How To Start a Bullet Journal and Get Your Life Organized

Bullet journals are fantastic tools for slaying productivity, organizing your life, and managing your time. But if you’ve never used a bullet journal, creating your first spread can seem overwhelming. 

We’re taking the overwhelm out to bring you everything you need to know about starting a bullet journal and boosting your life with this wonderful productivity tool. 

What is a Bullet Journal?

bullet journal spring spread
Photo Credit: CarmenRM via Shutterstock.com.

A bullet journal is a specialized journal built specifically with productivity in mind. On the surface, it looks like any other journal, but the pages are different. 

Instead of the lined pages of a diary or blank pages of an art journal, you’ll find pages filled with a grid of little grey dots, evenly spaced throughout the entire page. These “dots” or “bullets” are the secret ingredient that makes bullet journaling a wonderful resource for boosting productivity. 

What Do I Do with the Dots?

I was very confused when I first saw the grid format of a bullet journal. I was shopping for a regular journal at my favorite bookstore, and every time I opened a pretty cover, I discovered an ugly page filled with dots. 

That was before I understood what bullet journaling was. 

The dots are crucial, as they allow you to draw shapes in your journal. Use them as a guide to draw boxes, rectangles, squares, and more. These shapes will become your task list, habit tracker, schedule, and whatever else you decide to record in your journal. 

How Do I Start Bullet Journaling?

Close up of a bullet journal with a habit tracker and a weekly to do list to represent how to start a bullet journal.
Photo Contributor
Nilnanni200 via Shutterstock.com.

The first step to starting your bullet journal is deciding what type of spreads you want to include. A bullet journal spread is a layout that you create on each page (you can also create two-page spreads as well, which are useful when you have the book lying open). 

There are thousands of ways to organize your journal into spreads. You can create daily, weekly, or monthly spreads to manage your time, track your habits, organize your schedule, and monitor your progress on the goals you hope to accomplish. 

Although we have our favorite monthly spreads and weekly spreads, the beauty of a bullet journal is that you can customize it to suit your particular needs. 

How to Draw Your Spread

Bullet journals make creating a spread easy, even for those of us who weren’t blessed with artistic talents.  The dots make it easy to create straight lines as you draw boxes for habit tracking, meal planning, and your daily to-do list. 

Decide what spread you want to use, and trace your shapes over the grid lines to create your layout. The grid lines are so small that you can make tiny check boxes or giant calendars – the choice is yours!

How Do You Structure a Bullet Journal?

A bullet journal monthly spread showing the calendar in September.
Photo Contributor
siaogou via Shutterstock.com.

You can structure a bullet journal however you want.

Draw a planner with all the meetings, chores, and tasks you need to accomplish on one page and leave the next page blank for note-taking. Dedicate your entire journal to a specific project. Create a month-at-a-glance page. Divide your pages into “work” and “home.”

A bullet journal’s versatility is one of the reasons it’s so popular: there’s no wrong way to structure it. Whatever works for you is the right way. 

Unfortunately, that versatility can also make starting a bullet journal overwhelming for those of us who don’t know what to track. If you don’t know where to start, check out our list of 50 bullet journal ideas for inspiration. 

What is the Point of a Bullet Journal?

A bullet journal is a notebook, task list, and life planner all in one. The main purpose of a bullet journal is to help you stay organized and ensure you accomplish all your tasks and goals. 

However, each person can use it to suit their own needs. Some use it to enhance productivity or stay organized. Others use it to monitor their progress in developing habits or achieving goals. You can use it for project management, vacation planning, as an art journal, or in any other way you can imagine. 

The point is to make it your own and use it how you need to use it. 

Bullet Journal Benefits

Ryder Carrol developed the bullet journal method to manage his ADHD. It helped him organize his life, manage his time, and stay on track to meet his goals despite the challenges of ADHD. 

But you don’t need to have ADHD to reap the benefits. Bullet journaling has numerous benefits, from enhancing productivity to boosting creativity. Explore all the bullet journaling benefits here.

What Tools Do I Need for a Bullet Journal?

pink bullet journal
Photo Credit: Igisheva Maria via Shutterstock.com.

You only need two things to start bullet journaling: a bullet journal and a writing instrument. 

You can find a journal at your favorite bookstore or office supply store, and find pens nearly anywhere. 

However, I prefer to use pretty colored pens when I journal, because making things in color helps the crucial items stand out. I use red to check items off my list, letting me easily see what I’ve finished, pink and purple to jot down notes, and black to create my boxes and layout. 

I also like to use planner stickers and Post-it notes in my journal. The Post-its help me section off and mark important pages, while the stickers add extra flair that keeps me engaged. 

Discover all the best bullet journal supplies here!

Shop Bullet Journals

Are you ready to get your bullet journal? Here are my favorite places to get a journal!

Hey folks! Transparency Disclosure- Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. That means I’ll receive a small commission if you decide to click on it and buy something. Don’t worry, it doesn’t cost you anything extra!

Bookshop.Org

When you shop at Bookshop.org, you support independent bookstores across the country. But you can find far more than fiction – they also have a wide variety of journals, like this wonderful dotted journal with an abstract cover

 

A Cherry on Top

I love supporting small companies. A Cherry on Top has a wonderful selection of journals and art supplies for all your creative needs.

Check out this pretty snowflake-themed bullet journal, and shop around for more journaling supplies. 

 

Pre-Made Bullet Journals

If you don’t want to draw your own spreads, explore pre-made bullet journals on Etsy. The creator drew the spreads in so you don’t have to. 

Printable Bullet Journal Bundles

Etsy is also a treasure trove of printable bullet journal sheets meeting any need. Discover the vast array of options you can find!

Shop Printable Bullet Journal Pages on Etsy

Start Your Bullet Journal Today!

Now that you know how amazing a bullet journal can be, what are you waiting for? Grab yours and get to journaling!

Author: Melanie Allen

Title: Journalist

Expertise: Pursuing Your Passions, Travel, Wellness, Hobbies, Finance, Gaming, Happiness

Melanie Allen is an American journalist and happiness expert. She has bylines on MSN, the AP News Wire, Wealth of Geeks, Media Decision, and numerous media outlets across the nation and is a certified happiness life coach. She covers a wide range of topics centered around self-actualization and the quest for a fulfilling life.