Looking for some bullet journal ideas? Having a BuJo is useful for both productivity and creativity. You might be surprised at the different things you can do with it! Bullet journals aren’t just about the easy doodles or stickers you can fill it with. They also need to be functional and serve their intended purpose. If you are still unsure about where to start, here’s what you need to know.
What is A Bullet Journal?
In recent years, we were gifted with the KonMari method, which has helped many people all over the world declutter and keep their spaces more organized. Ever wonder what it’d be like to apply the same method for our thoughts? If you’re the type to feel easily overwhelmed, using a bullet journal will benefit you.
A BuJo is similar to a daily happy planner and will help you streamline your day. This includes managing your time and properly scheduling activities you want done on a given day. There are also people who use it as an affirmation journal.
Why is It Called a Bullet Journal?
A bullet journal does not require long entries, which makes it easier to use. Wondering how to bullet journal? The key is to make sure your entries are tagged with dashes, bullet points, and other bullet journal doodles that will allow you to see every category in one glance.
For your basic bullet journal layout, it is important to have different sections for the things you need. Make sure you include the essentials:
- Daily to-do list
- Daily notes or reminders
- Weekly goals
- Monthly goals
Here are a few bullet journal tracker ideas that you can add:
- Fertility tracker
- Financial tracker
- Exercise log
- Food log
- Habit tracker
Bullet journaling can also help you as a:
- Log for daily written affirmations
- Mood diary or tracker
- Dream journal
All of these things are meant to help you overcome stress related to disorganized thoughts. Journal writing may seem like a mundane activity to do, but if done regularly it can actually bring more order to your thoughts. After you establish order, you should be able to focus better and become more productive as well. This is one of the most important bullet journal goals.
How to Bullet Journal and Its Benefits
There are two types of bullet journals you can get: a digital bullet journal and a physical one. If used correctly, a BuJo can help you get your life on track. It can boost your productivity in both your career and personal life. Here are its other benefits to help get you inspired for more bullet journal ideas.
Time Management
Do you often have trouble focusing on tasks because of distractions? One of the best bullet journal ideas for school and work that you can use is dividing your day into “bite-sized” chunks.
- 8:00 – Morning routine (Hygiene, stretch, meditate, and have breakfast)
- 9:00 – Prepare for work / studying
- 12:00 – Lunch break
- 1:30 – Continue working
- 3:30 – Take a 15-minute break
- 3:45 – Continue working / studying
- 6:00 – Finish working / studying
Note that you can adjust the example above according to your preferences and the amount of work you need to do. This is among the most useful student bullet journal ideas. Following a schedule can take a bit of practice, but that is what a habit tracker is for!
Building Habits
Time management is great, but you’ll need the discipline in order to sustain it. Bullet journaling can help you with that! Start small and work your way up. Here are some habit tracker bullet journal ideas you can add to yours:
- Waking up early
- Working or studying at set hours of the day
- Drinking water
- Eating on time
- No phone or social media time
- Reading
- Cleaning / other chores
- Saving money
Each time you accomplish one of these tasks, mark the date with easy doodles or a sticker. You may not think much of it, but logging your activities in a daily journal can help you turn it into a habit. How long will it take? You can develop a new habit within two weeks to two months.
Inspiration and Motivation
As we have established, there are many bullet journal ideas that you can use. It isn’t just for organizing your schedule. If you have ever struggled with finding motivation or inspiration, try these BuJo ideas.
- Create a section for short-term and long-term plans. There are many minimalist bullet journal ideas you can use for this. The clearer, the better!
- Make sure you include the different strategies you have thought of in order to achieve them.
- Keep track of your progress! No matter how small your progress is, write it down. Remember, even small victories count.
- Never forget to decorate these pages! Think of how a happy planner puts you in a positive mood. These pages should do the same.
- There are many bullet journal ideas on Pinterest to choose from. If you’re inspired by your idols, Kpop bullet journal ideas are great too! A lot of fans stick on photos of BTS, along with their inspiring song lyrics, to help motivate them everyday.
Remember that there are no rules when decorating the pages of your journal. It can be as minimalist or as colorful as you want.
Improves Creativity
One of the biggest draws that bullet journaling has would be the design aspect. These are unlike your usual journal or planner, because you get to decide the layout and overall design for it. While there are bullet journal themes you can use as a pattern, nothing beats starting from scratch and designing your own BuJo. You can even create a specific travel bullet journal for your next trip!
Bullet Journal Layout
Looking for bullet journal ideas for beginners? Most people tend to have trouble with creating layouts for their BuJo. Finding the right spot for each section, knowing how much space to allot, and other design considerations can be overwhelming. To help you get started, here are some simple and easy to follow bullet journal layouts that you can try!
Bullet Journal Daily Spread
Daily layouts are pretty basic. These usually have a space for your to-do list, time schedule, grocery list, and a habit tracker. Think of these pages as the backbone of your BuJo—they are essential to its usefulness. Remember, you can adjust your daily spread according to your schedule for that day. The format need not be the same for every page, which is what makes the whole process more enjoyable to do.
Use Signifiers or a BuJo Key
These are meant to add emphasis to the different tasks you have logged in your journal.
Here are more basic bullet journal key ideas:
- ( !! ) – Use double exclamation points for urgent priority tasks.
- ( = ) – Use an equal sign for tasks that need to be done within the day.
- ( + ) – Use a plus sign for tasks that still need to be worked on.
- ( ✓ ) – Use a check mark for tasks that are already done.
Aside from the examples given above, you can also try some of these tips:
- Use stickers to mark particularly urgent tasks. These makes them easier to see since they stand out more.
- Color coding. You can categorize each subject by color.
- Emojis. These are fun and easy to remember.
Fitness Bullet Journal Ideas
Using your BuJo to keep track of your fitness goals? There are a few types to choose from. You can even create a template that best suits your needs.
Things you should include:
- Daily: The type of exercise, the time duration, and number of repetitions.
- Weekly: Daily log and how many hours you were able to accomplish.
- Monthly: Daily log, hours, and your overall progress.
- Diet section: You can include the meals you have each day or any dietary changes you recently made.
- Your starting weight, blood pressure, and other stats you want to include.
The above options are interchangeable and you can add or remove them as needed.
Bullet Journal Ideas for School
For students, there are many layouts that you can use for your BuJo. We suggest going for an easy bullet journal key to make logging easier for you to do.
Other journal topics you can include, aside from your schedule and to-do list are:
- Any important readings you need to do
- Homework tracker
- Attendance tracker
- Due dates
- Test or presentation schedules
You can also add an extra section for notes, including:
- Questions you have for your professor
- Things of interest from your readings
- Books you want to look up
- Key-dates and other important information from your readings
Just make sure you divide each section properly to avoid confusion.
Bullet Journal Doodles
Once you have the basic layout done, you can move on to decorating. You don’t need amazing drawing skills order to create a pretty spread for your journal. While calligraphy might take some practice, there are also easy doodles you can do. Here are some fun bullet journal doodles to try:
Banners and Dividers
These gives much needed emphasis to your entry titles. The dividers are useful for separating the different sections. Having these will help keep the content of your bullet journal neat and legible.
Floral Motif
These are easy to do and can be used as borders, or in a similar manner as banners. Looking for cute bullet journal ideas? These are a great starting point!
Bullet Journal Cover Ideas
You can choose to leave the cover plain or add your special touch to it. Use stickers, travel stubs, and other memorabilia to really make it your own!
Bullet Journal Font Ideas
If you want to add a bit more flare to your pages, use a variety of different fonts.
Best Pens to Use for Bullet Journals
Let’s be real, quality journals aren’t exactly cheap. As such, you would want to make sure every page serves a purpose. The easiest way to ruin a bullet journal layout is by using the wrong pen. They can smudge or bleed through the pages, thereby ruining your bullet journal doodles.
To help you avoid that, here are the best pens to use for bullet journals:
Writing Pens:
- Pilot G2 – Writes smoothly and has a comfy grip. Comes in different point thickness.
- UniBall Jetstream – Has quick drying ink, which helps minimize smudging.
- Muji Pens – This is a favorite among BuJo users. It comes in a variety of nib sizes, writes smoothly, and is very aesthetically appealing to boot.
Fountain Pens:
- Pilot Metropolitan – This fountain pen is great for beginners and is priced reasonably.
- Lamy Safari – This is a must-buy for BuJo enthusiasts. However, it can be expensive.
Pens for Bullet Journal Doodles and Other Decoration
- Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens – Pigmented, waterproof and light-fast.
- Stabilo Point 88 Fineliners – Comes in a pack of 30 different colors at a reasonable price. Precise tip for more detailed designs.
- Sakura Gelly Roll – This is a fave for many bullet journal users! They come in a variety of textures, from neon to glittery. These can make bullet journaling really fun and creative.
In Closing:
Bullet journals serve many different purposes. This is why it isn’t surprising to learn that there’s a huge community dedicated to it. If you’re a beginner, we hope these bullet journal ideas were able to help you out. Remember, don’t be afraid to make mistakes or rip out a page if you must. Bullet journaling is a process and perfection should never be your goal. Just have fun with it!
