My First Bullet Journal, Why I Started One, and 20 Bullet Journal Page Ideas
I know, I know... I'm kind of late with the whole Bullet Journal craze, but it's never ever too late to start something new in life, and you guys, I am a bit cray cray about this whole analog planning thing!
I was first introduced to the Bullet Journal through my friend Rej, the founder of The Paper Junkie! I follow her on Snapchat and I've seen her set up her BuJo a few times, and at first I was like, "THAT IS TOO MUCH WORK!!!" so I didn't really look into it. And then in one of my blog posts, I asked you guys about how to be organized (God knew I needed some help), and my friend Paoline actually suggested bullet journaling. So, I got curious, and now here we are.
Today, I will be tackling with you three major points:
• Why I started Bullet Journaling
• How I Started and
• Who my BuJo Inspirations Are
Ever since I moved to the US from Canada, my days go by so randomly. I wake up at whatever time I please, I go to sleep when I can't keep my eyes open anymore, and I repeat that every day! The only "defined" days for me are Thursdays because it's church rehearsal, and Sundays because of church! That kind of lifestyle has really hurt my blog and my YouTube channel! I usually don't have anything planned out, and if ever I do have work to do, it's all written in my head, which we all know is no good because I'm so forgetful! So when I finally admitted to myself that I needed a change, I asked you guys for help, and bullet journaling was highly suggested.
why bullet journaling?
I used to buy planners before, and I almost never used them! I find it very hard to write down daily tasks, important meetings, etc that I end up wasting my planners! When I came across bullet journaling, I thought it would be the same as using planners, only, it requires more work since you create your own pages.
I thought to myself "bullet journaling is more work so I will just get a planner." I bought a planner from personal-planner.com, and while I was still online, browsing and researching about bullet journaling and planners, Rej and I exchanged twitter messages and she somehow persuaded me to try out bullet journaling forreals! I then found myself on Amazon, and I purchased my first Leuchtturm 1917 journal just a few minutes after I bought the planner (Jorge married an over spender haha)! The Amazon items came in before the planner I ordered so I decided to just give bullet journaling a shot and see how it goes... I BECAME OBSESSED! When the planner came in, I looked at it and just told myself, "NAHH..." And up to this day, I haven't opened that planner haha. Who wants a free planner? 😂
Bullet Journaling is more effective for me because I am able to make it fit for my lifestyle, not the other way around.
I can modify my spreads depending on how my days will look like and I love how I can be creative with it. I don't have to stick to a layout if I get bored with it and I can mess up and not feel bad about wasting a page. Flipping through my bullet journal makes me happy, and creating spreads is very therapeutic and relaxing for me.
HOW I STARTED:
• RESEARCH - Before I start anything, I make sure that I have enough knowledge on the matter, because I don’t want to fail on whatever it is I’m starting.
With bullet journaling, I started with the source, Ryder Carroll, the founder and creator of the Bullet Journal system. I read everything I needed to know on how to start a bullet journal through his website and videos. Then I explored some more and checked out blogs and Instagram accounts that talk about bullet journaling. I’ll admit, it can be pretty intimidating because there are so many beautiful spreads out there that make you realize how lame your handwriting is and stuff, but the key to starting a bullet journal is to simply START.
SITES TO CHECK OUT:
bulletjournal.com
bohoberry.com
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS TO CHECK OUT FOR INSPO:
bulletjournal
boho.berry
bluelahe
my_journaling_corner
bujobeauties
bulletjournalers
• BUYING SUPPLIES - After I’ve accumulated knowledge, inspiration, and courage to actually start a bullet journal, it’s time to get the ball rolling by getting materials! You only need two things to start your own bullet journal: a notebook and a pen. But, if you want to be more creative with your bullet journal, you can check out the list of materials below…
MY BULLET JOURNAL STARTER KIT:
Leuchtturm 1917 A5 Hardbound Dotted notebook
Ruler
Tombow Dual Brush Pen
Faber-Castell PITT Artist Pen pack
Crayola Colored Pencils
MY BULLET JOURNAL:
Here are a few pages of my first bullet journal:
20 Bullet Journal Page Ideas:
Year at a Glance
Future Log
Weekly Spreads
Daily Spreads
Monthly Memories
Pen/Pencil Swatch Page
Habit Tracker
Things that Make Me Happy
Monthly Goals
Gratitude
Blog Ideas
Bible Reading Plan Page
Books to Read
Movies to Watch
Favorite TV Shows
Favorite Words
Income Tracker
Chores Page
Lists - 17 Before 2017, Things To Buy, etc.
Monthly Favorites
So there you have it, my first bullet journal! I'm 50 pages in and I'm still going strong! It's one of my favorite parts of the day, and I can tell you that it has really helped me organize my time! If you are trying to get to into bullet journaling, I say just do it! It will change your life and I promise you, you won't regret it! If you want me to keep writing about bullet journaling and my journey using it, let me know because I am more than willing to make this a permanent category on my blog! :)
Now, tell me! Are you a bullet journalist as well? What's your favorite part about bullet journaling? Who are your favorite bullet journalists? Send me links and pics in the comment section!