I've read about a hundred articles, pinned a couple of hundred pins, and liked several posts all pertaining to bullet journaling. At first, I was insanely confused by the term "bullet journal," but quickly learned that BUJO is basically a DIY planner. I quickly fell in love with the endless possibilities that BUJO provided and decided to start my own journal not too long ago. So, what are the basics of BUJO and how can you get started?
Materials
A beautiful notebook/journal, gel pens, colored pencils, washi tape, or whatever else suits your BUJO style.
The Basics
First, you'll want an index. The index is essential to keeping your journal organized. Start by creating an adorable header, then choose whichever style is fitting for you! Write out each page number and add next to it what is on that page.
Create your key. The key is another essential part of keeping your journal organized as it simply defines what each different color and symbol means. It can go at the beginning or end of your journal, whatever you choose!
Next, you'll typically want a calendar page or month-by-month pages. One of my favorite pages, the calendar page is basically a year in review and you can mark important dates in there like birthdays— which is what I typically do. You can also do one month per page, which is better if you want to be more detailed. Lastly, you can also do both if you want! Whichever is your style!
A weekly page or day-by-day pages are the next step. These pages are best for filling in appointment times, class schedules, or what tasks you have to do for the day.
Page Ideas
Part of the beauty of BUJO is that each journal will have different pages. Here are some of the most useful page ideas with a couple of my personal favorites.
Tracking pages. These are incredibly useful for tracking habits, sleep, water intake, calorie count, and exercising. The possibilities are endless with tracking!
Future logs. Practically the same as a monthly/weekly calendar. However, future logs can be specific to certain events, goals, work, or school.
Lists. BUJO's are great for lists! Make a list of the movies you want to see or the books you want to read. The places to travel and the recipes to make. Again, there are endless possibilities with lists.
Some Tips
Never be afraid to make mistakes. Here is where the adorable washi tape comes in—if a mistake is made, feel free to slap some printed tape over it and redo it.
Have fun! Bullet journaling is all about you. Your style, your year/month/week/day, habits, it's all you. Make the most of it!
