Bullet journals are a fairly new stationery trend that has popped up in online circles over the last few years. A creative method of journaling or keeping a diary, a bullet journal provides a literal blank book for you to plan, track and monitor your days and activities. Starting a bullet journal can be daunting, but we’ve put together a guide to ensure you can have some fun while creating a useful accessory that will help to improve your productivity.
Getting Started
To get your bullet journal started, consider what you’ve looked for in a diary previously or if you haven’t ever owned a traditional diary, the things that would be most useful for the amount of activity you do per day, week or month. Most diaries tend to start with an index, where you can record the page number of certain tracking pages and a single page yearly overview. The yearly overview is simply an at-a-glance date guide that will inform you of dates that fall in certain months and the individual month lengths. These pages are often followed by a larger spread or ‘future log’, sometimes two or four pages that will give you space to record full-day events, i.e. birthdays, anniversaries and celebrations. How you design these pages is up to you however there is plenty of inspiration online simply by Googling “bullet journal yearly spreads” or “bullet journal year overview”.
Collections
A collection is a term given to page spreads where you want to track certain activities or things to try, for example, many people include recipes, tv shows, books, their favourite restaurants or locations they’ve been to. Anything that you might keep as a ‘mental bookmark’ can be recorded on a bullet journal collection page and it’s a great way to stop yourself getting bogged down with tens of mental lists. With the things you want to try or return to written down, you free your mind for new and fresh information and encourage yourself to actually take action on the things you’d like to achieve. You don’t just have to rely on what others have done, your bullet journal is yours alone and no one can dictate what should or shouldn’t appear. For instance, a keen pet owner is likely to take note of things to try with their beloved furry friend, someone of Islamic faith may keep a reminder of prayer times or festival guidelines such as Qurbani rules for husband and wife, while a creative might keep a record of things they’d like to draw and paint.
Day / Week / Month Spread
Diaries often come in several types, they will have a day to a view, week to a view and month to a view. “A view” often refers to a single or double-page spread, which, in an A5 diary should provide you plenty of space to keep notes and track certain activities such as a consistent exercise daily exercise, drinking water each day, going to bed at a certain time and even how you felt on each day. You don’t have to stick to one design but experiment with colours, patterns, doodles, anything creative – some people choose to use stickers, stamps and washi tape to decorate and divide up certain sections of their bullet journal. How you design your bullet journal is completely down to you but there are plenty of resources available online through blogs and YouTube videos for page spreads, colour palettes and favoured bullet journal supplies.
Tools for Bullet Journalling
Bullet journaling doesn’t have to be expensive but if you are going to experiment with different mediums, such as markers, alcohol or paint pens, paints and inks, you’ll want to invest in a high-grade paper in your bullet journal. 140-160gsm paper can withstand most mediums however you’ll want to check individual journal reviews to find the best option for your preferred stationery product and within your set budget.
Bullet journaling is the start of something new, improved productivity, better habit tracking and a creative release that offers plenty of nostalgia when looked back on. A good quality journal can be kept for years and you don’t have to wait for a new year to get started, you can grab one now and start your journaling journey today!
