You’ve been inspired by bullet journal bloggers, so you bought the journal. And some pens. Maybe even some brush markers.
But now you’re sitting there, staring blankly at an empty page.
What are you supposed to do? Where do you even start?
At its core, the Bullet Journal method is fast, adaptable, and… well, pretty basic. If you want to create something like the more embellished versions you’ve seen online, you’re going to need some help.
We interviewed popular bullet journal bloggers to find out their favorite things about bullet journaling and what advice they would give to people who are just getting started.
Elizabeth Ghekiere at Elizabeth Journals
Elizabeth Journals offers advice and resources for organization, as well as inspirational ideas for bullet journaling and tools for creating a positive lifestyle. On Instagram, Elizabeth is a bullet journal blogger who shares ideas for spreads and habit tracking.
What’s your favorite thing about bullet journaling?
“I LOVE how personal and customizable bullet journaling is. You can make it fit you specifically and there are no rules. If you want something simple, you make that. Or if you need a creative outlet, then you doodle and do art in your journal. There are no limits. Additionally, the community is so great and supportive. It’s an amazing community to be a part of.”
What advice do you have for people just starting their journal?
“I recommend that no matter how long you have been bullet journaling, but especially for beginners, that you take it slow. Do not start out with every layout known to man. Start simple and then once you’ve gotten the hang of it, slowly add new layouts like trackers, etc. to try them out. If a certain layout does not work for you, there is no reason why you would need to use it. Every bullet journal is valid, even if it does not include stereotypical bullet journal layouts.”
Website: elizabethjournals.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethjournals/
Helen Colebrook at Journal with Purpose
Journal with Purpose offers workshops and ideas for creative journaling. On Instagram, Helen shares videos and photos of layout ideas to spark ideas for other bullet journalers.
What’s your favorite thing about bullet journaling?
“That my bullet journal can always work for my changing needs. Being self-employed means that I am often juggling lots of projects at the same time. I can use my bullet journal to plan out all of my project work, alongside ensuring that I don’t forget any of my personal commitments along the way.”
What advice do you have for people just starting their journal?
“Start simple and don’t try to create too many pages in the beginning; it can make your journal difficult to keep up with and put you off using it. You can develop the pages you use and your own style over time. As long as it works for you, you are doing it absolutely right.”
Website: journalwithpurpose.co.uk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journalwithpurpose/
Shelby Abrahamsen at Little Coffee Fox
Little Coffee Fox is a bullet journal blogger who centers around productivity and the way bullet journaling can help you become more organized. On Instagram, Shelby shares inspirational quotes and spreads, along with personal stories, and offers courses to help you learn techniques.
What’s your favorite thing about bullet journaling?
“My favorite thing about bullet journaling is how incredibly customizable it is. You can make it work for you whether you like minimalism, maximalism, color, line, art, text, rough, pretty, or anything in between. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, how old you are, or where you are in your planning journey – the bullet journal can help you just as much as it helped me.”
What advice do you have for people just starting their journal?
“My advice to newbies is to forget about making it perfect. I used to be paralyzed by fear when I would open a fresh blank page. I was terrified that whatever I wrote or drew on the page would ruin it. It took me years to realize how foolish this fear truly was, and how it held me back for so long. Screw perfect – just get it done. You, a human being, will always make mistakes and the only way to get better is to try and try again.”
Website: Littlecoffeefox.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/little_coffee_fox/
Rose K. at Little Miss Rose
Little Miss Rose is a bullet journal blogger who shares bullet journal inspiration, ideas, and tutorials. On Instagram, Rose posts design ideas and inspiring quotes.
What’s your favorite thing about bullet journaling?
“The thing I love most about bullet journaling is that it’s incredibly flexible. I can change my bullet journal to suit my needs from month to month, week to week or even day to day if necessary. Because my notebook has no pre-printed pages like a planner does, I don’t face any guilt for not using it. And let’s face it, some days, you just don’t want to open up your bullet journal. I also love that it gives me an outlet to be creative, and to use lots of different stationery – pens, brush pens, paints, and stickers.”
What advice do you have for people just starting their journal?
“Don’t be afraid to just start. Your bullet journal doesn’t have to be perfect and it doesn’t have to be full of beautiful art. Mistakes happen, but you learn from them and you should try to embrace them. If you create a page or spread that you don’t like, just remember there is always a blank page to turn to and start again. Also, to begin with, just stick to the basics of the bullet journal method. Don’t get caught up in trying to create beautiful mood trackers or gratitude logs. If you stick to the basics for a month or two, you will work out what works for you, what doesn’t work, and what else you need to include to get the best out of your bullet journal. And if you’re still can’t get over that first page fear, then don’t be afraid to use pencil first!”
Website: littlemissrose.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlemissrose/
Masha at Masha Plans
Masha Plans aspires to help people use bullet journaling in a way that can bring out their full potential and creating meaningful and purposeful lives. On Instagram, Masha shares layout and tracking ideas, as well as journaling techniques.
What’s your favorite thing about bullet journaling?
“I think my favorite things about Bullet Journaling are customization and creativity. I love the idea that you can create something exclusively for yourself, something that takes into consideration all your personal needs. I also adore the creative element. Bullet Journaling really showed me I can be creative, I can doodle, I can make something pretty with my own two hands. But also, I doubly appreciate the fact that it doesn’t HAVE TO be that way, and if I’m in a hurry and I just need a plan, it’s ok to just write down things with a simple black pen.”
What advice do you have for people just starting their journal?
“I always give the same advice – just start! Don’t wait for the right moment, right notebook, the perfect pen. All this will just hold you back. Start your Bullet Journal right now! I know a lot of people are being scared away from even trying by all those artistic spreads they see online. Don’t let that stop you; you don’t have to be artistic to bujo. Plus Bullet Journaling is really something you learn by doing; you will get better with every page!”
Website: https://mashaplans.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mashaplans/
Jenniffer at Life is Messy and Brilliant
Life is Messy and Brilliant is a bullet journal blogger who shares a ton of freebies (layouts, stickers, and more) for bullet journals and digital planners. On Instagram, Jenniffer posts photos and videos of layout ideas along with links to her printable collections.
What’s your favorite thing about bullet journaling?
“My favorite thing about bullet journaling is the freedom to draw anything on my notebook.”
What advice do you have for people just starting their journal?
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes when you start bullet journaling. Everyone was once a beginner and it takes practice and patience to learn what type of spreads and designs you like to create. Search online for printables and tutorials to learn how to use your bullet journal for school and work.”
Website: https://lifeismessyandbrilliant.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeismessyandbrilliant/
Marieke at My Life in Dots
My Life in Dots is a journaling and crafting blog that shares ideas for layouts along with recommendations for supplies to use; it features personal stories as well. On Instagram, Marieke shares inspirational quotes and ideas for bujo layouts.
What’s your favorite thing about bullet journaling?
“What I love about bullet journaling is that it’s not a preset format. It’s a system that has some key subjects (or how do you say that), but gives you the opportunity to be totally creative with it, and make it a system that works for YOU.”
What advice do you have for people just starting their journal?
“My advice for people just starting with a bullet journal is not to overthink too much. Don’t let yourself be intimidated by all the beautiful layouts on Pinterest or Instagram, but experiment with it and make it your own. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it has to work for you. Trial and error are part of it.”
Website: mylifeindots.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/my.life.in.dots/
Rachel Watts at Planning Mindfully
Planning Mindfully focuses on bullet journaling as a tool for productivity and personal development. On Instagram, Rachel shares ideas for spreads and themes, along with inspiring quotes and sage advice.
What’s your favorite thing about bullet journaling?
“My favorite thing about bullet journaling is the fact that I can change it to suit my needs. I don’t have to commit to any type of spread or method of setting up. If I’m not happy with something one month, I can do something entirely different the next.”
What advice do you have for people just starting their journal?
“My advice for people just starting out their bullet journals is to ask “What do I want to use my bullet journal for?” There are so many great ideas and inspirational layouts to find online that I think some people (like myself, when I started!) end up trying everything. Unfortunately that wasn’t practical, so many of my layouts went to waste. Focus on looking for layouts that will suit the answer to your question, and keep it simple until you’ve mastered those concepts. Don’t forget – modify and adjust as needed!”
Website: planningmindfully.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/planningmindfully/
Thass Dezan and Kirsty Hill at Diary of a Journal Planner
Diary of a Journal Planner are bullet journal bloggers that aim to help others use bullet journaling to become more organized, productive, and happy by merging creativity with planning.
What’s your favorite thing about bullet journaling?
“We think the best thing about bullet journaling is that it is so individual. From the spreads you use to how your journal looks, everything about it is an expression of you. It can change with your needs, your goals and even your moods. Some months we go all out and create amazing themed spreads that get all those creative juices running. Other months our hectic lives just get on top of us and we have a more minimal layout…but both still help improve our lives by getting us organized and productive. A bullet journal is honestly the only system we have come across that can be everything for anyone. And we love that it can change and grow as the person using it does.“
What advice do you have for people just starting their journal?
“Our number one piece of advice is to not get hung up on perfect. When you are staring at all those blank pages it can get a little overwhelming on where to start and how to page your pages look amazing. Especially when there are so many examples of stunning and artistic pages online. It’s okay to make mistakes (trust us we still make a whole heap of mistakes), it’s okay to start a page or spread then realize it doesn’t work for you. We think a Bullet Journal is ultimately about self-awareness and individual growth. Every time you make a mistake or take notice that something isn’t working, you are learning and growing which is exciting. Do things for the love and growth rather than a picture-perfect journal. If you want to learn how to do fancy headers, then great. Get practicing and be okay with the fact that the first few attempts are probably going to be pretty bad.. keep at it. If you just want a plain journal or even use printables and stencils then that is great too. A bujo is all about YOU, your lifestyle and what makes your life better.”
Website: diaryofajournalplanner.com
Cathy Hutchison at Your Visual Journal
(Yes, this is me! You knew I had thoughts on this.) Your Visual Journal offers guidis all about using journaling to solve overwhelm. We cover different ways to use visual journaling (including the bullet journal method) to banish overwhelm and craft a life of intention. On Instagram, I share glimpses into my own journal and how I use it.
What’s your favorite thing about bullet journaling?
“Just like the others in this list, bullet journaling has radically improved my productivity (and my sanity). The thing I love about it is the speed of rapid logging. And while the basic bullet journaling system doesn’t rely on sketchnotes, it’s an important part of what I’ve added to my system to make things easy for me to remember and process.”
What advice do you have for people just starting their journal?
“For beginners, I advise getting a notebook that you will take with you everywhere — whatever that looks like for you. Accessibility of your bullet journal is key to its effectiveness. After all, you aren’t going to log anything if something pops into your head when your bullet journal is sitting on your nightstand at home!”
Website: yourvisualjournal.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathy.hutchison/
Ryder Carroll at Bullet Journal
We saved the best for last! Ryder Carroll is the original bullet journal blogger and the creator of the Bullet Journal Method, and launched the movement that all of the bullet journal bloggers featured in this article (along with thousands of other people) have found so helpful and inspiring. His advice?
“Each Bullet Journal becomes another volume in the story of your life. Does it represent the life you want to live? If not, then leverage the lessons you’ve learned to change the narrative in the next volume.”
– Ryder Carroll, The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the Future
Website: bulletjournal.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rydercarroll/
Look at how awesome your bullet journal can become!
Your bullet journal has the potential to help shape your life, and there are literally hundreds of resources available to you as you get started.
Best of all, just by starting you become part of the community.
You don’t have to sit alone staring at a blank page. You can reach out and ask for help! All of these Bullet Journal bloggers are dedicated to supporting you in your practice!
Want to add sketchnotes to your Bullet Journal? Subscribe and get the free Quick Start Guide to Visual Journaling.
I love what Elizabeth Ghekiere from Jihi Elephant is doing. She has always inspired me to become more productive. In fact, I am so much inspired that I have started my own blog on bullet journal. Thank you for sharing the list of amazing bloggers with us.
I would love to follow all of them. Whom do you follow?