Starting A Bullet Journal – What It Is And Why You Need One
I’ve been looking at starting a Bullet Journal for ages now. I’d seen other bloggers talking about them and I genuinely had to Google what they were. I was amazed at some of the designs I saw! They all looked so pretty, of course I wanted to join in!
I started a board on Pinterest full of little doodles and scripts. So by the time mine arrived I had loads of ideas on what I wanted to do!
What Is A Bullet Journal?
This is the most common question I’ve been asked, what is a bullet journal? It’s whatever you want it to be really. A planner, a diary or a sketch book. You buy a plain journal and go from there.
My plan is to use mine for scheduling my blogging life a little better. I’d like to make a schedule of when I can be active on Social Media and when I need to really write some posts. Whether it will actually go in this direction, who knows!
Starting A Bullet Journal – What Do I Need?
- A dotty paged journal (available on Amazon or eBay) is the first thing. The dotted pages are the easiest ones to use as you can line everything up and make sure it’s equal. It also makes everything a lot more symmetrical. A squared paper one can work just as well though.
- A Pencil and coloured pens or pencils.
- Ruler.
- A rubber.
- Creativity.
It’s pretty simple to get started really. I bought the plainest, cheapest journal I could find from ebay. It had a plain brown, cardboard cover. So boring but I figured I could doodle on it and make it my own. You really don’t need to spend a fortune on anything fancy.
What Do You Put In A Bullet Journal?
Anything you want! I started mine in September and still put a 2018 calendar in the front.
I’ve used mine so far to write down my monthly goals. I have a mood tracker which covers the whole year and I have a log of all the Twitter Chats I have found and on what days they’re held.
It’s not much but it’s a start. I may write a list of films we need to watch and then mark them off as we watch them.
You could use yours as a food diary or meal planner, an actual diary. Or you can always brainstorm ideas in it. There are loads of ideas and templates available on Pinterest.
Do I Need To Be Able To Draw?
The simple answer is, no! It doesn’t have to be amazingly artistic, it’s for you and whatever you need it for.
I used to love doodling when I was younger, I wasn’t great at arty stuff but I also wasn’t too awful. I haven’t drawn anything for years but for me it’s a bit of an escape. It’s a great distraction from raiding the fridge in the evening too!
I find it really relaxing and actually, my drawing skills weren’t as bad as I thought they’d be. Once I’d coloured in my dodgy looking flowers they actually didn’t look too bad!
Honestly, the possibilities are endless, it is literally a blank canvas ready for you to do what you want.
I’d love to see what you’ve done with yours if you have one? I could always use a little more inspiration.
11 Comments
Charlotte
Love this so much! I always keep a journal around with me to write down quick ideas, plan out my days, make some to-do lists, etc. I feel much more organized just having it with me. Nice post 🙂
Carly Bloggs
It definitely makes you more organised! I love a good bit of stationary.
Rhena Clark
Bullet journals are so useful. I completely rely on mine to get most things done.
Geraldine
Thanks for the post! I’m trying to get into the habit of keeping a bullet journal with me wherever I go; i feel much more productive that way too!
Jo
I’ve thought about starting a bullet journal to keep me to time when blogging, but then I worry about how much time I would spend actually doing the journal. Some of the ones I’ve seen online are really brilliant, but I don’t even have time to write a diary! I may give it a go!
Carly Bloggs
Mine doesn’t get much done in it to be honest but it’s definitely handy to have.
Jordanne | Thelifeofaglasgowgirl
This has been such a helpful post, thank you! I’ve been dying to start a bullet journal for a while now but haven’t had any idea on where to start. I’m worried I won’t be good at it lol I love the calender you’ve put in, it’s so well done!
Jordanne || Thelifeofaglasgowgirl.co.uk
Carly Bloggs
Aw thank you hun! I’m not the best at drawing but I enjoy it and this is a great way of expressing myself.
Louise
Think I may have to look into this more! I’ve got a notebook I wrote lists in and bits bobs so may need to branch out into this instead…love a good doodle 🙂
Carly Bloggs
You can’t beat a good doodle!
Nina
I love the flexibility of a BuJu and how there is not set pattern. Fab post outling how they work. I was a little overwhelmed when I first started. Thank you. Xx