Hey there! I’ve finally gotten around to writing this next post in my Bullet Journal Building Blocks series! (Previous posts in this series: Bullet Journal Index Inspiration | The Ultimate Guide to Future Planning in the Bullet Journal | 8 Monthly Layouts to Try) I think part of the reason why it took so long for me to write this is because I was feeling a little unsure of how to start. There are so many different ways to do a daily log in your bullet journal, but I’m gonna power through. I’m confident that this post is gonna be awesome!
Don’t even know what a bullet journal is? Check out my post, Bullet Journal Basics, for the full scoop.
What is a daily log?
So, what the heck is a daily log? Put simply, the daily log is where you do your day-to-day planning. It’s where you jot down your thoughts the night before and throughout the day. Here’s how the daily log is defined on the official bullet journal website:
The Daily Log is designed for day-to-day use. At the top of the page, record the date as your topic. Throughout the course of the day, simply Rapid Log your Tasks, Events, and Notes as they occur. If you don’t fill a page, add the next date wherever you left off and you’re ready to continue.
What is rapid logging?
Rapid logging is how everything is recorded in the bullet journal. Instead of writing complete sentences like in a traditional journal, everything is written in short phrases. In the original bullet journal, there are three different types of bullets used in rapid logging: a dot for tasks, a circle for events, and a dash for notes. The system also uses arrows for migrating (moving tasks to a different day), and you can cross a task off if it becomes irrelevant.
When do I set up a daily log?
While you can set up a daily log at the beginning of each day, I find that it’s easiest to set up my dailies the night before. That way, I can think about how my day went and, from there, decide what I can do better tomorrow. Every night, I migrate unfinished tasks from that day to the next day so I don’t forget about tasks that haven’t yet been completed. Also, I find that I frequently have thoughts around bedtime that go something along the lines of, “Oh! Tomorrow I need to…” but by the time I wake up, I’ll have forgotten what it was. Enter the daily log! Now, when I think of something I need to do the next day, I write it down in tomorrow’s daily log. Make sense? Awesome. 🙂
What does a daily log look like?
I’m so glad you asked! There are about a million variations of the daily log out there. Some follow the style of the original bullet journal—very simple, with just the date and rapid logging underneath. Some people use fancy headers (um…me?), and some people like to jot down the weather forecast next to the header (um…also me). Some people draw out boxes at the beginning of the week, one for each day, and some people put their dailies inside intricate drawings. Some people can fit an entire week on one page, and some people dedicate an entire page for one day. Are you noticing a recurring theme? Now, class, repeat after me: the bullet journal can be anything you need it to be! (The rhyme was not intended.)
To give you some ideas, here are some daily logs from my journal. (Click on the pictures to enlarge them.)
And that’s it, folks! How do you set up your daily logs? Have any unanswered questions about the daily log? I’d love to chat in the comments below!
Peace!
♥ Annie
Posts in this Series
Bullet Journal Index Inspiration
The Ultimate Guide to Future Planning in the Bullet Journal
What is a Daily Log? (you’re here!)
Blossoms & Bullet Journals 
Pingback: Bullet Journal Index Inspiration – Blossoms and Bullet Journals
Pingback: The Ultimate Guide to Future Planning in the Bullet Journal – Blossoms and Bullet Journals
Pingback: 8 Monthly Layouts to Try – Blossoms and Bullet Journals