how to create a bullet journal

the title of this post is very misleading because 1/ there are many ways to create a bullet journal so there’s no “right” way, 2/ this is MY way to making a bullet journal and i’m sharing that, 3/ so technically i’m just sharing how i make my own journal as opposed to teaching you how to make a bullet journal. that being said, here’s how i made my bullet journal. fair warning: i only created this around a month ago, so this is still in the works.

supplies

first, you’ll need a journal or notebook. i currently use a leuchtturm1917, but any notebook should work. BUT, i would definitely recommend getting a journal that is 1/ a good size – not too big, but also not too tiny, 2/ has a grid/squares interior*, 3/ overall good condition because you’ll be using it everyday (aka hardcover, leather bound, or something that can STAY in good condition).

*i first tried using my moleskin that had an empty interior and it was SUCH A STRUGGLE because spacing and everything and i ended up using ~6 pages where i actually drew out grids until i finally gave up because it was too time consuming and seriously, such a struggle. lined interior is alright, but i think grid is the best.

next you’ll need some pens. (and that’s basically it, but i like to get fancy) with the inspiration of studyblrs, i added even more pens (i need colors in my life) (i use pigma micron 005 and pilot precise v5) and highlighters (specifically, zebra midliners. lots of hype around these but OH SO WORTH IT) and some washi tape (aesthetics). you can also include stickers and sticky notes and literally anything, but you only reaaaaally need a journal and a pen.

the backbone

the first thing you should note: number all of your journal pages. in case you need to go back to something, everything will be easy to find and organized. you’ll need a table of contents or index. give yourself a few pages in the beginning and label it however you like.

after your table of contents, you’ll need a key or legend. here, you’ll explain what your symbols and colors and makes will mean. you can make this part up – show your inner creativity – or get ideas from studyblrs like i did.

the next section is the future log. there are multiple ways to make this, but i copied from the original bullet journal video and split my two-page spread into threes to make a six-month calendar. whenever there’s an event in the far future – holidays, important exams, or for me, competitions – you put it in the future log.

the real deal

now that you’ve set up the backbone of your journal, you can get to the real stuff. by that i mean the months and weeks and days. for the month, most people list out numbers for their date and write important events next to it. i, on the other hand, use a two page spread and actually drew out the squares because i found it easier. (i tried the list version in november and it was :///)

for most people, they’d directly start writing out the dates and tasks/events, but i found someone else on tumblr do this so i decided to copy them. they made a weekly habits log where she logged all her food/water intake, exercise, expenses, and general habits. i stalked lots of studyblrs and this was my favorite. (also logw key blurring my habits because i’m doing a bad job completing them, sorry) (also blurring expenses because that was a gift)

on the next page, i write the date and tasks/events for the date. i use my colors and categorize them accordingly and add additional lists if necessary (aka what blog posts i need to draft or book pictures i need to take). i recently started writing my weekly goals at the top of the page as well. it’s important to note that if you don’t finish a task/event at the end of the day, you need to either migrate or mark it as irrelevant. if you migrate it, you’ll need to rewrite it onto the new day. the concept with this is to finish the important tasks and only do what’s necessary. obviously, if you’ve written the task repeatedly for a week straight, you should either finish it or mark it irrelevant. it’s annoying to constantly rewrite it – which is why they made this idea in the first place.

other resources:

• the original bullet journal site
• studyblr tag on tumblr
• bullet journal tag on tumblr

that’s my bullet journal! did you find this helpful? i challenge you to make a bullet journal and be more productive for the upcoming year!