When you shop for a new car, you have this image of what the Perfect One looks like. How it feels. How it’ll smell. Consciously or subconsciously, you carry this list of criteria each time you face a potential candidate. And this is a good thing!

The closer the candidate in question matches the list, the more suited it’ll be to what you’re looking for.

This same concept applies to the systems we apply in our creative lives. As artists, specific criteria ensures we get closer and closer to the system that optimizes our processes. Sounds dreamy, huh? It is! And it’s completely possible to attain.

Although we each have our own preferences, most quality systems will feature one or more of the following characteristics:

1. Flexibility. A system that has room enough to tweak a certain aspect at any given moment without having to start from square one each time. Think along the lines of being able to change the spoiler or rims of a car without having to take the entire machine apart. Ohhh, yeah.
2. Possibility. A system with basic features anyone can apply yet also has open-ended segments where a unique twist can be applied. Similar to the last criteria, but this one primarily focuses on being universally applicable while being open to flourishes. Like pancakes. You can slather melted butter, pour syrup, or even sprinkle chocolate chips on top, but the plain, fluffy buttermilk kind can be enjoyed on its own. Mmmm.
3. Beauty. A system with visual appeal. Maybe this is just me, but I like having planners that’re both low maintenance AND beautiful. Minimalism in its prime, yo. For example, a bouquet is lovely with all its trappings, yet a rose can be gifted by itself ‘cause of its standalone beauty. Classic.

For me, no other system has checked off each criteria except . . . I’m sure you guessed it . . . the Bullet Journal! Here’s how:

Flexibility

• BuJo lets me make changes without having to wait for next year to start over. I could adjust the key, the spacing, and the layout whenever I felt like something wasn’t jiving with my style.

Possibility

• BuJo is limitless in letting me use the space the way I want. I could place restrictions over particular sections or let the content run wild and free. Cliché, perhaps, but sky’s the limit! And even then BuJo bursts past that ceiling.

Beauty

• BuJo’s awesomeness gives space for the organized mess to look lovely. The system follows you from day to day, giving you the chance to capture anything you threw at it. But it does all this while also letting you plan ahead. If you’re a fellow BuJo user, you might relate to the joy of flipping through your journal, seeing the order and following the rhythms of the days. Some frantic, others in their neat boxes. Most times, I don’t even read the words; the format itself creates an image that’s visually pleasing.

A busy schedule, disorganization, and laziness are no longer excuses for not finding the right system for you. You already have a list of criteria you inherently carry around, whether you’re aware of it or not. Maybe yours doesn’t match mine, and that’s totally okay! To each her / his own.

But I challenge you to pinpoint the most important criteria for your creativity to thrive so you can start finding the system(s) that’ll support your lifestyle. You’ll be surprised at how fulfilling something as simple as setting a system will be for you on a personal level AND an artistic level.

Give it a try. I dare you. 😉

This is the second article of a four-part Bullet Journal series. Read the others:

• How can I simply set up my Bullet Journal? | 1 of 4
• What makes my Bullet Journal’s key the epicenter of intention? | 3 of 4
• What unique ways can I use my Bullet Journal? | 4 of 4

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