Book 11: Dot Journaling

Title: Dot Journaling: A Practical Guide - How to Start and Keep the Planner, To-Do List, and Diary That'll Actually Help You Get Your Life Together
Author: Rachel Wilkerson Miller
Started: April 28, 2018
Finished: April 28, 2018
Pages: 240
Genre: Journaling

First Sentence: I started my first diary when I was nine years old and in fourth grade.

Summary: [From BN] Organize your life, record what matters, and get stuff done! What the heck is a dot journal? It’s a planner, to-do list, and diary for every aspect of your life: work, home, relationships, hobbies, everything. Early adopter Rachel Wilkerson Miller explains how to make a dot journal work for you—whether you find the picture-perfect examples on Pinterest inspiring or, well, intimidating. You decide how simple or elaborate your journal will be, and what goes in there:

• Lists of your to-dos, to-don’ts, and more
• Symbols that will make those lists efficient and effective
• Spreads to plan your day, week, month, or year
• Trackers for your habits and goals (think health, money, travel)
• Accouterments such as washi tape, book darts, and more!

Thoughts: I've been bullet journaling for nearly two years now. Before I started, I went down the rabbit hole that is bujo blogs, Instagram, and Pinterest. (So much pretty stuff!) Therefore, nothing in this book was all that new to me. That said, I'm keeping this book as a reference manual because I thought it was well-done.

The layout for Miller's book is straightforward. She walks you through what a bullet journal (or dot journal) is, how to create one, different variations of spreads, and even gives great examples of pages to try. Her writing-style is girlfriend chic which makes it easy to follow and highly relatable. There are personal stories woven throughout the "how to" bits so you can really get an idea of how this journal operates in real life. All in all, it's a decent walk-through of a great organization system.

I will say that I felt a bit odd reading this book. Ryder Carroll was the original creator of the bullet journal, this book only references him once. I feel like he deserves far more credit.

Rating: 7/10 [Very Good]