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Bullet Journal 101: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started

I’ve always been a list maker.  My office is full of random post-it notes, lists on a whiteboard, notes on my computer screen, a notes app on my cellphone, and notes stored in several different productivity apps.  As you can imagine, having notes in all those places isn’t really very helpful.  It’s actually pretty overwhelming, but it doesn’t change the fact that making lists and crossing things off motivates me. When I first stumbled upon the Bullet Journal, I knew it  just might be the solution to organize all those notes in just one place.

Everything you need to know to start a Bullet Journal!

Let’s start with a warning:  Don’t be misled by all the creative Bullet Journals you see online.  Yes, the Bullet Journal system is very versatile, and you can make it as simple or as fancy you want, but it’s best to keep it simple at first to avoid getting overwhelmed, and add embellishments as you go along.

The best way to become acquainted with the Bullet Journal is to start at the source.  Here’s a simple video walk-through of the basics from the creator, Ryder Carrol.

 Key elements of a Bullet Journal:

  • INDEX: This is simply a running list of the pages you put in your journal.  As you add new spreads, add a description and page number in your index.  Tip:  There’s no need to add every single daily page to your Index, and if you do, you’ll probably run out of room.  Instead, only put the pages that you know you’ll need to refer to again.
  • FUTURE LOG: A calendar of upcoming events.  I personally don’t use a future log in my journal because I keep all upcoming events in Google Calendar.
  • MONTHLY LOG: Includes a running list of events on one page and a list of monthly tasks on the other.  Many people customize this and use a traditional calendar layout instead.
  • DAILY LOG: This is the heart of the Bullet Journal system.  Each day you create a bulleted list of tasks you need to get done, events that are scheduled for that day, and any notes you want to record.  Tasks are represented by a dot (•), events by an open circle (o), and notes by a dash (-).

Everything you need to know to start a Bullet Journal!

Optional Elements:

  • WEEKLY LOG: I also use a weekly log, although it is not part of the original Bullet Journal system.  I view my weekly log as a big-picture overview of the week ahead.  It helps me organize my brain for the coming week and prioritize tasks so I get the most important things accomplished.

Everything you need to know to start a Bullet Journal!

  • COLLECTIONS:  Categorized lists of anything you want to track.  The list of possibilities is endless.  Here are some popular examples:
    • Books to read
    • Recipes to try
    • Projects
    • Goals
    • Healthy habit tracker
    • Gratitude log
    • Monthly memories
    • Weight-loss tracker
    • Meal planning

Here are a few pictures of collections I use.

Everything you need to know to start a Bullet Journal!

How to Get Started

Do you love the idea of bullet journaling, but feel a little overwhelmed about how to start?  Don’t worry, you’re not alone!  I hear that all the time.

All you need to get started is a notebook and a pen.  Seriously.  Any notebook will do.  It’s not about having a fancy planner or special pens.  In fact, I recommend that you start out with a cheap notebook at first and create the basic pages listed above.  Add collections as you think of something you’d like to track.  Simply turn to the next page in your journal, start your collection, and add it to your Index.

6 Tips to keep in mind:

Everything you need to know to start a Bullet Journal!

  1. Practice Notebook.  Look at your very first bullet journal as a practice notebook.  You’ll use this to try things out, make mistakes, and figure out what works best for you.  You can go as simple as a cheap composition notebook, or use any notebook you already have around the house.
  2. Start with the Basics.  You don’t have to try everything at once.  Start with the basics and add a few new things every month.  It really is an amazing system, and I’d hate you to get discouraged by trying too much too soon.
  3. Keep it simple and save embellishments for later.  Keep in mind, the main purpose of your Bullet Journal is to simplify your life and help you get things done.  Even if you love the look of artistic Bullet Journals, start out simple.  Get the form and function of your journal down first, and save the fancy embellishments for later.
  4. Sketch in pencil first.  If you’re using a more complicated layout, sketch it in pencil first.
  5. Mistakes will happen.  Don’t worry about your journal being perfect.  It won’t be.  Mistakes are part of the process.
  6. Start an idea swipe file.  There are many places to find inspiration and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with ideas.  I suggest creating a Bullet Journal Pinterest Board with ideas you’d like to try.  I also take screenshots of pages I want to try and put them in a file on my cellphone.  I share a lot of ideas on Instagram, so feel free to follow me for inspiration.

What do you need your bullet journal to do for you?

As you start out, it’s helpful to think about what you need your Bullet Journal to do for you.  A few questions to consider:

  • Will you be using your Bullet Journal at home or on-the-go?  This will help you determine the best size notebook for you.
  • What things do I already track regularly?  Some examples:  Income & expenses, school assignments, family chores, meal plans, grocery lists, exercise, etc.
  • If you currently use a planner, which sections work well for you?  Most can be easily adapted to a Bullet Journal.

One way to figure out what you need to add to you Bullet Journal is to create a mindmap.  Identify key areas of your life and things that would be helpful to include in your journal.

Everything you need to know to start a Bullet Journal!

So, what do you think?  Overwhelming?  Inspiring?  Or a little bit of both?

Follow the tips for getting started, and you’ll be a Bullet Journal pro in no time.

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Want more information?

Here are some other helpful posts you might like:

Bullet Journal Weekly Layout Ideas

How I Use my Bullet Journal to Set 90 Day Goals

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My Favorite Bullet Journal Supplies

Like I mentioned above, all you really need to start a Bullet Journal is a notebook and pen, but once you get started, you will probably want to get a few other supplies.  Here are a few of my favorites!

(The products below contain affiliate links which means I make a small commission when you purchase something.  I only recommend and link to products I use and love myself!  Thanks for supporting Sublime Reflection.)

Leuchtturm 1917 A5 Dot-grid Notebook

These are the most popular notebooks in the Bullet Journal Community, and for good reason.  They come in a variety of fun, bright colors and are a high-quality notebook.  The paper has a dot-grid pattern to make creating layouts simple.  They also have ribbon bookmarks and a pocket in the back.

New Pink dot grid Leuchtturm Bullet Journal!

Sharpie Fine Point Pens

This is the basic black pen I use for most of my writing in my journal.  Make sure you get the Sharpie Pen and not a Sharpie Marker.  The cheapest way I’ve found to buy them is in a 12 pack on Amazon.

sharpie

Tombow Dual Brush Markers

I’m still new to handlettering, but these are the pens I use to create some of the fancier lettering in my journal.  The Bright set is my favorite.

tombow

Staedtler Fineliners

Staedtler’s are a great pen with a fine tip.  I use these for some of the finer colored details and color coding.

staedtler

Papermate Flair Markers

Papermate Flairs are a basic marker that you can find anywhere.  They are great because they don’t bleed through and come in a variety of colors.  They have a medium tip, so I use them for larger writing.

flairs

Primary Sidebar

Kimberly Job is a Certified Life Coach, author, and mother of TEN! She's passionate about journaling, self love, personal growth and helping you put yourself at the top of your to do list.

A belief is simply a thought you’ve practiced ov A belief is simply a thought you’ve practiced over and over.

So to believe something new, you have to practice a new thought over and over.

This is the thought I’m practicing in February.

My default thought is “Today is going to be hard.” I’d much rather believe today is going to be fun.

I know I have a lot of coaches who follow me, so chime in with your favorite way to practice a new thought in the comments below.

#lifecoach #thoughtwork #chooseyourbeliefs
My #morningroutine box. I love my morning routine My #morningroutine box.

I love my morning routine so much that I could easily spend 3 hours every morning, if I had the time.

But I don’t—you know job, kids, adulting and such.

So I put all my options in this box, set my timer for one hour, and choose a few things to do.

This morning that looked like:
✔️12WT Audio Coaching
✔️5 Little Lines Journal
✔️Identity Journal
✔️Scriptures
✔️Probiotic & Energy+
✔️Marco Polo Coaching Groups

What do you include in your morning routine?
Truth. You’ve got this. #happymonday Truth. You’ve got this. #happymonday
I made a goal to read 100 books this year. This is I made a goal to read 100 books this year. This is #3 and I’m loving it so far.

I had a totally new insight about what it means to be my “higher” best self.

I’ve always thought of my higher self as my spirit self, my eternal self, the part of me that existed before I was born.

This book suggest that your higher best self is that part of you combined with all the wisdom you’ve gained from the trials you’ve experienced here on earth.

It’s not someone you aspire to be someday. It’s who you are right now.

What are you reading right now?
I heard a quote this morning from @joelosteen. "Wh I heard a quote this morning from @joelosteen. "Whatever follows I am... is going to come looking for you."⁣
⁣
𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈 𝐚𝐦.⁣
⁣
Do you say things like, I am....⁣
so tired⁣
so busy⁣
stressed⁣
overwhelmed⁣
fat...⁣
⁣
Or do you say things like:⁣
-I am beautiful⁣
-I am confident⁣
-I am strong⁣
-I am healthy⁣
-I am talented⁣
-I am creative⁣
⁣
This caught my attention because I switched up my goal setting this year, after reading Atomic Habits by @james_clear, and wrote identity goals instead of goals that achieve some specific outcome.⁣
⁣
Here are my 5 “I am” goals for 2020:⁣
⁣
1. I am a person who plans weekly and follows my calendar.⁣
⁣
2. I am a wise steward of our financial resources and take time to think before spending.⁣
⁣
3. I am an intentional, consistent business owner.⁣
⁣
4. I am a passionate, fun wife.⁣
⁣
5. I am growing healthier and stronger every day.⁣
⁣
I have specific habits for each of these goals that I'm tracking in my #bulletjournal⁣
⁣
Are you setting goals this year? I'd love to hear what strategy you're using. 
Share your #2020goals with me in the comments.
My favorite book from 2019 is Atomic Habits by @ja My favorite book from 2019 is Atomic Habits by @james_clear. One concept in the book is building identity based habits.⁣
⁣
A quote from the book, “True behavior change is identity change. When your behavior and your identity are fully aligned, you are no longer pursuing change. You are simply acting like the type of person you already believe yourself to be."⁣
⁣
So I'm approaching my goals a bit differently this year. Instead of creating outcome based goals, I'm creating identity goals. I'll share them with you tomorrow.⁣
⁣
I'm excited to use the Clear Habit Journal to track the new habits I'm working on, and bonus that it doubles as a Bullet Journal. ⁣
⁣
I'm looking forward to using a #bulletjournal again. No matter how many other planners I try, I still love having a blank page to include anything I want. ⁣
A new year always makes me even more reflective th A new year always makes me even more reflective than normal. And reflection is my jam—thus the name of my blog (in case you were wondering). ⁣
⁣
Let’s rewind. There was a time in my life when I was homeless and had no food to eat for almost two months. After staying out in the winter cold, a friend of mine arranged for me to stay with her older sister who just happened to live in a drug house. Random people would come and go. Some spent the night. Every drug you could imagine was available. Many unspeakable things happened there. ⁣
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I used to be ashamed that this was part of my story. But not anymore. I look at it as evidence of how far I’ve come.  I'm the person I am today, not in spite of these hard circumstances, but in part because of them.⁣
⁣
Life looks a lot different now. I own a business. I work for an amazing company. I’m a Certified Life Coach. I have the best husband, and beautiful children. ⁣
⁣
I used to hate myself. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲. And day by day, I'm finally learning to love myself.⁣
⁣
Don’t get me wrong. Life is still not easy. There are hard things in my life too. But I know I have the power to CREATE the life I want. ⁣
⁣
You do too. ⁣
⁣
Notice the 𝘠𝘌𝘛 at the end of this quote. It’s never too late to create the life you want. ⁣
⁣ 
I promise. It’s possible—𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬.
There’s a subtle mindset shift that happens when There’s a subtle mindset shift that happens when you stop putting things off and start taking small steps toward your goals.

No matter how far away change feels, it’s available to you now, and begins with your very next CHOICE.

Don’t choose to stay the same.

Identify one small step you can take today.

Make the choice to do things differently—one day at a time. One CHOICE at a time.

That’s how change happens.

Start with something small. Throw away the Christmas cookies. Cancel Netflix. Pay $10 extra to your credit card.  Call your mom. Try a new recipe.

What is one of your goals for 2020, and what is the first small step you’re going to take?

I’ll post mine in the comments. #2020goals
This is my 10th year choosing a #wordoftheyear

My word shapes my year, my months, weeks, days . . . and moments.

It affects my goals, focus, and decisions.

Some years I pick a more active word because I’m in a season of growing. Other years, I’ve needed more rest and rejuvenation and chose something softer.

2019 was a tough year for me. I decided in 2020 I want to take life less seriously, and experience more joy, play, and fun, so I chose lighthearted for my word.

Here are the words I’ve picked in previous years:

2012 - Shine
2013 - Courage
2014 - Nourish
2015 - Believe
2016 - Ease
2017 - Leap
2018 - Purpose
2019 - Connection

Have you picked a word yet?  I’d love to hear what you chose! Share your word with me in the comments below.

#DYD2019 #onelittleword2019 #lifecoach #lifecoaching #lifeonpurpose
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