If I could open up a drawer of all planners past, there would be an excellent collection. You’d find all different kinds of planners. I tried them, and I didn’t use them. I liked the idea of them, but then I’d neglect them for a month or so and have all these blank pages in the middle of my book. Then I faced a with a problem. Do I tear out the pages? Do I leave them blank? Usually, I would abandon the planner altogether. I found the bullet journal system and haven’t looked back. Here’s my advice to you as you begin your bullet journal.
Bullet Journaling is Versatile
Starting a bullet journal can be daunting and overwhelming. Maybe you’ve thought these before:
- Where do I start? (If you haven’t watched video on the original Bullet Journal by Ryder Carroll here’s the link begin here, so you understand bullet journaling’s foundation)
- What should I include?
- I’d like all the collections, but what do I do with them? Where do I start?
- Everyone has pretty lettering and how do I get that?
- I need all the fancy on my pages.
The critical thing to know is that your bullet journal will morph with you. If you need to track appointments, start with a Future Planner of some kind, a Monthly Log or Monthly Calendar and a Weekly log. That’s it! Once you are comfortable with your journal, that’s when you start customizing. My journal has morphed into an art journal/art therapy notebook. MommaBearLife.com explains this concept in her blog post. Check it out!
Recap: Where to Start:
- Future Log – somewhere to put future appointments and plans
- Monthly Calendar / Log – overview of the month
- Weekly Log – if you don’t know how much you need, start here, if you have a lot to plan or keep track of on a daily basis, switch out with a daily log, you can also use the space to write a journal entry
Begin Your Bullet Journal: Follow a Set Format to Start
Begin your bullet journal with the basics. Start with your monthly calendar in a log format which is simple, straightforward and easy. Start with weeklies and work in dailies if you need them. Find a simple, easy-to-create format for your beginning weeklies. Set aside 2-5 minutes every day to plan your day or the following day to make it a habit. Eventually, you’ll become comfortable with the style of a bullet journal and morph it into your own personal style.
I don’t have a lot of plans per se in the day both when I was beginning a bullet journal and even today. There are things I to do, but I don’t have an exorbitant amount of appointments I need to meet and tasks done weekly, rarely on a set day. So using weeklies has been my go-to planning style. If you are a lot busier and have tasks that need to get done on a specific day, use a daily log, either one page or part of a page for each day when setting up your bullet journal. If you use dailies, the needed space will expand and compress based on the day.
My Inspiration
I started watching planning videos with Alexis at strangecharmed.com and found my way over to Kara at Bohoberry.com. Clark Kegley and his method of journaling also profoundly influenced me. Quickly adapting many ideas from these inspirational entrepreneurs and others and created a style to fit my needs. I started my own YouTube channel, and I love going through the planning process with you! Follow me on YouTube. To inspire you, I have a new series in the works creating headers for collections and other pages, and I am very excited to share it with you! Follow along!
Need to Track Something Instead of Appointments?
Ani over at TheAniKay.com said that she started slow – with just an exercise tracker. Then eventually added more things in, she’s recently switched to a digital planner, and I love seeing the evolution of her planning journey.
My very first and most important recommendation if you are considering bullet journaling – choose the most important thing to track for you and track it. Need to track appointments? Start with a weekly or monthly calendar and add the dates there. If your goal is to lose weight – by all means jot it down! Start with that and add the other stuff in later.
Creative Outlet
In desperate need of a creative outlet? Choose a drawing or doodling challenge, map out a week at a time with seven boxes and doodle one thing every day. Start small. Do not try to do everything at once and do not expect perfection. My bullet journals have at least one mistake per spread, and it’s one thing I’ve learned to accept. Sometimes a whole spread, but the benefits to me of this little book for me outweigh any mistake. Begin your bullet journal adventure without a lot of frills, and begin your bullet journal for you.
Collections
My VERY FAVORITE thing to track in my bullet journal are collections. Collections in your bullet journal are where you can get into a lot of fun. These are things that are uniquely you. Books read, books to read, movies watched, movies to watch. Oh, the possibilities are endless (my ultimate personal favorite is my 10-minute task list). But here’s the deal: Don’t start with everything.
My collections have come out of need. Check out AsARye.com and her array of collections starting the year. Take ideas from sources and turn them into something that works just for you. By the way, I recommend crediting anyone who you reference, they will love it for one thing, and it’s just nice.
What if You Don’t Want to Mix Them?
So then there’s the age-old question of ‘I don’t want my collections mixed in with my monthly and weeklies – where do I put them?’ A simple answer for me is in the back of the book. One idea is to start on the back page and worked forward, so your planner and your collections meet in the middle.
In March, I started a separate book for my long-term collections and enjoy it. But that is because my journal has evolved with me, don’t try to start too much all at once. Beginning a bullet journal is an ongoing process, it is not going to all happen at once.
All the Fancy – Begin your Bullet Journal Simply – the Fancy Will Come
There are gorgeous spreads out there, some that are jaw-dropping. I can tell you, mine did not start out that way, and not all of mine end up picture ready (I have quite a few planner-fails under my belt). The pretty lettering and the gorgeous spreads took time; I had to get used to planning out my days before I could use bullet journaling as a hobby. And it took lots of time and lots of practice.
Though I have studied fonts and writing styles for nearly my whole life, I still forced myself to learn the fundamentals of brush lettering so I could make the ‘pretty’ letters on my own. It’s still developing, and I know this: it won’t come overnight, and it will require time, effort and patience.
November Called for Structure
I love the bullet journaling system’s versatility, and you can make it adapt to your needs. For a while, I needed a very structured week/month – see November – Plan with me. I had a theme – it was 12×12 boxes. Really. That was my November theme.
Whimsy Defined December
December was all about free-flowing spreads; there were lots of sketches, lots of open spaces. December was A Christmas Story-themed.
January Used the Best of Both (in my opinion)
My yearly theme is Grow. I fully intended to do flowers and other growing items like leaves all the way through, but sometimes you have to go with what comes to you. That’s my tip now. Don’t try to force it. January’s theme was all about transportation. But I used essential elements from both November and December to have structure and art. Each page uniquely reflected a new mode of transportation. I tried out new ways of creating as well. (Watercolor with markers? Yes. – I show you how I do it on my YouTube Channel). I think the combination of November’s function and December’s form created a cohesive feel that met both my planning and my artistic needs.
The point is when you begin your bullet journal, it seems scary but if you start with my recommendations of a future log, monthly calendar, and weekly log and then the pages won’t stay blank for long, and soon you’ll find a unique style that fits you. In the meantime, you are welcome to use any inspiration you need from me.
February
The second month of the year tried too many things, and it flopped. Many of these tried-and-not-yet-true details didn’t even make it to the blog (yet), but I learned a lot from them. I hope to revisit some of the ideas, tone them down, and use them later.
March Gave Birth to Two New Journals & April started a Color-Trend
As mentioned above, in March I separated my planning journal from my long-term collections journal. At the rate I was going, I’d start a new journal every six months. The books in my bookcase tracker would hardly have enough time to gather dust before I flipped to a new book!
Hoping to slow the speed at which I flew through the pages in my notebooks, all long-term collections claimed a new house; I have to say, I like it. In April, I started color-coordinating my designs. It developed into a whole Pinterest board (one of my very favorites), and I love it.
Condensed May + Traveler’s Notebook
Conserving more space (because I didn’t need it), May’s spreads took up all of 10 pages, two of which are welcome pages. Two weeks to a spread works well for my free-spirited summer-itis. Keeping a condensed version of my standard planning style keeps me in the habit of planning and journaling and keeps my conscious guilt-free as I’m not leaving blank pages or too much empty space.
June has a few month-related collections, but the planning is very minimal. That’s what happens in the summer, and I am pleased because I know that when I need more planning space, I add it back into this little notebook and when I don’t need as much space, I consolidate.
Sometimes I want to have a template and print it rather than creating it over and over. That’s where my traveler’s notebook came into play. I built one for about $12 and use it for collections or lists and change them out regularly. Over the last couple of months, I’ve used my Alphabet inspiration booklet insert to create new typefaces and practice styles. It’s available in my shop!
What’s the point?
The point is this little system is entirely up to you. Do what suits you best, find your style, experiment, let yourself have fun and know you can change it. Don’t get so stuck on making it perfect or doing too much. The evolution of my first bullet journal to now is eye-opening and utterly fantastic. The bullet journal notebook is the first planner I’ve fully completed, and I look forward to creating many more. I hope you bite the bullet and begin it.
The ultimate point is to begin your bullet journal and put aside your fears of starting. I promise the hardest thing is to make that first mark in your book. Once you do that, you’ll never look back, or maybe you will, and smile because it’s a grand adventure.
Remember to plan your life, so you live beautifully.
~Tricia
