Anyone else get a Bullet Journal for Christmas and not know where to start?

[PennyRoyal]

I had hinted at, so have thankfully received, a brand new Leuchtturm bullet journal. Beautifully bound, (smells divine!) and full of blank pages ready for me to fill!

I've spent the afternoon reading on ideas for how to start but although excited to start, I admit I'm a bit nervous of actually putting pen to paper.

Any experienced bullet journallers out there wiling to help a newbie??

Anyone else willing to share their new journey with me?

I bought one with my Christmas money, and have started mine!

I've been looking at starting one for a while, and is my new years resolution to keep at it! I think because you have to do it yourself it's then incentive I need to keep a diary then a dozen notebooks lying around!

I'm willing to share if you are! I bit the bullet as soon as mine arrived! Did it in pencil first then with pens, fineliners and colours. Still have made mistakes but bound too, until I have the hang of things! The Internet is full of inspiration and I have used many to progress.

Hope you have bit the bullet and looking forward to sharing! I did a key as my first page then, a double index spread.

Pinterest is good for this, amazing tips on there.

I got one last year.

Lasted until mid-January then it became an expensive notepad which is still less than half full because I grudgingly found a plain old notepad and week to view diary more efficient personally.

I ripped out all the used pages and use it for mind mapping my life every now and then if I'm particularly bored/uninspired/bogged down with how things are going for me.

Pinterest is great for layout ideas and deciding what to include for you.

I have two - work and home.

Work - I open a double page spread each week and on the left hand page I put my to do list. The right hand page I split into three sections - “Team” (to remind me to ask my team about different things) “As it happens” (Random reminders, new stuff) “Checks” (Each week I have a power hour in my diary to forward plan) I check the same things every week - my email folders and diaries to make sure I’ve covered everything and that I’ve spent some time documenting where we are on various projects.

My home one has a double page spread per week. On the left I keep a weekly food planner and on the right I have a “To do” list and an “ongoing” section. I use the ongoing one to track outstanding internet orders.

In my home one I have different tabs at the back for “ideas” “holidays” “events” and anything else I might be planning. This could be anything from a special dinner to a DIY project.

I also have a “home” power hour each week where I do the food planning, shopping list and order birthday presents.

Enjoy your new notebook!

I started a bullet journal last year, with different sections and trackers for all kinds of things - reading, lifestyle, health, holidays/days out etc. Some sections worked better than others. Tbh the reading trackers were the only ones I enjoyed using so kept them going and that's what I've used as the main focus for this year's bullet journal.

There's loads of YouTube videos as well as Pinterest if you're wanting arty designs. I keep mine fairly simple, nothing too arty but do like sticking in pictures, using washi tape to mark out sections.

It's your bullet journal so it can be how you want it to be. I like it but don't need it to be too time-consuming.

@PennyRoyal have you made a start and bit the bullet?

Content is more important than style.

I've been bullet journaling since September.
There are a lot of great videos on YouTube where you can watch someone set up their monthly spread.

I usually do for a month:
Quote page
Title Page
Monthly calendar
Habit Tracker
Mood Tracker
Weekly Tracker
And if I have any special events I might dedicate a page or two to that
And at the end of the month I have a 'month in review' page.

I also try and have a theme for each month to do little doodles - my theme for this month is January's birthstone because my baby is due this month!

My biggest advice is dont stress about making mistakes and use pinterest and youtube and google images for inspiration!
Good luck with your new journal!

After reading this I dug out my bullet journal from last year and redesigned it in a more simple - functional format.

Will hopefully rediscover the love I had for it when I first got it :o

I have been journaling for about three years. I tend to go for artistic layouts as I like drawing, but the main idea is figure out what you need it to do for you. I want mine to be partly practical e.g. monthly and weekly spreads, but also partly a journal so I have pages to log movies I have loved, books I have read. Each year I learn more about what parts I need and which I don't - I ditched the mood logs for example.

Equally you can do a very basic journal without layouts and just use it as a place to note random things down. I love doing it.

Thank you all so much, some great ideas. Christmas is all but put away here this weekend so back to work & routine - I'll hopefully now have a chance next week to sit down and plan.

I think the key is not stress too much about how it "should" look like but experiment with ideas to get it how I want it and how it will best work for me.

I'll report back in a few weeks on progress!

I had a draft one last year with exactly that frame of mind - just have a go and see what works. If it doesn't, just move to the next clean page and try again!!

I tried several weekly spreads throughout January until I found one which worked best for balancing space for each section - I now do half page split into days then top 2/3 for to do list and bottom 1/3 for meal planner.

Spent a bit of time doing a yearly calendar of birthdays that was well worth it and experimented with different colours and styles so now know what to do this year.

Start in pencil if you want but just get started

Mine's evolved into a running log, with other long term thoughts/ notes at the back.

The format is simple, with a black fineliner and italic pen, and sometimes coloured crayon.

It will evolve over time. I didn't really use the diary pages from the early years (2017) and find I still like a page/ day diary and a phone calendar to keep myself organised.

The beauty of it is that it is flexible and customisable.

Mine has been a brain-saver at work. I'm a deputy headteacher, so every day is manic with meetings, appointments, paperwork, phone calls, lessons, observations etc etc.

At the front of mine, I have a page per month for the whole year, so I can 'future plan'. Then I have weekly spreads. On a Sunday morning, I spend an hour mapping out the week ahead. A double-page spread split into sections. One big to-do list, six smaller boxes for weekdays and Sat/Sun share the 6th, space to record dinners for the week. During my working week, I carry the notebook with me and ONLY make notes in it- so any meeting or phone call is recorded in the pages following that week. That makes it much easier to find meeting minutes or notes.

I transfer things from my to-do list from the previous week. If they're not important enough to bother writing out again, they're not important enough to actually do! I write my teaching sessions, meetings, phone calls etc in each day, with an easy code (triangle for meetings, T in a circle for teaching, star for important things, circle for all-day events), all from the online calendar. Then I decide what we're going to eat for dinners.

After it's done, I order Tesco online delivery, using the dinner plan.

When I first started, I looked at Pinterest and spent longer making it look pretty. Now, it's much simpler. I don't bother tracking mood/ sleep/ water/ steps. Washi tape is a cheap way to make it look nice, and I have coloured ink pens so change the 'look' depending on my mood each week. At the back, I write down ideas for birthday and Christmas presents for people.

The process of writing it all out really helps me get a grip on what's happening that week, so I feel much more organised and on top of things. As someone said upthread, you need to think about what YOU will use it for.

I'm happy to put a few pictures up, if you like?

Ooh yes please ringlets

Here you go! The first two are from a couple of years ago. The next two are from the last academic year. My layout changed slightly to suit how much room I needed for the to do list.

The final pic is my monthly log. Anything in the future will go here, then I will transfer it to my weekly diary when I get to that week.

Hope it’s helpful!

Oh- I’m only allowed three pics. So old format, new format and month log.

I'll finish my first BJ in March - got about 20 months into one book. The cover has just fallen off. It's bloody brilliant but mine is 100% function & not at all pretty or decorated. I do love looking back at all my
Old lists & plans etc.

Ooh I like your "new format" @ringletsandtwiglets - I might steal that. Meal plan good idea.

I've done monthly, and weekly so visually I know what has to be done, and daily, with notes on what has occurred and new things to add etc. I've also done books, TV, and films to watch as have a terrible memory!

Anyone else willing to share?

Year at a glance, books and tv

Really pretty, @takemetopluto Love the open book!

Thank you! I find doing the journal myself, I make more effort to keep on top of it, I'm liking my daily spread, as can keep adding what has occurred, but the monthly spread shows all upcoming appointments etc. It's finding the right balance what suits you isnt it. I find it strangely therapeutic, I suffer anxiety, and find concentrating on organising spreads etc, it's helping my anxiety.