Bullet Journal Addict - Bullet Journal Key- Everything You Need To Know

Are you new to bullet journaling? Then you might have got confused after seeing all those kooky icons and symbols in the bullet journal spreads you found online. The circles, dots, squares, X’s – What do they mean? How do these tiny symbols make you more organized? A bullet journal key spread is what makes the bullet journal system so superior to other planners. What is a bullet journal key? In this article, let us discuss everything you need to know about the key for bullet journals. If you are already an expert in bullet journaling, scroll down to see tons of inspiration for your bullet journal key.

What Is A Bullet Journal Key?

A bullet journal key is basically a quick reference guide to all the quirky symbols you will be using in your bullet journal to log information efficiently. You don’t have to write out every little thing! A key bullet journal is one of the first spreads we create in the bullet journal as it will be easy and quick to flip to when you need to refer to what a symbol, letter, or color means! Since the original bullet journal was created to take quick notes, having a bullet journal key is essential to break written codes to take notes quickly. A key can be an elaborate list of color coding, symbols, and icons or a small, simple list of characters. Ultimately your bullet journal is how to you choose it to be.

Why You Need A Bullet Journal Key?

In this busy, fast-paced, modern world, it can be nearly impossible to keep track of all your tasks, to-do lists, appointments, fr family, and side hustles. How do you prioritize things to maintain a healthy balance in your life? The answer is simple – creating a simple legend with icons and symbols to quickly identify your current priorities and what priorities come next. You can get your footing at a glance of your bullet journal. With a bullet journal key, it just takes a moment to add something to your Bujo and requires much less space! With the bullet journal key, I am able to put more time and get significantly more organized. Below are some other reasons why you need a bullet joural key –

A bujo key is easy to personalize
It is more efficient
The key for your bullet journal will save you lots of time and effort
You can get more organized
It saves space in tour bujo
With a bullet journal key, your spreads look a lot neater and beautiful.

Bullet Journal Keys

The symbols, icons, and color codes in your bullet journal will identify what is currently in progress, what needs to be done, and what is your priority. You will get to know what category of life you are working on in just a glance. Since you have known the power of the bullet journal key, it is now time to decide which icons and symbols you need to use. You need to choose depending upon your circumstances and how much you want to track. However, below are the most fundamental keys for a bullet journal for you to get started.

To Do

o In Progress x Completed > Reschedule ! Priority If you want to get more organized with your BuJo, the following are the keys for different purposes. ⬛ Completed task ⊠ Canceled task 🔺 Attended appointment ⨻ Canceled appointment ⍄ Task migrated ⊗ Canceled event ♡ Personal mantras and inspirational ideas $ Budget or expenses 🕒 Deadlines or dates ❊ Important As an alternative to the keys, you can also try color codes.

How And Where To Use A Bullet Journal Key

Having too many keys and signifiers can confuse me, so I always like to keep them to a minimum. What do you think? So for work, add your tasks and mark them as progress. If you complete them, mark them as complete, or else mark them as either canceled or irrelevant. When you try to do many things in a day and run out of time, migrate them to another day using a little arrow. For the notes and remainders, use dashes or dots. If you have any appointments, use a circle to differentiate them from other notes and tasks. To prioritize something, use a simple exclamation mark. Trust me, these simple symbols and icons will eventually help you in logging your lists so quickly, and you will keep track of everything seamlessly.

Where To Put A Bullet Journal Key Spread

If your bullet journal doesn’t come with an in-built bullet journal key spread, you need to create one page that is easy to find (either the first or back page of the journal). You can also try creating a fold-out key or bookmarking the bullet journal key page.

Recommended Products To Set Up Your Bullet Journal Key Spread

Before we dive right into some excellent inspiration for bullet journal weekly spreads, I want to mention the tools I use in my bullet journal quickly. If you are a beginner, then these are the tools I wish I had purchased when I started bullet journaling instead of those overpriced books and markers that others recommended to me.

To be entirely honest with you, I only use stencils and washi tapes when I have time to decorate or only when I set up new spreads. However, the bread and butter for bullet journaling is simply a blank notebook and a pen you carry with you every day. So, don’t get too crazy in the beginning, first figure out what pages you need and what doesn’t work for you. Start bullet journaling, learn your style (whether you like minimalistic, aesthetic, artistic, etc.), and slowly upgrade your supplies according to your style.

How To Make A Bullet Journal Key

Here is a step-by-step procedure to make a bullet journal key on your own.

Sit down and list out all the things you want to keep organized in your life. A few ideas are – work commitments, appointments, family tasks, personal commitments, fitness routines, tasks, events, and the list goes on. You can have a symbol for everything and anything!
Create a bullet journal code that suits you best. These codes can be minimalist or more colorful and extravagant. It is totally up to you. But remember, the whole idea of bullet journal keys is to save time and be more efficient. So my advice is to don’t make them too complicated.
Create a bullet journal key spread and write down all your signifiers.

Bullet Journal Key Ideas

Now that you are have learned everything you need to know about the bullet journal key, it is time to make your own key page for your Bujo. Check out the following bullet journal key ideas for some inspiration. Some are very simple and minimalist, while some are elaborated.