How To Use Your Bullet Journal: A Step By Step Guide

We have the ultimate guide for how to use your bullet journal. From how to design your journal, to decorating it, you'll use it all the time.

The most important piece of advice I received as a college freshman was to find an organization system that works for me & use it every day. I took this piece of information to heart, and after scouring through countless planner reviews online, I stumbled across the bullet journal. I was amazed to find this system that thousands of people use to customize their schedule completely. Inspired, I started making my journal, and I loved the combination of writing down my to-do lists and homework assignments, as well as having space to record my dreams and inspiring quotes I found. Here are five steps to help you get started with creating the bullet journal of your dreams!

1. Figure out what the heck a bullet journal is.

The bullet journal can be anything you want it to be. It traditionally began as a method of note-taking and traditional journaling and has since grown into a creative outlet that can be home to whatever your desire. It can be a planner, journal, and sketchbook that perfectly satisfies any need you have. There isn’t a journal or planner on the market that can do that besides the bullet journal.

2. Buy yourself a notebook to use as your bullet journal.

There are many different types of notebooks that you can use for your bullet journal. The Leuchtturm 1917 was designed for the sole purpose of being a bullet journal, but you can also use a spare college-ruled notebook lying around your room. Ideally, your journal should have a dotted grid layout so you can organize the pages. My favorite type of journal to use is the Muji notebook. They are simple, inexpensive, and excellent quality!

3. Design multiple spreads that fit your needs!

Three standard layouts can help get you started with your journal: weekly, monthly, and yearly. Of course, these are just the backbone of your book, a bullet journal is, ultimately, space for you to show your creativity, and you can add an infinite amount of spreads. Here are a couple of other ideas that you can use as spreads in your journal: sleep tracker, mood chart, book reviews, sentence-a-day log, long term goals, class notes, and bucket list page.

4. Time for the best step, decorating your journal!

There’s no exact way to decorate your bullet journal, it is entirely up to you and your unique style. Some supplies you might like to use are washi tape, stickers, colored pencils and pens, gel pens, and even those scented highlighters from elementary school! Anything will work!

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5. Last but not least, have fun!

Your bullet journal might not be #goals the very first time you design a spread, but keep playing around with different layouts and find what works best for you. The whole point of the bullet journal is for you to be organized and productive, so don’t compare your methods to a picture you’ve seen online.

I hope this post has helped and motivated you to start your bullet journal! Leave a comment down below, and follow Society 19 on all of our social media pages. Thanks!