Everything You Need to Know About Starting A Bullet Journal [Simple Beginners Guide]
Starting a bullet journal is actually extremely easy to do… but only if you use my method; well, this method does not technically involve creating a “bullet journal”, rather an artistic planner.
Because I do not use the original Ryder Carroll bullet journaling set up and planning methods, when you use my methods the journal will be more of a homemade planner . I am only using the term “Bullet Journal” because the trend of making homemade planners has been grouped into the broadened bullet journal category.
Anyway, thats enough about the history of the Bullet Journal… Let's talk about how you can get started!
BTW- I actually started out by making super basic to-do lists in an empty dotted notebook. I made these lists to keep me motivated and organized during the COVID times, but they quickly evolved into something more!
My Journey
I am a creator at heart, so it was only natural for me to add designs and embellishments to my to-do lists. What started as plain old to-do lists became colored to-do lists, which became to-do lists with fresh new themes, which then turned into thoughtful layouts and trackers/lists, and then full blown spreads!
I don't want you to think that this process is always so glamorous with these productive lists… I started out by tracking things like showering, making my bed, going outside, etc. I tracked these things because those were the things that I was focusing on improving at that time in my life. It is so important to recognize that your journal does not need any extravagant themes or fancy trackers. You get to decide whether you just need a simple reward system to get you out of bed in the morning, or if you are feeling invincible and can take on anything with your planner. Your journal will reflect what you can handle depending on what phase of life you are in.
March cover spread; habit tracker focused on wellness and healthy habits.
There is no shame in having a simple journal full of to-do lists, nor is there anything wrong with creating beautiful artwork within your planner. I go through a new phase every month where I feel a different level of creativity… I think that might even be my favorite part about this whole process– I get to look through and see what my creativity came up with every month.
I love that these planners also serve as a time capsule. You can physically go through old lists and events that you had planned to visualize your past self, but you can also see your psychological phases of life through the ways that the journal spreads are laid out or the art that you create within the planner.
Long story short, you can create your planner however YOU want to!
Let yourself be creative… You might even catch yourself getting excited to add extra tasks to your schedule just because you like opening your awesome, new homemade planner!
What You Need to Get Started
Even though you don't really need anything specific (besides a notebook and a pen/pencil), I am assuming you are here because you want to know the best tools and tricks to use when making a bullet journal.
I am going to give you list of the basic things that come in handy when creating your own planner. Remember that the supplies you need depend on what you want to create!
A journal: Preferably dot grid/bulleted pages
A popular size for bullet journalers is A5, but you can use any size that you want (I started on a pocket sized bulleted journal!)
***note: it is harder to find dotted/bulleted journals in sizes other than A5***
I currently love Rhodia notebooks, although I have yet to find any journal that actually has thick enough pages, so keep that in mind. A little translucent pages never hurt nobody!
A fine line pen
Micron pens rock, but you can honestly use any pen!
I really like it when the pen that I write my day to day tasks with is different then the pen that I make the spreads with!
Pencil and eraser (duh!)
Pens/markers/highlighters
Try mildliners, or gelly rolls if you want more of a gel pen, or you can try out steadtler brush pens/markers if you want a more opaque marker
And thats all you need! I recently started incorporating alphabet rubber stamps into my layouts, but thats just about as fancy as I get!
I also LOVE putting stickers on my planner.
Layouts, Spreads, and Themes… Oh My!
For someone with no prior design or editorial (or bullet journaling) knowledge, these terms might get a bit confusing. But don't worry– I will help you grasp the concepts!
You can apply the concepts of layouts, spreads, and themes even if you are using a minimalistic approach to bullet journaling. These words don't mean anything fancy, they are simply just defining different aspects of creating your planner!
If you are just looking to create a minimalistic planner using one plain ball point pen, your layout still consists of a layout: you still have a distinct area for the title, date, tasks, right?! Think of the layout as the blueprint for your journal pages. It is way easier to create anything if you have the plans mapped out right in front of you!
The layout does not necessarily have to be physically demonstrated; your layout might just be tucked away in your mind. Either way, the layout of your spreads should all be the same or coordinating.
Woah! Did you see that word? SPREADS!
When you see the word “spreads”, the journaler is referring to the layout and design of a two page view of their journal. A spread almost always refers to a finished two pages of a journal.
Here is an example of a strawberry spread.
As you can see in the photo, the strawberry design continues on to both pages. This in-progress design leaves room for the other elements of the layout.
Spreads focus more on the themes of the planner, mostly because the layouts are predetermined. When working on the spreads of a planner, you should already know the general layout for the pages; it is the themes that you are trying to incorporate into spread.
Yup - I knew you would catch that word… THEMES! The theme of your bullet journal refers to the consecutive pattern throughout each page of your section. In other words, the theme is kind of like the design of your journal. Depending on how you set up your planner, the theme might be an important factor in determining the week, month, or even year. You can even make your whole journal have one on-going theme!
Themes are so much fun, but I found that having the same underlying theme for a large amount of time is not as fun for me. I started my journey by making a new theme every week, then I evolved to a theme for every month. Right now I kind of have the same theme for my whole planner, but each month has a different color scheme… It's kinda cool, but kinda boring for me- but not as boring as I expected… I think it's cute, though (maybe, idk)!
Anyway, you can include your theme in your spreads in so many different ways. For someone doing a super minimal planner, their theme may be portrayed through a recurrent font for the day of the week. It really is the little things that make a big difference in your journal!
Duplicate-style Graphs
This spread features graphs with the same size and style of dots and same color. The same font is also used, showing the method of repeating fonts within a theme.
If you are doing a more artistic planner, you can make your cover page a beautiful pattern, design, or even SCENE. No matter what you make your cover design look like, your theme should somehow reflect that!
Spring Time Cover Page
This cover page set the theme for the rest of the planner. The scene is inspired by me walking my dog, Benji… although my neighbors always say that “he is walking me” because he goes so fast! The scene takes place in a park, leading to the rest of the section to take on a park-theme.
Headstand Log Using Spring-Time Theme
The theme of this month was inspired by walks in the spring time, so each page had to incorporate that green grass aspect. The headstand log spread actually uses a doodles of a girl doing a headstand within that theme of green grass in the spring time.
1/2Weekly Layout Using Spring Theme
In this spread, you can see that I used a very light blue marker to act as the sky. I also outlined the bush and some shadows in the grass; these details were demonstrated on each page of this month’s section!
A non-time consuming way to incorporate your artistic spread into the theme of the rest of the section is to use the same colors on the cover spread as you use on the other pages. This way you only have to create something complicated on one page!
Pink Detailing
A cute way to make a pretty minimal planner is to use plain back and then one fun color— making sure to use the same fun color on every page of the section!
And More Pink Detailing!
The matching pink detailing of this spread shows that the two spreads belong to the same section. Its very important to stick to the same common theme if you want a cohesive planner!
Another way to incorporate artistic spreads into planners is to have some full pages that are artistic and other pages that have small sections of creativity.
Full Page Art
Here is an example of having a full decorative spread. I like the look of these, they really break up the journal! But its also a way to be creative, but not take too much time!
Small Section of Creativity
Here is a great example of the theme being portrayed through a mini continuation of the artwork on the cover. In addition to having the same leaves around the heading as were on the cover spread, the color scheme also coordinated! This is a great way to bring the theme through without expending too much effort.
Also… remember to have fun with fonts! Switching up and trying out new fonts is so so SO much fun. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t brainstorm different bullet journal fonts in my notes during math class… sorry professor!
But that is pretty much all you need to know about layouts, spreads, and themes… make sure you look at my reference photos if you need help!
Get Inspired!
Here is where I will share all of the inspiration I have made for you; you will find anything and everything from minimalistic weekly spreads to in-depth bookshelf trackers. Pick and choose whatever aspects inspire you, and get creating!
The totally amazing thing about these personalized planners is that you can even make your own trackers and graphs! Here are some of my favorites:
If you use this post as inspiration for your own creative planner, PLEASE show me your finished product! I would love to see what you come up with… even if its still a work in progress!!
Talk to you soon,
