Hi there! I didn’t get around to posting this Wednesday, but today I have a great post that I’ve gotten a couple of requests for. If you’re looking to start a bullet journal or are just interested in the system, you’re in the right place.

This post is going to showcase all of the pages that I use most often in my journal, and explain how I use them. Bullet journaling really helps me to plan out my day and get stuff done. Also, I can track my habits, keep a gratitude log, and set goals. There are a lot of working parts in a bullet journal and I might not get to all of them today, but I’ll get into the most important pages that are essential. Well, I think they are, anyways. A bullet journal is super personal and can be used pretty much however you want. But I suggest that you start with the basics, and then once you get the hang of it you can start adding in all of the bells and whistles.

If you’re curious as to the supplies I use for journaling, you can check out my post on Bullet Journaling Supplies. Plus, here’s the link to my very first Bullet journal set-up, where I also explain the bullet journal system a little bit.

I’ll probably use examples from all three journals that I’ve done so far, so you can see the development in my writing style and layouts. There are honestly so many ways that you can set up any given page of your journal! That’s what I love most about having a bullet journal; it keeps me creative and forces me to try new things all of the time. Right now is the perfect time to start one, because we’ve all got so much time on our hands! Plus, having a journal can give you some semblance of routine, and my to do lists that I’ve been making have really helped me survive.

I want to start looking through my old bullet journal pictures so I’m going to keep this last part short. Remember to have fun with your journal and to EXPECT MISTAKES. I’ve made sooooo many mistakes over the years, and I’ve just had to deal with them. Sometimes they end up helping your design process. Don’t worry if your first journal attempts don’t look like some of the amazing spreads on Instagram or Pinterest either. Just stick with it and your journal will develop into something awesome! Let’s get into how I use my bullet journal.

Key/Title Page

I always start with a key and a title page at the front of my journal. The key includes the different bullets and colours I’ll be using to record tasks and events throughout the year. I don’t usually reference it too much because I have it memorised, but it’s still good to have. As you can see, my first year journaling I made my key pretty complicated. I’m going to tell you right now that there’s no way you’re going to pull out a stencil or draw a little symbol every time you write something down. Especially in school! Keep your key simple with a few colours and bullet shapes, and you can always tweak it later on. As for the title page, I just have fun with it every year;)) Sometimes I throw in a quote, and other times I just keep it super simple. Anything goes!

Future Log

This is one of the most important features of my journal! It’s where I record all the events that are happening throughout the year, like birthdays, big exams, and sports tournaments. I don’t write that I have volleyball practice every Thursday at 8 in my future log, because it would fill up pretty quick. I save it for the big stuff that I need to know the dates of. I always write out a mini calendar for each month so I can see which dates fall on which days. Holidays are another thing that I write in here.

Goals

Something that I love having in my journal is a goals page. Here I write down the big things that I want to accomplish that year. In 2019 and 2020 I have a “this year” section, with things that I want to do during the year in there. A goals page is definitely super important, because it allows you to revisit your goals often, and filling in that box when you accomplish something feels great! Remember, a goal that isn’t written down is just a dream.

Monthly Title Page

These are some of my favourite pages to draw, because I get to be really creative with how I present my theme. I choose a different theme for every month in my journal to keep things interesting. Most of my title pages have the name of the month on one side, and a quote on the other.

Monthly Calendar

In my monthly calendar, I write transfer over all of the events happening that month from my future log, and also include sports practices and smaller things that are happening. This helps me get a clear view of exactly what my month looks like. Plus I make space for goals, and sometimes a blog tracker or monthly focus.

Trackers

One thing that I’ve stuck with throughout my three years bullet journaling is tracking my habits, mood, and things I’m grateful for. I find that it really helps me stay motivated to get things done, and figure out why I’m feeling the way I am. I love my gratitude logs because they force me to find one positive thing about my day, even if it wasn’t very good.

Weekly Spread

In my weekly spreads, I always have a space for each day, the name of the month, and maybe a quote or to-do list. This is where I go into the most detail with tasks and events. Lately I’ve been writing kind of a checklist for each day, so that I see what I need to get done. Weekly spreads help you to plan out your week, and you can get super creative with them!

Those are the parts of my bullet journal that I use most often! Hopefully you learned a little about the system!

Yours Truly,

Olivia