Bullet Journal Ideas You Can Use and Copy Right Now
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After you learn about the fundamentals of a bullet journal, it is time to actually start including pages and collecting bullet journal ideas. You will find that there are a number of bullet journal collection ideas (a theme or bunch of related ideas grouped together for a bullet journal).
This really comes down to knowing what you need to include in the journal, but is also based on what your personal needs and style are. You might want to make a collection of bullet journal lists, a collection of project ideas, habit trackers, or even future goals.
The following tips will help you include all the right things in your bullet journal and also includes links to inspiring images, bullet journal ideas, collections, and weekly or monthly spreads.
When you are looking for bullet journaling ideas, you will always find that there are weekly spreads and monthly spreads. Those seem to just be part of the system.
After that, you can mix and match all the things to make your bullet journal ideas work for you.
Index and Symbols for Your Bujo Ideas
To start with, your bullet journal should include an index with page numbers on each page, and symbols for the various notes. These are some of the basic elements of a bullet journal that help get it organized and let you know how to find different sections of the journal.
What you add to this section is based on your bullet journal collections or the bullet journal lists that you include in your planning and journaling.
You can title each section as needed, but make sure it is also included in the index. Update the index as much as you need to.
Daily, Weekly, or Monthly Calendars for Notebook Ideas
Calendars are another very important part of having a bullet journal. You want to keep track of your appointments and schedules, and to do that you need multiple ways to do this. Just having a regular monthly calendar is great, but it makes it hard to include more information.
You will probably want a page for the full month at a glance. After that, you can decide if you prefer to work in your bullet journal with daily pages, weekly pages, or just stick to the whole month and use habit trackers.
However, if you just had a daily or weekly calendar, then you wouldn’t have the benefit of seeing your month at a glance. For this reason, it is good to have daily, weekly, and monthly calendar pages in your bullet journal.
Bullet Journal Lists and Ideas
You can track anything with a bullet journal. Usually, they are used to keep track of cleaning tasks, books to read, bucket list destinations, budgeting, and fitness goals.
Don’t be limited by what you see others planning in their journals. You can choose to keep track of any of the following (these are just suggestions…you find what works for you):
- date night ideas
- movies you want to watch
- flowers you have found
- your favorite places to hike
- craft projects you want to create
- supplies in your craft room
- favorite movies or tv shows
- favorite songs and artists
- books to read
- books you already read (I love tracking this one on Good Reads too)
- things to do
- places you want to go
- favorite quotes
- scripture
- prayer lists
- crafts to make
- favorite pens
- YouTube videos you love
- inspiration from Instagram
- favorite Bujo fonts
Bullet journal ideas are meant to fit you and your personality. The main idea is to make them work for you and your style. Don’t feel pressured to track how much water you drink in a day if that really isn’t your thing!
Productivity Bullet Journal Ideas
You can use a bullet journal as a student or as an employee. Keep a separate journal just for your daily tasks at work. Here are some ideas of things you can add to your bullet journal collections:
- to-do lists
- task trackers
- homework assignments
- job searches
- open projects
- business plan lists
- project management
- go to resources
- time block notes
- goals
- apps to love or want to try
- collaboration ideas
- exam prep
Life Goals and Aspirations
Not everything in your journal has to be about your daily tasks and to-do lists. You can also get more in-depth and really keep track of where you want to be in life. These bullet journal ideas for tracking life goals, spending and saving will give you some great ideas on how to use your journal to track your life goals.
- specific saving goals
- daily personal expenses
- business expenses
- household financial info
- debt tracker
- budget spreads
- couponing
- bill due dates and payments
- incoming payment trackers
- money savings challenges
- no spend days
A great way to track your savings in a bullet journal by Sasha at Life’s Carousel.
Track your savings or spending with unique bullet journal ideas like this one. It can be a spread for the week or for the month. Whatever your budget goals, you can adapt it and make it fit your style.
You can start a bucket list or have a 5-year or 10-year plan in certain sections of the bullet journal. It also allows you to see what your main life goals are, make a list of what you need to do in order to achieve them, and then work on those tasks one at a time until you reach your goal.
Healthy Lifestyle Changes for Your Bujo Collection
To take better care of yourself, make sure you include a health or lifestyle section. This part of the bullet journal is where you log your food, create meal plans, and make grocery lists.
You can track any form of physical and mental health and wellness with a bullet journal. This list of popular bullet journal ideas will help you with all things health-related:
- fitness diary
- weight loss tracker
- mood tracker
- habit tracker
- sleep tracker
- gratitude journal
- food diary
- fitness diary
- workout routine
- measurement tracker
- period tracker
- water tracker
- self care ideas (or track the time you practice self care)
- medical history
- medications
- pay it forward ideas
- doodle pages
You can collect recipes, track your weight, journal about gratitude or make lists of areas where you want to improve your nutrition.
These bujo ideas also work great if you want to log in your weight and measurements to track them or find out what your fitness routine should be.
Household Organization Lists for Your Bullet Journal
Bullet journals work great for personal goals. They are fun to doodle in. You can add stickers, color with markers and pens, and just enjoy decorating the pages
They are also very useful when it comes to tracking household needs. This is a great list of bullet journal page ideas for your entire household that will keep it running smoothly (or at least help you attempt to make it run more smoothly).
- daily cleaning to-do lists
- weekly cleaning to-do lists
- home improvements
- Konmari ideas
- big purchases
- event planning
- birthday lists
- holiday lists
- meal planning
- recipe lists
- shopping lists
- in-season produce
- chore lists
- spring cleaning chart
- fall cleaning chart
Family Life and Events
I have always loved to scrapbook. One of my favorite books actually includes quotes from my children, diary entries (that were actually blog posts waaaaay back when), and lists of things that I was working on at the time.
- family game night ideas
- date night ideas: couples, parents, as a family, etc.
- places to visit with your family
- funny quotes from your kids (write them down before they fade from your memory)
- social groups
- play dates
- school shopping lists
- allergy information
- insurance information
- pet trackers
- contact information
Keeping track of your family is just part of the gig. There isn’t anything in the rule book that says you can’t be creative about it in the process. These bullet journaling ideas are great for your dot journal or your planner. Have fun with them.
Personal Growth Ideas for Journals
One of the great things about a bullet journal (and you can do the same thing with a customized Happy Planner) is that you can use it to track your personal growth. You do NOT just need to track your endless to-do list. Or keep a running record of all the things that keep you busy.
A planner or bullet journal can also be a place to HOLD your ideas. Your inspiration. Your wish lists. Journal about your gratitude. Write out quotes or affirmations that you love. Don’t just become overwhelmed with being busy.
- personal goals
- health trackers
- future plans
- wish list
- bucket list
- professional development
- affirmations
- quotes you love
- values
- brain dumps
- life changes
- skills you want to learn
- volunteer hours
Recommended Page Layouts and Design Ideas
Something many people struggle with when putting their bullet journal together is knowing what page layout and design to use. You might find that your bullet journal ideas are felling a little boring or you can’t quite organize the layouts properly. Here are some recommended page layouts and designs you can use.
Have Multiple Calendar Layout Options
When designing the layouts for your schedule and calendar portion of the bullet journal, use multiple options. Don’t just restrict yourself to one style, but really use whatever works best for you.
Perhaps your journal has so many sections, you really only have room for a monthly calendar. You can also use one version to create multiple page spreads from a simple design like this post will show you.
A step by step tutorial on variations for a calendar spread by Rose at Little Miss Rose
That is totally fine! But others might find it helpful to use daily layouts and weekly layouts as well. These are great because they provide more space for writing, but in the end, it is up to whatever you want and what your needs are.
Try a Time-Based Daily Layout
Another good idea for your layouts is to use a time-based daily layout. This is for when you are tracking things like your moods and feelings, or what tasks you are completing on any given day.
If you work from home, it is very helpful when trying to figure out what hours you spend working, and what hours are spent on other things. For the day, split it up into hour increments to make logging easier.
Be as Creative as You Like and Find Bullet Journal Inspiration
Unicorn Bullet Journal Ideas by Thass at Meraki Mother
Include your favorite icons, doodles, and artwork. If you love unicorns then fill that book up with unicorns. If you love cats, then make everything in your journal about cats.
Personally, I’m going to create a Harry Potter themed bullet journal. It makes my heart happy just thinking about it!
Remember that everything you read about bullet journals is nothing more than a guideline. There are no hard and fast rules here. You can be as creative as you want, so don’t feel pressured to have the most unique or the prettiest pages.
You are also not forced to use layouts you find elsewhere, but to create your own as you see fit. That is one of the great things about having a bullet journal.
Have Some Freeform Pages for Creative Journaling and Lists
It is also a good idea to include some pages in the bullet journal with no layout whatsoever. These are similar to traditional journal pages, where you are just jotting down notes in any manner you want. You have no guidelines or set boxes you need to stick to. Just start writing, doodling, and making notes about whatever you need to remember at a later date.
If you are getting stuck on layouts, start looking at other bullet journals for inspiration. You will find a lot of great ideas that inspire you to create custom layouts for your own bullet journal.
Frequently Asked Questions About Bullet Journaling
What is a bullet journal?
Equal parts day planner, diary, and written meditation, bullet journaling turns the chaos of coordinating your life into a simple fun and creative process. Bullet Journal is a method of personal organization developed by designer Ryder Carroll. The system organizes scheduling, reminders, to-do lists, brainstorming, and other organizational tasks into a single notebook.
What is the journal for beginners?
Any notebook can be used for bullet journaling. If you have a composition notebook or a moleskin journal you could start with those. You can also print parts of a bullet journal and use them in your regular planner. You don’t need a specific journal to get started.
How do you start a bullet journal as a beginner?
Using a bullet journal is a great way to keep track of life. You don’t need to start one. But you might want to have something that does double duty: creative outlet and life organization. Read more in this post: What is a Bullet Journal
What markers don’t bleed through paper?
My top pics for markers that won’t bleed through paper are Paper Mate Flair pens and Staedtler Triplus Fineliners.
What is a weekly spread?
A weekly spread is basically an overview of your upcoming week that allows you to plan, schedule, and visualize what you have going on for the week ahead. It usually consists of sections for the days of the week, but you can also add your weekly trackers, meal planning, weather forecast, etc.
How do you do a monthly bullet journal?
The monthly log or monthly spread is an overview of the entire month ahead. … You usually set it up using 2 pages and it is where you write down here specific events and tasks but also plans for goals and focus for the month. How you make one is entirely up to you, your style, and what you are planning for.
What is a BUJO spread?
A bullet journal spread is a group of pages that are all about a related topic. They usually are two pages in your notebook, planner, or bullet journal.It is the space where you can get an overview of the whole subject quickly. Just like with all things bujo, you can make your spreads how you like them and in a way that works best for you.
Why is it called a bullet journal?
The name “Bullet Journal” comes from the use of abbreviated bullet points to log information, but it also partially comes from the use of dot journals, which are gridded using dots rather than lines.
How do bullet journals work?
Bullet journals are a collection of ideas, to-do lists, life plans, menus, weekly and monthly calendars and anything else you want to add to them. They are a place to hold your ideas and plans. However you decide to implement those thoughts and plans is up to you. You can be as concise or as creative as you wish.
