Bullet Journal 101: How To Start A Bullet Journal

Despite having numerous planners over the years, I was yet to find one that really worked for me. Then I found out about bullet journalling and decided to give it a go. After a couple of requests on instagram, I decided to share some tips on how to start a bullet journal.

WHAT YOU NEED

Bullet journalling doesn't need to be expensive. In fact if you've got a blank notebook laying around, you can get started now. But if you do want to invest in a quality notebook, I can't recommend the Leuchtturm1917 A5 notebooks enough. The most popular ones have dotted or grid pages, and the dotted ones in particular are my favourites. They make the whole journalling experience so simple and easy.

Of course you can use any old pen, but if you want some fun colours to play with I really like the Staedtler Triplus Fineliners. The regular black pens I use are the Papermate InkJoys, which I keep everywhere. I love them!

It's up to you to decide whether you want to invest in extras, such as washi tape, twink, highlighters and glue tape. If you're after super cute washi tapes, check out Pages to Plans. I am obsessed with the dog ones!

INDEX AND KEY/LEGEND

If you have one of the Leuchtturm1917 notebooks, you'll find the pages are numbered and there's already an index page ready to use. If you're using another notebook, you may have to number the pages yourself - which is a must if having an index is important to you.

Indexes make it a lot easier to find certain pages in your bullet journal. I like to include all my monthly layouts in the index, as well as more specialised pages such as my 52 Week Savings Plan.

Having a key/legend is one of the most important parts of a bullet journal. This is how you'll identify tasks, events and other things in your day to day planning. There are many different keys you could use, but this is one that I've found works really well for me.

MONTHLY LAYOUT

There are so many ways you can set out your monthly layouts. I like to spread mine over 2 pages. On the left I put the dates and days of the week, so I have a spot to mark anything important coming up (birthdays, events etc). Then I have sections for Gardening, Highlights, Goals and a To Do list.

I often change things up and add or delete sections, but this has been my monthly template all year so far. Pinterest and Instagram give me lots of ideas though, and I might try a different spread for May.

WEEKLY/DAILY LAYOUT

This is the layout I tend to play around with the most. At the moment I'm enjoying a weekly layout over 2 pages so I can see everything at a glance. There are so many ways you can do this, so I'm sharing the one I use currently. I am toying with the idea of having a bit more space for the weekly layout so I can track more individual things... so if that happens, I'll be sure to share more photos!

LISTS/COLLECTIONS

One of, if not the best thing about Bullet Journals is having space for lists and collection pages. It really is like having a daily planner, diary and to do list all in one.

I have lots of these, such as a 52 Week Savings Plan, Weight Loss tracker, Self Care Ideas and brain dump pages. Because we're off the grid, I also like to keep track of our LPG and Diesel usage - so I have a page in my bullet journal dedicated to that too.

I'm so used to having a bunch of lists everywhere, as well as a daily planner - so I can't even tell you how much easier it is to have everything all in the one place. I'm definitely a bullet journal convert, and don't think I could ever go back to a regular planner.

One thing that I think puts a lot of people off bullet journalling is the pressure to make it look pretty. I personally love to decorate mine because I find it therapeutic (in the same way I enjoy colouring), but you can literally make your bullet journal as simple as you want. All that matters, is that it works for you.

I hope this post has been helpful! I honestly can't recommend bullet journalling enough, and would love to hear from people who feel the same - so leave us a comment below.

Thanks for viewing!
oxo