People have been asking me how to bullet journal since I tweeted about it during a twitter party I was a part of a few months ago. 

I got hooked on the bullet journalling train in January when I started seeing pictures of how to bullet journal all over Pinterest. I have written about how I have used agendas in the past, but I could never find a planner that was just right for me. They always had too much stuff, or too little, or some weeks I’d just forget to write things and then they’d just be sitting there, reminding me of all of my failures…

Also, I’m a very busy person and prefer to be as minimalistic as possible with these types of things, so most planners just didn’t cut it for me since they were so loud and covered in flowers and lots of lovely things that just made me a bit anxious just looking at them. It’s just not what I want–I want to be able to just open up my agenda and just see what I need to see. Nothing else. No distractions or noise.

Enter bullet journalling.

I love bullet journalling because it provides a way to keep my life organized in a way that works for me without anything extra. It’s the bare minimum. There’s no “right” way to do it, and you can change it up every week if you wanted! It’s the most customizable thing ever, and so easy to start.

So I’m going to show you first off, what bullet journalling even is, and secondly, how to start! Let’s go!

What is bullet journalling?

Bullet journalling is, in essence, a minimalistic DIY agenda where you can turn a notebook into your ideal agenda. You can add check lists, weekly agendas, monthly overviews, goals, anything. All you need is a notebook, a pen, a ruler, and a few minutes.

How do I start?

First off, figure out what you need in an agenda. I’m a student, so I needed a monthly overview as well as weekly agendas. Here are some common pages:

• Weekly agendas
• Monthly planner
• Daily planner for extra busy days
• Meal plans
• Goal checklists
• Daily journal entries/devotional journals
• Motivation pages
• Workout journals

Then take your journal and start creating your agenda. Use the ruler to make sure you have straight edges to keep everything organized and you’re good to go! Here’s the bullet journal website that will show you how to actually create your bullet journal.

Here is a quick overview of what my bullet journal looks like:

Some people are really picky about their journals and have complicated legends but I don’t. I simply put my tasks in bullet points and then I check them off when they’re done. Simple as that.

But why is the bullet journal so great?

There are so many reasons why this works better than a normal agenda for me personally.

1. It fits my life

Rather than forcing my life to fit into an agenda, this agenda fits my life. Have a super busy week this week? Take up four pages instead of two for that week’s agenda. Have a super busy day? Just flip to the next blank page and make a to-do list. Starting a workout regiment? Just flip to the next blank page and write out your goals and make a checklist for your to do every week.

While a normal agenda doesn’t allow for much flexibility in this regard, the bullet journal has no limits as to how you can customize it. As someone who has a very full schedule with lots and lots of interests, this helps me immensely.

2. It’s less overwhelming

As I mentioned earlier, I really dislike traditional agendas for being super flashy and in-your-face. Since I often have a lot of stuff to do, I like to keep it simple so that I stay focused and make sure I get everything done.

3. It can become multiple agendas in one

I use my bullet journal for my blog (I go from the last page towards the beginning of the book for my blog) and for my personal life (starting at the front of the journal). I used to have two separate agendas which I found somewhat frustrating, but now it’s super easy because I can just keep it all in one without having 5 million things in one week. This way they can stay separate, but be in the same notebook.

4. Less wasted space

Because the bullet journal is so customizable, I don’t waste nearly as much space as I used to. Have a super light schedule? Don’t use as many pages. Forget to use your planner for a week or so? No worries, just pick up again where you left off. I used to waste so many pages in my planners because my schedule is so incredibly erratic, so I really like that there is less waste overall when I’m using this journal versus a traditional agenda.

5. It allows for more creativity

This one is a big one for me. I’ve always been a writer. I used to be able to get through a 200 page journal in under 6 months when I was 15. I love how with the bullet journal if I’m feeling creative I can just write about my day or quickly sketch out a blog post because the pages are right there. I like that I can make notes of the good things that happen throughout the day and even just sketch pretty designs when I’m bored on the bus or waiting for class to start. I find that the simplicity of a bullet journal opens up opportunities for creativity that traditional agendas just don’t, especially in the way of making your agenda more like your journal than it is a planner.

Have you tried bullet journalling before? What is your favourite part? Do you want to start? Let me know in the comments below!