Do you love the idea of starting a bullet journal but don’t know where to begin?
Maybe you’ve heard all about how a bullet journal will help you live more intentionally?
Or how a bullet journal will help you become more organized and productive?
Or maybe you’ve been seduced by all those gorgeous images on Instagram and Pinterest of picture-perfect bullet journal spreads?
But when it comes to starting your own bullet journal you don’t know where to start, or you feel stuck, or overwhelmed.
Well, I’m here to help. In this post, I’ll guide you step-by-step through the process of creating your first bullet journal.
But, first things first…
What is a Bullet Journal?
Basically, a bullet journal (or BuJo) is a combination of a planner, a to-do list and a journal.
The bullet journal system, invented by Ryder Carroll, is a simple and effective way to keep track of everything important in your life. From to-do lists, appointments, and commitments to wish-lists, plans and projects.
It’s is a flexible, customizable system, that you can start at any point during the year.
Ryder Carroll outlines his system in his book The Bullet Journal Method and on his website.He shows how bullet journalling will truly help youtrack your past, order your present, and plan your future.
Setting up your first bullet journal
To get started on your first bullet journal you only 2 things:
- a notebook
- a pen (or pencil)
There is a huge range of notebooks available, many geared specifically toward bullet journalling. When choosing a notebook, look for something that is fairly sturdy, but not too unwieldy to carry around with you.
Dotted pages tend to be most popular, but blank pages can work just as well. And some people prefer lined pages. It really comes down to personal preference.
A word about being artistic…
I’m sure you’ve seen many beautiful, creative and artistic images of bullet journal pages on Pinterest or Instagram. They are truly lovely, and one day I hope to be able to produce some beautiful pages of my own.
However, it’s important to remember that you don’t need to be creative or artistic to start a bullet journal.
While being creative with your pages can bring you alot of joy, try to remember that bullet journalling is about content, not presentation. It’s about building a system that will help you live intentionally, and feel organized and in control.
My advice, when you start your first bullet journal, is to keep it simple. Take it slow, try not to jump headfirst into ambitious, colourful creative, artistic pages.
There’ll be plenty of time to get creative later should you wish to.
1. The index
The first page to set up in your bullet journal is the index.
Your bullet journal index is essentially a list of all the things you have documented and the page numbers on which they appear.
This is how you’ll keep track of what you have recorded in your journal. A bit like a table of contents you’ll be able to see at a glance what you have recorded and on which page, or pages, you’ll find it,
Every time you write something that you’ll want to refer to later, you’ll make a note in your index.
Typically when you start, there won’t be much in your index, but it will grow over time as your bullet journal grows too. You don’t need to include everything in your index, just the things you know you’ll want to refer to later.
If the journal or notebook you are using doesn’t have pages already numbered just write them yourself as you go along.
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What are bullets in your bullet journal?
Bullets are short, succinct versions of your thoughts.
Each bullet is categorized with a symbol to make it easier to recognise and track your tasks, events,and notes.
The symbol you write next to each bullet signifies whether it’s:
- a task (something you need to do),
- an event (something you need to attend,) or
- a note (information you want to remember).
The symbols help you to quickly see what’s been done, what’s still to be done, and what’s noteworthy about the day.
2. The key
The key tells you what each symbol stands for. For example:
- a dot bullet signifies a task – something you need to complete. Put an X through the task when it’s been completed.
If you decide to move the task forward to another day in the current month turn the dot into a right arrow > ( to signify moving forward).
If you decide to schedule the task to a different month, change the dot into a left arrow <, and move it to the future log, which will be at the front of your notebook.
- a circle bullet signifies an event
- a dash bullet signifies a note
- an exclamation point (!) or a star (*) signifies it’s important
If a task is no longer relevant or an event is cancelledcross it out.
3. Future log
The next step in setting up your bullet journal is creating the future log.
Your future log is basically a calendar. It’s a list of all your significant dates, such as upcoming events, appointments, and birthdays coming up over the year ahead.
You don’t need to fill in the whole future log at once. Put in what you know now, and add things in as they come up.
Remember to add the page numbers of your future log to your index.
Here’s an example of a future log from @viacalligraphy
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You could try an even simpler layout like this minimally beautiful one from Annie @ajournalbyannie
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4. Monthly log
The next step is to create a monthly log. You only need to create a monthly log for the current month.
Again, it’s basically a calendar of the current month with your appointments, tasks, to-dos, events etc added. If something comes up during the current month (eg February) for a future month (eg April), just add it to the future log. When it comes time to create the monthly log for April, you’ll refer back to the future log to see what needs to be included.
If you have any unfinished tasks at the end of the current month simply migrate them to the next month when you create that spread. You can read all about migration later in the post.
Here’s a lovely example of a simple monthly log from Bibi @madebystudiob
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5. Weekly log
Next, you’ll create your weekly log.
This is your overview of the week ahead. You’ll write events and appointments for the week, as well as tasks you want to complete that week.
This simple weekly log by Whitney @lifebywhitney also includes space for ideas, notes, and meal planning.
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6. Daily log
Finally, there’s your daily log. This is where you create your to-do list for the day, as well as record anything significant that happens that day. You might note down a win, something that you are grateful for that day, a happy moment you want to remember, or an insight that you have.
There are so many ways you can create your daily log, and one of the great things about bullet journaling is that you can adapt it whenever you want. Unlike traditional planners, you aren’t stuck for the whole year with the same daily layout.
Some days you will have more tasks or to-dos than others. You might want to create a different daily log on the weekends than on weekdays. Or you may create a different daily log for holidays or vacations.
The choice is completely yours.
I like this nice simple layout from Ally @nat.ur.ally
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Another option for your daily log is an hourly agenda like this one from Cynthia @cynthiabujo
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7. Migration
At the end of each month, you’ll transfer the things didn’t get done that month, over to next month. In the bullet journal world, this is called migration.
Yes, this means that you’ll need to rewrite content. While it may seem like a drag to rewrite things, this is actually a big part of the magic behind the bullet journal system. Migration forces you to focus on what you actually really need, or want to do. It makes you think about whether you are being intentional with your time.
If an entry isn’t worth the few seconds of effort to rewrite it, then it’s probably not that important. Get rid of it. Do you really need to go to that event, run that errand, host that party, file that report? Sometimes you do, but oftentimes you don’t.
– Ryder Carroll, The Bullet Journal Method
8. Custom Collections
Collections are related tasks and items. Your index, future log, monthly log and daily log are all collections. However, you can also create custom collections for specific aspects of your life.
These could be ongoing lists (eg books you want to read, places you want to visit) projects you’re undertaking (planning a vacation, a renovation or a house move), or goals you want to achieve.
If you love lists like me, you’ll love using a bullet journal. I think its the ultimate tool for capturing all your lists and being able to easily find and refer back to them later (thanks to the index!)
Habit trackers are another type of custom collection. They are great for helping you to reach your health and fitness, financial and self-care related goals.
Here are a couple of simple but lovely habit tracker examples.
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So there you have it. The basic steps to setting up your first bullet journal.
Would you like a recap? Take a look at Ryder Carroll’s video which demonstrates all the steps simply and beautifully:
Are you feeling inspired to get started? Remember, you can start a bullet journal at any time – you don’t need to wait until the beginning of a year. Why not get started now?
Want to learn more about bullet journaling?
This is the book I recommend:
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