am a regular contributor to the Bullet Journal site and it is one of the greatest accomplishments of my life, and I'm very honored and humbled to be able to do it :) I'm a thoughtful individual who spends a lot of her time either thinking about the Bullet Journal, working in it, making friends because of it, and giving others advice and guidance. I love it, eternally grateful to Ryder for introducing it, and enjoy the Bullet Journal community. I especially love the notebook I'm using so much, Leuchtturm1917, that I created a leather notebook cover for it that I will be selling soon for others to enjoy as well. I have a lot of articles and ideas to share and it was about time I created an introductory guide. I hope this was helpful to you. I share tons of ideas over on Instagram, so you should definitely follow me over there to stay in the loop. That's me in a nutshell, happy to meet you! :) Make sure to grab the official Bullet Journal notebook as a way to say thank you to Ryder for sharing the system and continuing to inspire us all with his top notch content! :)

Summary

There are 4 key concepts to the Bullet Journal:

1. Index

2. Collections

3. Rapid-logging

Rapid-logging is short-form notation used in all of the Collections. Rapid-logging has 2 parts: Bullets and Signifiers. Bullets are made up of 3 categories: Task Bullet, Event Bullet, and Note Bullet. Signifiers are additional symbols that serve to give Bullets further context, you don't need to use them every time you use a Bullet, only add them to the ones you want at-a-glance information.

4. Migration

Migration is the cornerstone of the Bullet Journal. According to Ryder, "it is the difference between being busy and being productive."Migration is done on a monthly and yearly basis. To perform Migration, look through all the Collections (significantly, the Monthly and Daily Logs) you made over the last month and Migrate any tasks that you didn't complete and still want to do over to the new Monthly Log, cross out any irrelevant tasks (ask yourself, "is this worth my time?" to decide), and Schedule Tasks and Events you want to do at a later time to the Future Log.

Things to remember:

Every entry in the Bullet Journal is by definition a Collection, regardless of what it looks like.

Collections can begin organically, however, and do not need to be started in the Daily Logs. You can start a Collection anytime you want to write down related ideas.

The thing to remember is that at its core, the Bullet Journal is based in a notebook, and because of this reason you can add anything to it and organize it with the Index. Simply begin an idea on a new page, give it a topic (title) and Index it!

Here is an infographic I created to summarize the above points

Download the FREE Bullet Journal Reference Guide

This is a guide I lovingly handcrafted that has been translated to over 30 languages, and has become part of the official Bullet Journal website! Sign up to the Sunny Newsletter to download yours! :)

FREE Bullet Journal Reference Guide

Tools
As mentioned before, any notebook and pen will do. If you'd like to grab one that's already set up for the Bullet Journal with an Index and page numbers, then I recommend a Leuchtturm1917 notebook. It is archival quality which means that it will keep what you write in your notebook safe. Options Bullet Journalists really seem to like are:
Notebooks

Official Bullet Journal Leuchtturm1917 (Definitely highly consider grabbing one of these beauties at some point to thank Ryder for sharing the system with us!)

Leuchtturm1917 ( Amazon) (Fountain pen friendly, some show-through)

Moleskine (Show-through and possible bleed-through)

Rhodia (Fountain pen friendly, little to no show-through)

Essentials (Little to no show-through, possible bleed-through)

Field Notes (Pocket-sized notebooks, possible bleed-through)

Clairefontaine ( Amazon ) (Fountain pen friendly)

Markings by C.R. Gibson

Zequenz (Small, light grid option, flexible, 400 pages. Show-through, possible bleed-through. Their 'small' is an awesome size in between pocket and medium size)

Pens Please pin, email, and share this to anyone who you think might find it helpful! Disclaimer: there are Amazon Associate links in the article which means that if you click the links and make a purchase, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps keep the blog running and goes back to my lovely readers in the form of giveaways! :)

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Thorough Guide to the Bullet Journal System - Tiny Ray of Sunshine

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Hello there! In this article I will go a bit deeper into how the Bullet Journal system works and walk you through how to get started. The absolute best place to get started with the Bullet Journal is by going to the Bullet Journal website.

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A reader left a note in the comments last week, asking for help. Calling herself "Worried Mom from the Midwest" she wrote:

I was wondering if you can talk about bullying and get suggestions on how to deal with it. My bright and unfortunately sensitive 7-year-old has always been on the receiving end of jabs (verbal and sometimes physical). He easily gets riled up and last night came down in the middle of night crying about this bully who has been tormenting him intermittently for 3 years.

My response was to write to the teacher and ask for help. I was also on the verge of writing to the parents of the bully (as I know the mom for a few years). My husband thinks my complaining to teachers and parents will not help in the long run and my son needs to become thick-skinned and not let hurtful comments hurt.

I am so worried about middle school which is supposed to be full of bullying. My son is in 2nd grade, and I am glad we still have few years before middle school. But, what are we supposed to do?

I emailed back and told the Worried Mom that I would put this out to Motherlode readers for advice. I also turned to Nancy Prisby, a social worker and a parenting coach at www.myparentingsource.com. Bullying, she answered, if handled well, can be a way to help a child grow stronger. But the answer is not to just tell the child to buck up and go it alone.

Here's what she had to say:

Bullying can be physical, verbal, relational, and even all three together. Any kind of bullying is very painful. As a parent, you can take an active role to help stop it. In some cases, a parent will need to get the school and/or the other parent involved as the problem may be too dangerous for the child to handle alone.

Oftentimes, out of the best intentions, we try to shield our children from emotional pain. Some of you may find my next statement surprising: We should want our children to feel some emotional pain when they are in our homes. Why?!? Because 18 years goes by fast, and when children are allowed to feel emotional pain while we are available as parents to support and teach them, they become more resilient.

When children are bullied in elementary school, feel that pain, and try out different solutions, they build their resilience muscle. When they know they can seek and receive the help they need, they become stronger. Children learn they can get through the situation when parents are available to offer support and help children brainstorm solutions. They gain strength and discover they are capable (key to self-esteem). This strength helps them as they face challenges in middle school and beyond.

With this in mind, back to the original problem: You have a bright and sensitive 7- year-old whom is being bullied in second grade. You want to know what to do.

You can teach your child how to deal with his situation and foster resilience at the same time. The ideas below stem from the four pillars of resilience:

1. Write a list of all of the people who love and care about your son and that are on his side. Put it in his lunch bag. When your child feels supported he can exude more confidence.

2. Validate your child's feelings and allow him to feel those feelings. Be with him and empathize: "It is hard. This has been going on for a long time. I am here to help you." Think about how helpful it is when someone really makes an effort to understand how you are feeling. Your son needs this support.

3. Problem-Solve. Define the problem: This is important. Is the other child really a bully, or are they just having trouble communicating and resolving conflict? Brainstorm solutions with your child: What if you try to ignore him? Could you look him firmly in the eye and say, "Stop"? Can you surround yourself with other friends (a big deterrent for bullies)? Pick a solution(s), try it, if it doesn't work, try another. If it is a dangerous situation and/or you can't find a solution that is safe, fair, considerate and effective, time to involve the teacher and the other parent. The other parent may not be aware of what is going on, and giving him/her this knowledge can be helpful towards the solution.

4. Teach skills and Role Play. Kids are less of a target if they stand tall, maintain eye-contact, and walk with confidence. Show your child how to do this-contrast it with the slumped down avoidance look. Pretend you are the bully, and he is the one being bullied, and practice. Do it again reversing roles. Funny aside-I did this with my son when he was in Kindergarten. When asked how it went the next day, he replied, "Great, I just told him [the bully], I know how to handle bullies." No problems after that, luckily J.

What advice do you have for Worried Mom? What have you tried when your children were bullied? What worked? What didn't?

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A reader left a note in the comments last week, asking for help. Calling herself "Worried Mom from the Midwest" she wrote: I was wondering if you can talk about bullying and get suggestions on how to deal with it. My bright and unfortunately sensitive 7-year-old has always been on the receiving end of jabs (verbal and sometimes physical).

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Courtesy of Aaron Schwartz, SwimSwam intern.

ONE
The Love and Hate Relationship
Don't get this confused. I don't mean love at times and hate at times. I mean swimmers literally love and hate the sport at the same time. While one can hear many swimmers complaining about how they don't want to be at practice or even meets, they all undeniably love the sport. The relationship swimmers have with the sport is a unique one that I haven't seen in any other sport. I may be extremely happy if practice is cancelled, but I always find that I don't know what to do with myself during the time practice would be at and miss my teammates. Swimmers even do the rain dance so that the team may have a chance at getting out if there's thunder or lightning.

TWO
The Friendships
Most of my best friendships I have formed have been with people I've swam with. This is, in part, because of the next reason on my list. Swimmers spend an unbelievable amount of time with each other, so it's no wonder swimmers become extremely close. One reason that contributes to these friendships is the way swim meets are run. Swimmers often sit in tents or on bleachers with each other for hours upon hours while waiting for their event, leaving an inordinate amount of time for bonding. Practice also fosters the friendships, as talking on walls between sets is one of many swimmers' favorite activities.

THREE
The Work Ethic
There's no arguing that a swimmer's work ethic is one of the best in all of sports. On the elite level, swimmers are in the water over 25 hours a week, but athletes in other sports on the same level also spend that much time dedicated to their craft. The unique part about swimming is found on the basic club level, where kids as young as 11 and 12 are practicing almost 20 hours a week. This amount of time dedicated to a sport at such a young and non-advanced level is unprecedented and not seen in many other sports. Even swimmers who are not even close to the national stage still many times practice more often than their counterpart in another sport. Bottom line is that swimming takes a lot of time and dedication, which is why many revere swimmers.

FOUR
The Mornings
Unlike other sports, swimmers can lose the feel for the water if not practicing for more than a couple days. This unique occurrence leads to the inevitable every day practice schedule, and since just practicing everyday isn't enough, swimming has popularly adopted the morning practice. If you are a swimmer or know any, you have undoubtedly heard of morning practices. Mornings may not be completely unique to swimming, but no other sport has so widely adopted the extra practice. Until you wake up before 5 in the morning to jump into a freezing pool, you have not experienced one of the worst parts of swimming. Yet mornings are very important to the development of any serious swimmer's training.

FIVE
The Tan Lines
This one is for all the outdoor swimmers out there. First came the jammer, then the drag suit and speedo combo, and eventually comes only the speedo. At all stages in my transition, my unexposed skin was whiter than a sheet of paper. Most male swimmers go through this progression, but all swimmers are familiar in dealing with odd tan lines. Even when we don't have bathing suits on, we have the tan lines to prove we are in the pool every day, often without the protection of sunscreen. And somehow even indoor swimmers have tan lines. It's just another predicament swimmers have to deal with. So the next time someone asks me why I have a sunglasses tan, instead of my usual swimmer explanation I'm just going to respond I just love sunglasses.

In the end, what makes swimming unique to me is that it's far beyond just a sport or a hobby. It is a lifestyle that teaches you valuable lessons you will use throughout your entire life. I can honestly say I wouldn't be the person I am today without swimming. No matter how far I try to stray from the sport, I always come back, because in the end it's a part of me.

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5 Reasons Swimming Is Unlike Any Other Sport

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Courtesy of Aaron Schwartz, SwimSwam intern. The Love and Hate Relationship Don't get this confused. I don't mean love at times and hate at times. I mean swimmers literally love and hate the sport at the same time.