When it comes to bullet journaling, everyone has their unique style. Some might love the traditional minimalist style, while some others use their bullet journal to create artistic masterpieces. And some other people fall somewhere in between. Not entirely artistic or minimalist. Whatever your style is, you keep evolving. Most bullet journalers like to experiment with different spreads or trackers every week or month. I also get bored if I create the same spread again and again, though I have some fall-back spreads that I keep creating because those are convenient and functional for me. The place I look for when I want to draw inspiration to create new styles is Instagram or I look for round-up posts like this on Pinterest. My style is mostly minimalistic. My spreads are not fully black and white, I use fineliner pens and mildliners for color coding. And I know many people love the minimalist and functional style too.
minimalist bullet journal accounts on Instagram
When I want to try new ideas in my bullet journal, I always look at Instagram accounts for inspiration. Instead of searching all over the place, I follow some Instagram accounts whose style suit mine and I save ideas whenever I check Instagram. So, here I have compiled a list of minimalist bullet journal accounts you can follow on Instagram to keep getting fresh ideas. Let’s take a look. 1. Stina @supermassiveblackink
I like Stina’s style. Her spreads are all in black and white, still they look beautiful and neat with all the doodles and drawings. 2. Jane @bujoist
I have been following Jane’s account for a while. She is an excellent doodler. Even though she doesn’t seem to experiment with different styles when it comes to weekly spreads, she makes it different by doodling. What I love about her style is how she combines minimalist bullet journaling with doodling. Lately, she has been posting video walkthroughs of her doodling. You must follow her account if you love to doodle or wanna learn to doodle in your bullet journal. 3. Marta @bullet_journalish
Marta’s Instagram feed is so “minimalistically beautiful” (Sorry, I just made up this word) that I had a hard time choosing a picture to feature. You should take a look at her account for more inspiring ideas for weeklies and all kinds of minimalist bullet journal spreads. She has a simple style which is not intimidating at all. Also check out her brand new Youtube channel here. 4. @craftyenginerd
Follow @craftyenginerd to draw inspiration for different bullet journal spreads and trackers. I love her handwriting and how beautiful the spreads look when filled in. 5. Mariana @bujototheminimal
If you love to draw simple doodles in your bullet journal spreads, check out Mariana’s account. She draws beautiful flower doodles in her bullet journal. If you don’t want to doodle, you can still draw inspiration from her simple and minimalist spreads. 6. Juliane @senseistudies
Juliane’s Instagram feed is not entirely monochrome, but she has a simple minimalistic style. She always tries new layouts, so do check out her account for more inspiration. You can check out her website here, senseistudies.com. 7. @sannasbujo
@wezz.bujo has simple, minimalistic and monochromatic spreads like this one. If you don’t like empty spaces in your journal, doodling pictures like this or adding quotes is a great idea. Go check out her account for more. 10. Kimi @kitoremi
Aren’t these leaves super cute? Kimi has more of such ideas on her account. She is a minimalist bullet journaler and posts picture tutorials of such cute doodles. Check out her Instagram for more. 11. @dotted.v
@dotted.v is an excellent doodler. All her spreads are heavily decorated with doodles, but she still goes with minimalism. 12. Victoria @victoriaonthedot
Aren’t those geometric patterns lovely? You can see colorful and black and white spreads on Victoria’s Instagram feed. But all of her spreads are simple and minimalistic. I love such spreads which are easy to recreate and not overwhelming at all. 13. Olivia @flyingpaperwords
If I can point out to one Instagram account that truly defines ‘minimalism’ in bullet journaling, it would be Olivia’s. It amazes me how with only using black ink and no doodles, her spreads look so attractive. Her handwriting is definitely an asset. If you check out her account you can see she uses only black ink and lines to make clean yet beautiful minimalist spreads. If that’s your style, you should definitely follow her. 14. Flo @planwithflo
@planwithflo keeps her bullet journal minimalist and attractive using clear stamps and stencils. She keeps experimenting with new styles. I always check this bullet journal account for new ideas and inspiration. 15. Kat @booksofnotes
If you love simple and functional spreads like this one, check out this account. 16. Justine @justbulletine
Justine’s Instagram account is not “monochrome” minimalist. But I think her spreads have a simple, clean look and they are easy to set up. Do check out her Instagram account for more beautiful minimalist spreads. 17. Sharona @sharonajournals
Like many others, Sharona’s Instagram account is not typical “black and white” minimalist account. She likes to doodle to fill in the small spaces and gaps. I find her feed simple and cute with those super cute doodles. Now, if you don’t like you can choose not to draw but can still draw inspiration from the spreads.
You can use a bullet journal to literally track everything. Out of all the collections that one can use in a bullet journal, my favorite and the one I can’t do without is a habit tracker.
Why?
Without habits trackers, I can’t even imagine my bullet journal. As a self-help junkie, it’s one of the reasons for me to start a bullet journal.
We all want to have healthy habits in life. But you know, how forming a new habit is easier said than done. This is where a habit tracker can help you.
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What are the benefits of having a habit tracker in your bullet journal?
You can keep track of all your habits in one place.
You don’t forget to do your habits anymore. Especially new habits that you want to form.
By the end of each week/month, you can assess how much did you plan to do and how much you did accomplish. It is really useful because we waste so many days in our lives just by wishing away. A habit tracker gently forces you to actually do them. Since you write them down and track every day, your brain knows it is important and it reminds you every day.
Your life gets a new order and a routine.
By looking at the pattern in your habit tracker, you get a visual idea of how your week/month was in accordance with your performance of habits.
You are more motivated to do your habits because you don’t want blank trackers. Trust me, it’s a thing. Your journal becomes your accountability partner. Sometimes I find myself doing my chores even when I am lazy, just to track in my journal.
I would say, you should experiment with both. Personally, I like monthly habit trackers because once I take some time to set up a monthly tracker, I am done for the month. Then I have to worry about setting up weekly spreads only.
But sometimes I do weekly trackers. When setting up each month’s spread, if I am short on time (sometimes, I set up spreads in the last minute), I decide to use weekly trackers. It’s not that difficult.
But for some people, monthly trackers may not work. They are more productive when they track habits weekly. It’s up to you to experiment.
Or else, you can have both trackers. For the habits you do weekly or twice/thrice per week, you can have a monthly tracker. Habits like exercise, weekly scrub/mask, grocery shopping etc. You can mark them beforehand and it will help you to remember on which days you are supposed to do them.
For the habits you want to track with more details like, how much water do you drink each day, how many hours do you sleep etc, you can have weekly trackers or separate monthly trackers for them (you can see examples below).
A hack to remember to check your monthly habit trackers
Use index tabs, so that you don’t forget to check it ever.
25 bullet journal habit trackers to get inspired
Most of the habit trackers fall into these categories: linear, circular and mini trackers.
I have handpicked some habit trackers from each category so that you can get a variety of ideas and inspiration.
Linear habit trackers
If you have many habits to track, you can try linear trackers. You can draw them in one or two pages.
Isn’t this tracker beautiful? The poppies give this spread a color pop. Apart from being beautiful, this habit tracker is functional too. It has a general tracker for all habits and separate logs for water and sleep. It is useful for people who want to track the exact numbers.
This tracker is also easy to draw since there are no columns. You can use the dots as the reference.
This habit tracker is made in two pages and decorated with pictures around. This one is also less time consuming to make since you rely on dots rather than lines. I would make such a tracker when I am in a hurry. If you don’t want to draw, you can use stickers like these.
I simply love this tracker. In addition to other habits, sleep and mood trackers are included in this spread. And don’t you think the tree doodle on top is beautiful?
Another simple tracker where each week is separated by a line. I am always attracted to simple spreads in a bullet journal because they are less time-consuming and suitable for non-artistic people (no offense to beautiful bujos).
If you have read my articles before, you know how much I adore minimalist bullet journal spreads and trackers. Here is one. You don’t need to draw lines as dots serve as the guide (a good reason to buy dotted notebooks).
Sleep tracker that tracks the exact time you went to bed and number of hours of sleep.
mini habit trackers
Unlike linear trackers where each habit is tracked along a line, this one has a box dedicated for each habit with 30 or 31 squares. It need not be a box, people use circles and other shapes too. Let’s see some examples.
This habit tracker has separate columns for a month for each habit. Using different colors for each row makes it vivid. I love the graphical representation of sleep and steps tracker.
Now this one is different from all the others. While we usually track for a week/month, this habit tracker tracks for 100 days. The starting date is noted on the page. The triangle is colored yellow on the days a habit isn’t completed. The only downside it has is, it doesn’t have dates. But I think it’s meant to see the ratio or pattern over three months rather than individual days.
This one comes with a twist. This is a tutorial on how to create novelty monthly trackers. It’s a fun and innovative way to track your habits. You know how hard it is to change habits. In the beginning you are enthusiastic, but after a few weeks, it gets monotonous. Changing your habit trackers every month to use fresh ideas as this can kill monotony.
Habit tracker and mood tracker in a page, where circles denote each day. Crayons are used to highlight. An example of starting a bullet journal with whatever inexpensive supplies you have.
Circular habit trackers
I love the look of circular habit trackers. It definitely breaks the monotony and makes your journal beautiful. I use this compass-protractor for drawing circular trackers in my bullet journal. And for filling in, I use Staedtler fineliner pens. I love these pens, the tip is thin enough to fill in the small squares or pies and available in many colors. I like to color code my habit trackers with these pens.
Are you going to start a bullet journal, but don’t know where and how to start? Or you know how to start a bullet journal, but feel a little overwhelmed. No worries, let me guide you with some tips that will be useful to you as a beginner to bullet journaling. I failed twice before finally establishing a successful bullet journaling habit. As a beginner, it might get some time to get used to the system. But, as you go through it, you will find your style and have success. Here are some tips to know when you start a bullet journal. **This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through my affiliate link. It helps me run this website and create useful content for you. Thank you for supporting my blog :-)**
tip#1. Decide what you want from your bullet journal
Before running to buy those expensive supplies, I will ask you to stop and think. What do you want from the bullet journal system? What intrigued you to start one? Is it simply because you want to organize your thoughts, your life and be more productive? Or is it because you want to tap into your creative brain and let it flow? My point is, decide what you want to achieve from the system. If it is more productivity, you don’t need many supplies. But along with improving productivity, if you want to keep it fun (which most people like), you might as well purchase some supplies.
tip# 2. What supplies to buy as a beginner bullet journaler
If you have done your research, you must have heard this a hundred times. All you need is a notebook and a pen. And yes, it’s true. But as I said above, what ‘more’ supplies you need depends upon your goals. I have used three different notebooks for bullet journaling. My first notebook was an unruled notebook I bought from a local store. I bought a gel pen,Staedtler Triplus Fineliners ( which I love and still use) and a set of washi tapes along with it. And I tried to make it colorful and attractive. Alas, I didn’t keep up with it! By the end of the year, I hardly ever wrote in it. And even if I set up weekly spreads once in a while, they remained unfilled. Good thing I bought a cheap notebook. I will advise you to do the same, to test if you are serious with the system. Next year, I began again with more determination. This time I bought a pre-made bullet journal from Amazon. It had daily columns drawn for a year and some blank dotted pages for bullet journal collections. I regretted the purchase since I didn’t have many options to customize. And I bought my third book the same year, which is a dotted one. I couldn’t be happier with the purchase and I am going to stick with it. I find dotted notebooks easier to draw lines and fill in my habit trackers and is easier to work with even if you don’t want to draw lines. I bought a cheaper dotted notebook (this one) than the popular ones and I highly recommend it. As for pens, this is the one I use and writing with it is a pleasure.
tip#3. There is no one way to bullet journal
Unlike other planners, with a bullet journal, you are not stuck with one single layout for a whole year. It means there is no single way to design a bullet journal. For beginners, it can be baffling. Before you begin bullet journaling, I recommend you to learn first from the source. From none other than Ryder Carroll, the creator of Bullet Journal system. When I was a beginner, I made the mistake of not learning from his website first. If you go by his method, bullet journaling is, in fact, a simple system that you fill in as you go and there is no need to prepare weekly spreads in advance. But as I said, there is no one single way to bullet journal. Since Ryder introduced it, it has come a long way evolving into what you see now. But when you learn the basics, it is easier to understand the myriad ways out there (and less overwhelming).It’s before my third attempt that I read Ryder’s website and I understood the system much better. After you understand the basics, you can customize it the way you want.Unlike Ryder, I prefer weekly spreads rather than daily spreads. You can also read the article I wrote on how to start a bullet journal step-by-step even if you are no artist.
tip#4. Start with cheap supplies
The expense of starting the system can turn down many people who want to try. I would suggest to not go after expensive supplies if you are a beginner to bullet journaling. If you want to customize, start with cheaper options or the ones you have at home like color pencils, sketch pens or highlighters. And focus on making it a habit rather than worrying about buying supplies. Bullet journaling can do wonders for increasing your productivity and changing habits. Trivial issues like buying supplies should not stop you from starting it. Talking about cheap supplies, this article has more information on cheap bullet journal supplies you can buy for under $12.
tip#5. you do not need artistic skills
Let me tell you something. You DO NOT need drawing skills to start a bullet journal. You do not need any skill for that matter. What you should learn is how to stick with it. And if you say you have a handwriting like chicken scratch, it still isn’t a problem. Your skills are not what defines your success with the system. Your success depends upon the customization, that is, how you can tailor it to fit your needs and sticking with the habit. You don’t need to have a Pinterest or Instagram worthy setup. Your journal is to fulfill your needs. Nothing else. I didn’t stick with the habit because I felt the urge to beautify it, inspired from the beautiful bullet journals. I was enthusiastic in the beginning but later it felt like a chore to do it every week. Even though I tried many times, I couldn’t keep up with it. That’s how I decided to take a minimalistic approach. With a minimalistic approach you still need to make weekly spreads, but no pressure to embellish it. And if you want to, you can do it too. There is no rule you should stick with one style. Here is an example of my weekly spread (I am sorry it’s not a clear picture).
Since there is no one single way to bullet journal, you should find your style through trial and error. You can get inspired by ideas from various accounts on Instagram and Pinterest. Look through them and copy the type you want for each week/day. Change it up every week and see what fits your needs. After a while, you will find the spreads that suit your style. If something doesn’t work for you, change it! In my first bullet journal, I would write affirmations in my weekly spread every week. But I didn’t stick with it. So I don’t have it now. I created a separate page for all my affirmations. You get many ideas for bullet journal collections from out there, but you don’t need every collection under the earth. The way I go about it is like this. When I feel I need to note down something in my journal, I create a collection for it. For example, if I think should keep track of the things I purchase online, I create a collection for it. In case you don’t know what a bullet journal collection is, a collection is a page dedicated to a topic. Like ‘Books to Read’, ‘Places to Visit’ etc. Related: The ultimate list of bullet journal collections (121+ ideas) When setting up weekly spreads, try to be creative each week and bring out new ideas. You never know when you will find the ‘most functional weekly spread’ that you will keep wanting to make again.
tip#7. use pencil first
As a beginner, it’s always a good idea to draw spreads first with pencil, and then use pens. Thus, you won’t make many mistakes or lose pages.
tip#8. You can start a bullet journal any time of the year
What I love about the bullet journal system and why it is better than all the other planners is, you can start any time of the year! You can take page 1 and write, ‘August 1, 2018’. And start journaling. Impressive, right? So if you have been on the fence about whether you should start now or in January, you know the answer! In a bullet journal, no pages are wasted because you started mid-year. And the best part, when the next year starts you can continue in the same journal notebook.
tip#9. Always have a monthly review page
At the end of each month, take some time for reflecting before creating next month’s spread. You can analyze things like,
What schedule works for you and how to tweak your schedule so that you get more work done?
What all did you track last month and whether should they be continued next month too? Sometimes, you find certain things not working and you don’t want to include it in next month’s tracker and it’s okay.
Which weekly/daily layout is the most functional and should be used more often?
Which layout should you use? Daily/weekly or hourly? It depends upon your schedule and you will know the answer after you have used the system for a while.
Which goals you didn’t achieve last month and how to accomplish them in the next month? By the end of a month, you get an idea why you didn’t do certain tasks. And if it’s important for you, prioritize them for next month again with better insights from last month’s mistakes.
See, how a bullet journal can help you even achieve your goals. When you use trackers, it’s easier to find out how much you are working on your goals each month. A monthly review page is important because it helps you where you stand with your goals. And make changes each month. That’s the whole point of bullet journaling, right? To have your whole life recorded and improved.
tip#10. it’s ok if you don’t succeed with bullet journaling at first
Like I said, I failed to write consistently in my bullet journal the first and second time. But now I have an established journaling habit (because I tried again and again). I learned from the mistakes I made in the previous attempts and applied them. I prefer to go with a minimalist style because that motivates me to journal. And this system rewards me with more productivity and better organization of all my stuff. I want that benefit over everything else. If you have failed once, try again with better tactics. I think for any planner system to work, you must first have the passionate desire to explore your potential, and the determination to not the waste the precious life you have been given. It’s from this innate desire that we want to plan our days or our habits and strive to make them better every passing month. Bullet journal is simply a companion or a tool that will help you in your journey. It’s who you decide whether it will be a success or not. Related: 10 reasons journaling will transform your life What is your experience with keeping a bullet journal? If you are a beginner and think I have missed any point, please let me know in the comments. If you love what you are reading, please take a moment to PIN and SHARE!
Because a bullet journal means something to each owner. (Yes, you can grow attached to your journal.)
For many, it’s only a system to organize their life and stay productive. They want to remember what they should be doing and do that. Simple!
But for many others, it’s also a creative outlet. The artist in you craves to create and you do that in your journal.
If you ask me which type am I, I fall somewhere in between. I am not artistic but I like to create when an inspiration strikes, but it’s not a priority for me.
My priority is, of course, to get things done. Mostly, what I want from my journal is it to be neat and organized. I want to find things easily. So I use some supplies to draw lines, highlight and add some color so that the headings stand out.
If you are the first type, the only supplies you need is a notebook and a pen.
But if you want something more from your journal, come let’s do some supplies-hunting!
**This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through my affiliate link. It helps me run this website and create useful content for you. Thank you for supporting my blog :-)**
Cheap supplies for your bullet journal
Bullet Journal Notebooks
If you want to buy a notebook for your bullet journal on a budget, but don’t want to compromise much on the quality, you can go for these options.
1. Bullet Journal Dot Grid Hardcover Notebook
This notebook has acid free sheets,and with a thickness of 120 gsm, it has minimal to NO ghosting or bleeding.
The notebook measures 5”x8.25”, has an elastic closure, expandable inner pocket and a ribbon. It also has a smooth faux leather cover and rounded corners. The notebook opens flat, which I love because it is essential for hassle-free writing and drawing.
You can buy this notebook from amazon.com. (It is a best-seller and has great reviews).
I think the only drawback it has is the number of pages. It has only 128 pages compared to other popular notebooks.
Minimalism Art Classic notebook comes in different sizes (including A4, A5) and patterns like squared, dotted and plain. I love the fact that this brand offers many color choices too.
It has 192 pages with 100 gsm thickness. The quality is good with minimal ghosting and bleeding for most pens.
It’s available in smooth PU leather hardcover and softcover. Like many other notebooks, it has elastic closure and back cover pocket as well.
If you are a beginner, you can wet your toes with this journal notebook. I am not a beginner, but I am eyeing this one as my next bullet journal notebook.
Currently, I am using this notebook for my bullet journal. My previous bullet journal was a cheap notebook I picked from a local store and was a plain notebook.
I love the experience with a dotted notebook, as it helps me to draw lines easily and the dots give a subtle structure to pages without the overwhelming lines.
It has 192 pages which are thick (100 gsm). The notebook measures 5-1/2”x8”, has an elastic closure and a back cover pocket like all other journal notebooks.
I have used brush pens, mildliners, and fineliner pens on it and it has minimal ghosting. I am happy with the purchase and would buy again.
These are amazing pens to add a little bit color to your bullet journal. This is one of the first supplies I bought for my bullet journal, and I love and still use them.
You can use these for illustration, doodling or draw lines and borders in your bullet journal. I use these for writing headings too, or when I need to write some important notes that should stand out.
It’s available in different sizes like 5 pack,10 pack, 20 pack etc.
What I like about Staedtler Fineliner Pens is, it has an ergonomic triangular barrel for easy grip and relaxed writing. It also has a sturdy case that can be converted into an easel that helps in grabbing pens.
I love circular trackers. If you want to draw circles, this is a handy tool.
I bought this from Etsy. If you want bullet journal supplies on a budget, Etsy has a ton of supplies. I could literally spend days looking at each item.
I bought this from Moxiedori (they have international shipping) and I love how easily I can draw circles with this. There are small circles on it and when you want larger circles you can easily make it.
What I like about Moxiedori Compass Protractor:
Very thin and lightweight, hence easy to slid into the back cover of my bullet journal notebook. If you don’t have back cover, you can keep it in between pages too.
Doesn’t make a hole in my notebook like a compass
There are lines around the stencil to make equal divisions like a protractor
They even have a video tutorial on how to use the product. Cool, huh?
Here is a helpful article from littlecoffefox.com on how to do brush lettering with Crayola Markers.
These markers do the work and an excellent substitute for the expensive brush pens. If you are bullet journaling on a budget, or if you are a beginner, definitely try these.
Now if you use pens and other supplies, you definitely need a pouch to store them. It will help you to store your most used essentials in one place and easy to carry around your home or when traveling.
This pencil bag has good storage capacity, and I really love the side zipper fold out and the inner pockets where you can keep small items like paper clips, mini staplers, mini scissors etc.
If you don’t have top-notch skills to draw or if you are short on time but still want your bullet journal to be pretty, the following supplies can help you achieve the desired outcome.
The following supplies are meant to add some extra fun and color to your bullet journal.
8. Stencils
You might not be a good freehand artist, but you can still draw headers, illustrations, figures, icons, banners etc., using this stencil set. It has alphabet and number stencils too.
You can draw little doodles and has many designs which you can add to your spreads.
You get a set of 20 pieces and for the price, it is definitely a steal.
Check out this cool stencil from GoodCreated. It makes drawing checklists a breeze when you are short on time and no need to measure and draw with a ruler. It also has rectangular boxes, that you can draw for weekly spreads or to create a ‘note’ section.
You can customise your bullet journal easily with stickers to give a uniform look. And it’s also a way to add some colour and beauty to your journal.
Take a look at these stickers.
Sugarloop has this mini date flags that you can stick onto your monthly calendar or even on weekly spreads. I love these pastel colors that go with minimalistic style.
Now I love these stamps which can add some fun and creativity to your journal. With stamps, you have the added benefit of having the ability to use different colors each time.
What do you think about these supplies? I would love to hear about cheap supplies you have used and loved for your bullet journal. Tell me about it in the comments.
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I love minimalist bullet journals. And I love embellished bullet journals too.
I prefer to keep my journal minimal most of the time because I want it to be functional. I use a bullet journal to increase my productivity and dump my random thoughts in one place.
So a minimalist journal works for me. But, sometimes I take a look at all those beautiful bullet journals and admire them. Though I love to keep my journal colorful, I don’t feel like spending more time on decorating because when I am short on time, I don’t want it to be another chore.
So it’s “productivity” over “beautiful” for me.
A minimalist bullet journal works for all those who are busy, those who can’t draw, a beginner in bullet journaling or even the people who follow minimalism in life.
If you want to start a bullet journal, I would advise starting with a minimalist approach, as all you want is to try it out. And the effort it takes to beautify it might put pressure on you, and if you can’t keep up with it, it can force you to leave the habit altogether.
You don’t want that and you want to stick with it for whatever reasons you decided to start a bullet journal. Once the habit is formed, you can think of embellishing it.
Note: A lot of people think a bullet journal should be colorful and decorated. And it turns them off from starting. Please understand it’s not the case. If you want to learn the basics of bullet journal I would recommend Ryder Carroll’s website, the creator of bullet journal.
But if embellishing your bullet journal is what makes you happy, by all means, go for it. Because that’s your style. Bullet journal is such a forgiving system that whoever using it can style it in their own unique way. There are no rules.
What is a weekly spread/layout of a bullet journal?
A weekly spread/ weekly layout of a bullet journal is where we plan a week in advance. You can draw the weekly layout before each week begins and add tasks corresponding to each day. It suits people who want to have a visual idea of their week.
You can either have a weekly layout or daily, or both, depending on your needs.
Here are some minimalist weekly layouts I picked from Instagram for you to try.
**This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase through my affiliate link. It helps me run this website and create useful content for you. Thank you for supporting my blog :-)**
Minimalist Bullet journal weekly spreads
1. Source: @vestiblrI love the simplicity of this layout. She has divided the page into three columns to accommodate space for six days in a page. It is done neatly without the need of drawing lines.
This one has a vertical layout, a calendar on top and has used two pages for a week. I love the way she has drawn the checkboxes and what I love most is the space dedicated for journal entries below each column, corresponding to each day. I definitely want to try this for my journal.
Marie from @journalspiration has this brilliant idea of creating an hourly layout in her weekly spread. It is useful if you have busy days or need to track your activities on an hourly basis. You can check out her Youtube channel here: journalspiration.
A simple yet beautiful, minimalist one-page layout for a weekly spread. I would use this layout for weeks when I don’t have many activities going on. A great way to save your notebook pages as well.
Christina has used a pocket notebook and I love how she has included everything in small space. And yes, it is minimalistic too. She has a weekly spread, a habit tracker and a to-do list tracker.
In this one, you can write down the important tasks in the weekly spread. All the other daily chores and daily habits are tracked in the trackers on the left page. Clever idea!
I absolutely love this weekly layout. It is what you call simple but elegant. I will definitely try this layout in my bullet journal because it is easy, minimalistic and less time consuming to create.
And what I love about this habit tracker is, you don’t need to draw lines (sometimes, I am too lazy to do that). If you use a dotted notebook, it is easy to create this habit tracker.
Another weekly spread with minimal use of colors. And two weeks are drawn on side by side pages. I love how it helps to save your notebook pages and perfect for someone who has small to do lists.
Supplies in image: Leuchtturm 1917 Dotted Notebook
What I love about this minimalistic spread is, how she has organized all the boxes, to do lists and trackers into two pages. The page space is used wisely and there is no wastage (I dislike wasting pages in a book).
17. Source: Jane @bujoistSimple vertical layout. I love the heading of each column, a box denoting the date and the day. There is also a footer space below each column to write notes. I have seen some people use this space to write gratitude log.
A vertical weekly layout without lines. What I love about such layouts are, these are easy to set up because you don’t have to spend time on drawing lines. But it still looks clean, doesn’t it?
This one pleases my eyes because of its simplicity. She has used a little space to be creative by using washing tape and sticker. Still minimal, right?
This layout is created on a grid paper notebook, ideal for beginners. The space below the weekly log is dedicated for goals, weekly focus and habit tracker.
This is a different horizontal layout. The space for weekly tasks is aligned towards the centre of the book. The space on the side is utilised for calendar, goals, notes and gratitude log. I love this idea!
This weekly layout uses fineliners to add color. I like how each day is divided into two using a line. I am guessing it is for two areas of your life like ‘work’ and ‘home’, or you can make it so.
If you want to add a pinch of color to your bullet journal, you can draw simple cute pictures like this in the corners. It makes your journal colorful, yet minimal. Also, you can use mildliners for headings, like in this picture.
This is done on a travelers notebook. I love spreads like this, where everything you need to track in a week is incorporated in two pages. It gives an idea of your whole week in capsule form. Apart from the weekly tasks, this spread has a to-do list tracker, habit tracker, mood tracker and gratitude log. Cool, right?
This weekly spread reminds me of the original style of the creator of the bullet journal, Ryder Carroll. The bullets used are exactly the ones he teaches and only hand drawn lines are used to divide the page. Appointments and events are written on the left side, and to do list on the right. A functional spread!
In this weekly spread, the days of the week are written on the sides of the page. And the center portion is devoted for list/notes, trackers and some flower doodles (which I love).
There you are! You have enough ideas to try in your bullet journal today.
What do you think about these minimalistic weekly spreads? Let me know in the comments!
PIN this post so that you can come back to it whenever you need inspiration!
Till it came to my life I didn’t know what to do with the tens of thousands of thoughts that would circle in my mind.
As an introvert, I converse with myself more than with others, and it would overwhelm me sometimes.
Then I found journaling. It helps me in letting my thoughts flow on to paper, clearing my mind.
But I am happier since I found bullet journaling. Because it helps me to organize my thoughts, ideas, wishes, and hopes. I know where to look for them when I need them and they will not be lost.
And that’s what bullet journal collections are. Or they are simply called bullet journal pages.
Bullet journal collections are pages dedicated to specific topics.
When you want to start a collection, you take a fresh page, write the topic name and add entries.
Here is a huge list of page ideas that you can use in your bullet journal.
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When it comes to planners, bullet journal is the buzzword these days.
If you are a Pinterest or Instagram user, you must have stumbled upon this term many times.
I did too and hopped onto the bandwagon a year ago.
I am an over thinker and a confused person (due to overthinking) and it overwhelms me sometimes (read all the time!). I definitely needed to unwind and put all the thoughts, tasks and to do lists into a place and relax!
That’s when I found out about the bullet journal system and fell in love with the idea.
I started soon and bought a notebook and supplies as “they” said.
I created colorful layouts and drew cute little pictures on the corners of the pages.
Did I keep up with it?
Noooo!
I kept up with planning in the bullet journal, but not the beautifying tasks.
I am not an artistic person or a doodler, though I am fascinated by the talents of many people. And I admire those beautiful layouts and wish I could do the same.
I could if I tried. But I found out it beats my purpose of keeping a bujo (that’s what a bullet journal is lovingly called).
What I want is to get things done and to jot down important points or events in my life so I can revisit them when I want.
I am not against embellishing the bullet journal. And I also draw weekly spreads which are different from the original bullet journal system. And I do use some supplies to add some color. Because I find it easier to sort through my writing if I want to come back to it later. Sometimes I use sticky notes or bookmarks inside the journal because it is more convenient for me.
But all these are not necessary.
So here I wanna talk about how to start a simple bullet journal, the maintenance of which is not overwhelming. It is completely okay even if you are not artistic.
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Bullet journal supplies for beginners
What you need: A notebook and a pen.
If you ask which notebook to buy for a bullet journal, I would say, it depends on your budget and necessities. If you want to keep your completed journals with you for a long time, better opt for a good quality one.
The most preferred notebook for a bullet journal is Leuchtturm 1917. It is the book endorsed by the creator of bullet journal, Ryder Carroll. And the company has an official Leuchtturm notebook for bullet journal.
Other popular notebooks in the bullet journal community are:
You will get these books in different sizes like A4, A5, and A6. The most preferred size is A5 as it is neither big nor small and convenient to fit in your bag and easy to carry around.
You can choose between ruled, dotted or blank notebooks. My first bullet journal was a blank page notebook. Now I use a dotted one and I find it very useful when I need to draw lines or tables.
If you become a regular user of bullet journal, you might find it useful to carry it with you wherever you go (not a necessity, but I do sometimes if I am gone for a long time). So a quality notebook is a good bargain. If you want to use cheaper supplies to start bullet journaling including notebooks, read this article: 13 cheap bullet journal supplies you can buy for under $12
do I need to be artistic to Start a bullet journal?
If you have the belief that you need to be creative or artistic to start a bullet journal, you are wrong. Bullet journaling is more about increasing productivity and getting organized, hence it is okay if you aren’t creative. Let’s see what all do you need to start.
The following are the pages you need to start a bullet journal.
1. Index
2. Future log
3. Monthly log
4. Weekly log/Daily log
5. Collections
Index
Bullet journal is a very flexible system that you can tweak to your needs. Its possibilities are endless and it becomes what you want.
The beauty of a bullet journal is you can write in it whenever you want. Even if you don’t write on some days you don’t have to leave the pages blank, unlike other planners.
So you definitely need an index to keep tabs on the pages you write.
Leave the first four pages (that fall side by side) for the index.
Now if you are not using a numbered notebook you number each page as you go.
When using a bullet journal it is better to get used to writing each page’s topic (heading) and page number first. And immediately add it to the index before making an entry.
I highlight some topics in the index ( I use highlighter pens or brush pens for this). Those are my collections. It helps me to find the collection I need to find easily (more on collections in a minute).
Future log
You can use the next two pages for the future log. Write “Future log” on top of the page.
A future log is a place to write down your events, tasks, and goals for the next six months. It helps to have a quick glance at the upcoming events in the future log.
Divide each page into 3 equal parts by drawing horizontal lines. Write down the names of the months in each column. Add your entries.
You can note down birthdays, anniversaries, meetings, vacation trips etc.
I also have a page called “Year at a glance” to note down the past events which are important for me.
Like the day I went on some trip, the day I visited someone, milestones of my kids or career etc.
Monthly log
Next, we create the monthly log. Take two pages that fall side by side. One page is for calendar and the second one for monthly tasks.
Write the name of the month on top of the first page. Write the days of the month (1, 2, 3….30/31) downwards. You can write the starting letter of the corresponding day of the week next to each date, like in the picture.
Now you can write the month’s events and appointments corresponding to each date in the calendar page.
The second page is for monthly tasks and goals. You can draw two columns with headings ‘Tasks’ and ‘Goals’. This is where you write what you want to achieve that particular month.
I write my goals in all areas here. Like relationship goals, goals for my blog, spiritual goals, health goals, parenting goals, self-care etc.
It gives an idea of how my month is going to be (or should be).
After each month I do a monthly review and evaluate how much I did accomplish. And set new goals for the next month and migrate tasks (if any) to the next month.
Weekly log/ Daily log
The original bullet journal by Ryder Carroll doesn’t have a weekly log. But a lot of bullet journal enthusiasts have it. It depends upon your needs. If you have a lot of tasks, meetings, and appointments to take care of, you need a daily log.
You can also have both logs if you have a busy week. Write the important tasks in advance in a weekly log, and elaborate all the mini-tasks that come under each important task in the daily log. If you are using both logs, you can do a “brain dump” by writing all the events in advance in the weekly log. And each day you can expand each task in the daily log. This way, you don’t miss anything.
If your days are mostly the same or if you don’t want to enter every task you do into a bullet journal you can go for a weekly log.
I mean, come on, you do many of the chores out of habit. You don’t need a reminder for every task.
I don’t do daily logs. I do only weekly logs.
I usually draw a weekly spread in advance between every Friday and Saturday. I write down all those tasks that need to be done on specific days and additional tasks if any, goes to the spread each day.
It helps me to dump my thoughts “off my head” and visualize my week in advance.
I usually plan the night before. But even then, weekly spreads are enough for me to write down the tasks. This is an example of a weekly log.
In a daily log, you write each day’s tasks as you go. If you have to juggle lots of things at home and work, you can plan accordingly in your journal. You can separate work and personal/home into two columns and add respective entries.
To create a daily log, take a fresh page and write down the date as the heading, and add your entries.
The daily log gives you the freedom to take more space if you want, for busier days. If you do not record daily it’s better if you keep a daily log rather than a weekly log, as you will be leaving blank spaces in the weekly log. Here is an example of a daily log from tinyrayofsunshine.com
It is okay even if you don’t record in your journal daily. You can pick back up where you left off without feeling guilty of leaving blank pages.
That’s why people love bullet journal, because of the flexibility it offers.
Now you need to know how to make entries so that it’s easier to identify different tasks.
Let me walk you through the language and elements of a bullet journal. Hope you are with me.
Rapid logging: The language of a bullet journal
Unlike traditional planning systems or diaries, you don’t need to write elaborate sentences in a bullet journal. It takes time and a bullet journal is here to make journaling easier.
Rapid logging consists of 4 components:
Topics, page numbers, short sentences, and bullets. (Source: bulletjournal.com)
Topics– The heading of each page. With each fresh page, you give a heading so that you are clear what it is about. Example: Future log, Monday 12th March, Index etc.
Page numbers– As soon as you give a page a heading you mark it in the index with the page number. It can be a hassle to number each page later and add it to the index. (Believe me, I have done that).
Short sentences & Bullets- You need to write only short phrases for each entry. Example: laundry, workout, order the book.
You can use abbreviations to represent the tasks you do often.
Example: ST for strength training, NR for night routine
Bullets are used to make each entry.
Depending upon the nature of each entry, 3 types of bullets are used.
for tasks
O for events
– for notes
And depending upon the completion of tasks, there are additional bullets used like,
X for task completed
> task migrated
< scheduled task
Signifiers
Signifiers are symbols which add extra information to a bullet. Commonly used signifiers are,
* shows task’s priority
! inspiration (for ideas and insights)
“Eye symbol” for explore (a reminder for topics you need to research more)
Example: *• Send the email to John
! You compete only with who you were yesterday
But these bullets are not set in stone. It means you can use the symbols that are easy for you. Some people use squares to denote tasks, and color the squares to indicate completed tasks. Again, it’s your choice.
You can create a page called ‘Key’ in the beginning to help you remember the bullets. As I use only 3 or 4 bullets, I have not created this page.
According to Ryder Carroll, migration is the cornerstone of bullet journaling.
Migration means, reviewing unfinished tasks each month and move them to the next month. You note it down in the tasks page of the monthly log at the beginning of each month.
But monthly migration doesn’t suit me. I do it every other day because some tasks cannot wait for a month. I highlight the task with my brush pen (you can also use the bullet >) so that it stands out.
But if I migrate some tasks repeatedly, I don’t see the need to do it anymore. In that case, I cross it off. That’s another benefit of bullet journaling. It causes you to reflect on what is important and what you should give your time to. If you are postponing repeatedly, it might not be worth your time. Or think about delegating.
Collections
Collections in a bullet journal pretty much talk about your life. It gives the journal a touch of your personality.
Collections are pages dedicated to specific topics.
Example: Meal Planning, Grocery list, Habit trackers etc.
To start a collection, you take the next fresh page, write the topic, add the page number to your index, and start writing.
Some collections in my bullet journal are:
· Habit tracker
· My bucket list
· Packing checklist (Thanks to this, I don’t miss a thing in my travels now. Also, I don’t have to think before packing)
· Gratitude log
· Uncomfortable things I did (My goal for this year is to get out of my comfort zone as much as possible and do the things I fear. I note down such acts in this collection to boost my confidence and for future inspiration).
· Goals for 2018
· Inspirational quotes
· Affirmations
· Self-care log
· My vision board
You see, starting a bullet journal was one of the best decisions in my life. Now I have a place to dump my thoughts and free myself. You should do it too!
Now that you know what collections are, you need to know about threading too.
Threading
Threading is a method used to connect pages of similar topics together. In a bullet journal, we fill in the pages as we go. For example, if you have a collection called ‘Project notes’, and your notes lie on page 20, and the continuation is in 25, you can make use of threading. Simply add 25 to 20 and vice versa.
Conclusion
Starting a bullet journal is easy. It need not overwhelm you if you keep it simple. It increases your productivity and helps you plan and organize your life.
You have enough information to start a bullet journal(with no artistic skills) in this post. If you have any questions or comments please let me know below. Happy to help!
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I love minimalist bullet journals. And I love embellished bullet journals too.
