First of all, you may be wondering, what exactly is bullet journaling? I think of it as a mix between a journal and a planner. The official Bullet Journal website explains the bare bones of bullet journaling, but the beauty of this organizational tool is that you have all the freedom you want and don’t have to follow any strict rules. You start off with a completely blank journal and from there, you can make your BuJo anything you want it to be.

Here are the basic parts to bullet journaling:

1. Get a journal.

The official bullet journal is a LEUCHTTURM1917 journal sized A5 with dotted pages. However, yours can be any type of journal, of any size, with any type of page: lined, blank, gridded, or dotted. I personally like using gridded or dotted paper because the squares on the page are perfect for the different bullets I use while journaling.

2. Establish a bullet system.

Your bullet system serves to organize things you write down in your bullet journal. Here’s mine:

I have three categories for my bullet system:

1. Main bullets.
   1. To-do’s
   2. Events
   3. Notes.
2. Action indicators. These get marked on top of the main bullets.
   1. Completed: I’ve completed a to-do item or an event has passed.
   2. Cancelled: A to-do item or event has been cancelled.
   3. Migrated: I’ve moved the to-do item or event to another day.
3. Signifiers. These go next to the main bullets.
   1. Important: An important to-do item or event, such as a due date.

3. Organize your Collections

Bullet journals are modular and are organized into what are officially called Collections. Some example Collections you can have in your bullet journal are:

• Index. An index to help you keep track of where your different Collections are. Or you can use cute page markers instead to mark important pages!

• Monthly log. A monthly overview of your life. Events and important tasks are put on here.
• Daily log. A much more detailed version of the monthly log.

4. Putting it all together

Unlike planners which come already premade with monthly calendars and weekly spreads, bullet journals are created incrementally. I like making two-page weekly spreads and take things week-by-week. Others like doing daily spreads, which allows more room and freedom for journaling. You can switch it up anytime you want!

And that’s it! Have fun bullet journaling and stay tuned for weekly/monthly spread layout inspiration, lettering tips, and more.

Ever yours,

Vy