Is Bullet Journalling Worth It?

Bullet journaling is a popular way to keep a journal, but is it worth the time?

Bullet journaling is worth it for most people who are interested in keeping a journal, organizing their lives, and increasing productivity. There are many different types of bullet journals for different purposes, so there is a version that suits everyone.

Read on to learn about the benefits of bullet journaling, how to plan a bullet journal that serves you best, and what materials you will need to get started.

Is Bullet Journaling Effective?

Bullet journals are an effective tool for staying organized.

People who use bullet journals are able to focus on the things that matter most and reduce the stress associated with disorganization. They can also serve as inspirational and creative spaces for people who want to do something different with their journals.

The Benefits of Bullet Journaling

People can benefit from bullet journals in a number of ways, including:

Improved productivity and time management skills.
Clear tracking systems for goals.
An outlet for self-expression and creativity.
A way to express gratitude on a regular basis.
An area to focus on skill-building and learning.
A way to keep track of notes and ideas.
A helpful tool for budgeting, expense tracking, and saving
Improving your skills as an illustrator and artist.
How to Plan a Bullet Journal

Overall, bullet journaling helps you to be more mindful in life and gives you a space where you can slow down and reflect on the ideas and goals that matter most to you. It helps you to prioritize yourself and get clear on your needs and dreams.

How Do I Plan a Bullet Journal?

Planning a bullet journal is not difficult and can be done in just five steps:

1. Choose Your Materials

The first step in planning your bullet journal is deciding which supplies you will need. At the very least, you will need a journal or notebook, but it is helpful to have the following items as well:

High-quality pens and markers.
Pencils and quality erasers.
Stickers for decorating pages.
A ruler
Stencils
Washi tape

2. Decide on the Best Layout for You

Create an index in the front of your journal to help with future planning sessions. If you want your bullet journal to focus as a planner, add dates, notes, appointments, and other relevant information as needed throughout the month.

Goal setting and skill building might be your focus, so make sure to include to-do lists, priority spreads, and tracker spreads.

Your focus might be finance, so you might want your bullet journal to help with tracking expenses or saving money, add a budget page, savings tracker, or expense tracker to your notebook.

There are many different types of spreads (designed bullet journal pages) for different types of tracking.

You may choose one overall theme for your entire bullet journal or have different themes for different sections.

3. Start Setting up Your Bullet Journal

After you’ve added a table of contents in the front of your notebook and decided on what type of pages you will design in your journal, it’s time to get started!

In order to practice drawing and adding templates to your different bullet journal pages, it is best to read some tutorials or watch YouTube videos so that you can see how they are done before beginning. There are many creative bujo teachers offering free content each week.

This can help you to feel more guided through the process at the beginning, which in turn will make it more enjoyable and sustainable in the long term.

4. Add Designs and Art to Your Bullet Journal

Once you have set up the basic structure for your first few bullet journal pages, you can take it a step further by adding some art, doodles, and design elements to your pages.

If you don’t have any design ideas in mind, you can start by playing around with color. Use pens, markers, watercolors, or colored pencils to fill in different parts of the page.

You can also try using stencils and stickers, as well as hand-lettering to give your pages a more finished look.

5. Stay Consistent and Keep Working on Your Journal!

Now that you have gone through the process of setting up, designing, and embellishing your bullet journal, it’s time to develop a schedule. Many people design their journal pages at the beginning of each month and fill out the pre-designed pages over the next 30 days.

Others choose to work on it one day each week on a weekend so that they aren’t spending too much time on the planning process at once.

Whatever method you choose, try to stay consistent with your schedule and you will soon see that maintaining your bullet journal is a rewarding process.

Make sure to open your bullet journal on a daily basis, even if only for a couple of minutes. This helps to remind you of your goals and helps you to envision the future.

Take time each morning or evening for this and integrate it with your schedule so that it is easy and second nature after the first week or two.

How Do You Make a Bullet Journaling Habit?

If you’re wondering how to stick with your bullet journal once you get started, here are 4 tips for keeping yourself on track easily:

1. Keep Your Journal Near You

Keep your journal in an easily accessible place, such as right next to your bed or at the end of the table where you eat dinner. Even better, get a bullet journal in a size that easily fits into your bag so you can always carry it with you.

By keeping your journal nearby, you will be more likely to write in it several times each day without even thinking about the process.

2. Keep Your Pencils and Pens Nearby

It can be very frustrating if you want to write in your bullet journal but don’t have your pen, so make sure that it is always within reach of where your journal is stored. Better yet, store it in the pocket of your journal or clip it to the cover so that they are always together.

3. Don’t Overdo It

When you first start keeping your bullet journal, it is important that the process doesn’t feel too overwhelming. If you fill up several pages each day or week before even getting into the habit of doing so, then this will be discouraging and won’t help to solidify the routine in the long run.

Instead, take it slow and focus on a small number of pages each day or week to make sure that you are staying consistent.

Over time, you can increase this number if you want to or need to so that your journal can grow with you.

Remember that you can always pump the breaks and slow down in your journal any time that you get particularly busy or stressed. There is no reason to push yourself to complete several pages each day unless you really want or need to do so.

4. Break the Rules

Even though building systems and maintaining them is one of the joys of making a bullet journal, it’s also a creative and open space where you can embrace your own personal style.

If you want to break the rules, do it! Don’t be afraid to rip out pages and start fresh if the pages or system isn’t working for you.

If you’re feeling like you want to experiment with different types of spreads or layouts, then do it! There are no wrong answers in the bullet journal.

If you take time to experiment with different formats or simply to run free with a doodling session or journal entry, this will help you to build a bullet journal that is all your own.

Remember that what makes the process of writing in this book fun and exciting isn’t just following rules, but also breaking them.

So, Is Bullet Journalling Worth It?

Yes! Bullet journaling is popular for a reason and it’s adaptable to different needs and aspirations, making it a fun way to track your goals and progress in a creative way.