The Ultimate Beginners Guide To Bullet Journaling

Looking to learn, “how to start a bullet journal?” Continue reading below.

The term bullet journaling has been floating around the online space for quite a while now, but so many people still seem confused as to exactly what it is and what it’s used for. I wanted to take some time and break bullet journaling down for you so that you can use it to help keep yourself organized and on task.

There are many benefits to keeping a bujo (AKA). 🙃 Bullet journaling is an opportunity for reflection and a chance to gain insight. One major one is how a Bullet Journal can help boost your productivity by 1000%! I know, huge!

Journal writing can be a simple tool that opens your mind and heart to new knowledge and new hope.

Writing in a bullet journal need not be complicated or challenging.

A few basic suggestions can help the novice journaler launch their first bullet journal.

I have gathered below some pretty awesome bullet journal ideas that you’re going to love.

So, without further ado, I present to you: The Ultimate Guide to Bullet Journaling.

First off, let’s get down to the basis.

What Is Bullet Journaling?

In short, it is a way to track what you have done, what you are doing, and what you will do. I’m sure that if you do a Google search for bullet journaling, you’ll get a lot of complex explanations as to what it is, but it’s actually quite simple.

Before we move on, here’s one more thing. Bullet Journaling is handwritten. No computers needed for this one. If you are a paper planner lover, then bullet journaling is right up your alley. If you are fully digital in regards to your planner and schedule, then it may take some time for you to get fully on board with bullet journaling ideas. I definitely encourage you to give it a try. It’s awesome.

Wondering what to put in your bullet journal?

Next up.

The Lingo

People who bullet journal use a lot of fancy languages to describe some pretty basic things. Let’s break it down.

Index

Think of this as your table of contents. Your index should be written on the first few pages of your journal. This section of your bullet journal will be fluid, as you will add information to it each time you write down a note or thought. This is where you will look to search for important notes, tasks, and dates, so make it as simple as possible.

Note: Be sure to number all pages of your journal. You can do this all at once, or as you go.

Future Log

I like to put this section right after the Index pages so that I can keep it top of mind. In this section, you’ll write down important dates that will be happening in the future.

Have an upcoming girls day? Add it here.

A doctor’s appointment a few months down the road? Put it here.

To keep it simple, I make a checkbox and then put the event, date, location and time in the future log. Once the event has passed, I check it off.

Monthly Log

Unlike most typical planners, you can start your bullet journal in any month you choose. This section works like a traditional monthly calendar. You can set it up any way you choose, but I prefer to number my months to date. I also include the day of the week to make it easier for me to see what’s happening when.

Daily Log

In my opinion, this is the most important section of your bullet journal. All of your important notes will land here. Don’t feel like you need to keep this section organized and tidy. If you do, you may go crazy. Write important things down as they come up, but keep everything as brief as possible.

Let’s say that today you ran into an old friend at Starbucks. You may want to write that, along with friend’s contact info on your daily log.

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You can get as fancy (or not) as you want with your bullet journal. If you want to keep it simple, go for it. If you want to jazz it up a bit with washi tape and sparkly pens, do your thing, girl.

The key to successful bullet journaling is twofold. Number one- Do what works for you. You don’t need to copy the look and feel of your friend’s journal. Do you. Number two- Keep your Index up to date. That’s the only way that you will be able to easily find all of the awesome stuff that you wrote down in your daily logs.