Eight Ideas for Bullet Journaling Beginners

If you don’t want to use a diary and instead want to take things to the next level, you should try bullet journaling.

This is a type of journaling that can be described as a living, breathing entity that you constantly evolve, improve and use. Many of us will make to-do lists, create goals, and write down ideas; a bullet journal brings all of these things together for you. You don’t have to be artistic to enjoy this activity, but it can help. It’s time to get started; here are some ideas to take you beyond being a beginner.

1. Figure Out What Supplies You Need

How do you want your journal to look? Do you want to use this book as a place where you put your thoughts, lists, and activities for the end of the day and the next day, or do you want it to work as simply a structured list to give your life a bit more organization? Your journal can be a place where you get creative and add drawings or stickers, but you don’t have to do this. It’s all up to you and how you want this book to look.

2. What is Your Time Commitment?

This item will certainly go along with the first one when you’re considering bullet journaling. This type of journaling isn’t like writing in a diary, creating a personal blog, or simply rehashing your day in a book. You could have your list of activities listed four each day and need to cross them off as you complete them. You might keep your monthly budget in this book, or you could track your progress toward a goal. The time commitment can make a difference. If you want to stick to this activity, it’s probably a good idea to keep it simple and short to start with.

3. Prepare for Learning

The first notebook you use will be your learning notebook. You might rip out pages, start one list and then cross it out in favor of another, or you might find that you like a specific structure to your journal. It’s not a good idea to go all out with the supplies and an expensive book to start with, especially since your first book will act as a way for you to learn. Don’t be afraid to make a mess of the book as you figure out what works best for you.

4. Do You Have a Planner? Use It

One of the quickest and easiest ways to get into bullet journaling is to turn your weekly/monthly planner into a journal. The structure that’s already in place will help you stay organized as you draw, create, and enjoy the daily functions of this book. You might eventually find that you want to have a freer way of writing your ideas down or drawing your images, but a planner is a great way to get started when you’re a beginner.

5. Sticky Notes Can Be Helpful

If you’re going to use your journal to track goals or create lists, you can use sticky notes to jot them down and stick them to the page. This could give you a colorful way to see what you need to get done, and it allows you to list the items that are most important to you every day. Use these notes as a way to show that you’ve completed your tasks or as a colorful reminder that you need to get things done. The small size makes it easy to create bulleted lists instead of paragraphs of information.

6. Don’t Forget the Gratitude

Gratitude notes have become a popular activity lately, and when you are using bullet journaling to track and schedule your life, you should leave some time for gratitude. This can be as simple as thinking about things you’re glad to have in your life before you head off to bed, or it can be writing a reminder to send a friend or family member a simple thank you note. This simple activity in your journal can make you feel better about your life and what’s going on, especially if you’ve had a bad day.

7. Personalize Your Journal

Sure, you can go online and see different ideas of what you can include in your journal, but ultimately, this needs to be something that’s yours. During your first book or two, you might want to use ideas you find online, but once you get the hang of this activity, you can add or remove items that you want so that this book is truly yours and personalized to fit your life and what you want to put in your book. You’ll be more committed to using your journal every day if it is personal to you.

8. Schedule Time for Your Journal

Don’t allow the bullet journaling you plan at the start of the year to go by the wayside just because a few weeks have passed. Schedule time for this book at the best times of the day for you. That could mean starting your day off with the journal and using it throughout the day to ensure you’ve done all of your tasks, or it could be better for you to use it at night to plan the next day, week, or month. The point is, you need to make time for it so that it becomes part of your daily habits.

Let Your Life Come Out in Your Journal

The journal you create is yours, and it should live and support your life. You can become more organized, structured, creative, thoughtful, and goal-oriented simply by starting a bullet journal and using it every day. Use the eight suggestions in this list to aid you in finding the right way to use your journal and make it part of your life. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be glad that you started writing things down, and this book will be something you look forward to using every day.