A bullet journal is a tool for self-improvement and planning ahead, a venue for creating art, and a visual diary of your life. Most bullet journal creators include inside their bullet journal two types of spreads (spreads are two facing pages in the journal with the same topic or theme): planner spreads (monthly, weekly and sometimes daily spreads that you might find a basic version of in a planner) and collections (these are more creative spreads, usually unique lists or trackers).

I personally have mostly just made collections because I find them fun, and they’re way less tedious because I can make them whenever I want. If you’re intrigued, follow along because I’m about to list some basic tips for starting a beautiful bullet journal.

If you don’t have a dot grid notebook (aka bullet journal), run—don’t walk—to your nearest Michael’s and pick up an Artist’s Loft dot grid journal for 5 dollars. If you want to really invest, or Michael’s isn’t an option (although Michael's website has them for 5 dollars too), go to Barnes and Noble or Amazon and find a Leuchtturm1917, Moleskine, Rhodia, or Scribbles That Matter (STM) dot notebook.

Pay attention to your notebook’s stats. Dot grid pages, instead of blank or lined pages, is not technically an imperative, but strongly suggested. Furthermore, thicker paperweight (measured in gsm) will make a difference if you’re going to use more than a pencil to write in it. The Leuchtturm1917 is one of the most popular bullet journals, but it has a relatively average thickness for pages at 80gsm. The Michael’s website says the Artist’s Loft journals also have 80gsm paper. From my experience, with 80gsm there will be ghosting if you plan to use any type of marker or ink pen. Ghosting is seeing the writing from one side of the paper through the other side, and it is not to be confused with bleeding, which is when the ink actually comes through to the other side of the paper.

Moleskines are some of the cheapest journals (about 15 dollars) besides the Michael’s Artist’s Loft ones, but they have 70gsm paper, even thinner than the Artist’s Loft and the Leuchtturm1917. Rhodia is thicker than most at 90gsm, but Scribbles That Matter notebooks have a fantastic 100gsm paper, which may be why many swear by the Scribbles That Matter notebook. I also have found some hand bound journals boasting up to 120gsm on Etsy, but those are mostly traveler’s notebooks.

Pick your format. With any journal, you’ll want the thickest paper you can find, with a dot grid on the pages. However, there is at least one option that is up for more debate. While the journals I have mentioned so far are hardbound, some bullet journal creators choose more customizable options, like a traveler’s notebook or a binder. Traveler’s notebooks have two basic parts—the cover and the inserts. The cover may have room for several inserts, depending what kind it is but the inserts are always much smaller than a regular notebook in the page number. For example, my Leuchtturm1917 has 249 numbered pages, while my traveler’s notebook insert has 100 pages (which I had upgraded from its usual 60 pages). Also, some choose to DIY a bullet journal and punch holes in paper to put in a binder.

Find your accessories. Many will go crazy for washi tape (decorative tape that looks like tiny rolls of masking tape—but much prettier) but I personally haven’t found a good enough use for washi tape besides marking pages or fixing mistakes. Others will use Tombow dual tip brush pens or Crayola SuperTip markers for lettering, and some drool over Micron Fineliner pens or Sharpie pens (make sure to get the pens, not the markers).

Whatever you do, though, test your pens on your journal before writing a whole page. I was disappointed to discover almost any regular ballpoint pen will smudge in my Leuchtturm1917 which has coated pages that work best with felt tip pens like the Sharpie pen. If you’re running low on decorations for your bullet journal, the 5 dollar section at Target is fantastic for journal and planner stickers, tabs, and even sometimes washi tape.

Know where to go for answers and inspiration. First off, I recommend anyone beginning their bullet journal to join Bullet Journal Junkies, a group on Facebook that is very large and very active. After that, turn to Pinterest. There are a lot of people out there who love to write blog articles on the bullet journaling process and they all share their posts on Pinterest (at least the smart ones do).

Finally, look around (maybe ask around in the Bullet Journal Junkies group) and find some bullet journal Instagram accounts that inspire you. I recommend keeping up with inspiring bullet journals online because it keeps you excited about what you can do with your own journal.