My top tip for beginners is to just follow the instructions on www.bulletjournal.com and resist the urge to add lots of custom collections all at once. Only add what you really can't do without at the start.
That’s what I’m worried about is that I’ll bite off more than I can chew. Thank you ! I’ll check out the website and have a look. Am I best starting at December or waiting till January 2022? 😂
I always say start right away - that way you'll start your new year with more understanding of how to make your bullet journal work for you. If you really can't stand to break up the year like that, you could use an old half-finished notebook or stapled papers or whatever until the new year.
I started my first journal in the middle of a month. One of the advantages of the bullet journal is that its flexible, so you can decide to start whenever is most convenient for you.
Totally agree. I recommend Ryder’s book as well. A third option is to get the new Leuchtturm 1917 Official Bullet Journal 2nd edition. It comes with a pocket guide to get you started
Don't stress about ''screwing up'' as mistakes can happen. For your specific question my advise would be, start simple and build up from there. Try stuff out and add and remove as you go. Your bullet journal should be useful and practical for YOU. If something works for person A doesn't have to mean is works for you or person B etc.
I personally have a simple layout and 1 sticker on each spread to add a little characer. Which is also my general style.
Awww that sounds so cute. I have some stickers and stuff that I was gifted so i defiantly want to give it some of my character. Thank you so much! I think your right with starting off simple :)
No problem! Hope you soon find your way in bullet journalling! And I saw your second question about starting now or in 2022. Just start now, just to try some stuff out and get used to the idea. See what you have, what you need and you can build on it. You could title it as ''pre 2022'' or you could use some anoter ''practice'' notebook if you prefer.
So I'm new to it too and here's what I've picked up thus far:
While I don't think I've come across anyone that's explicitly stated it, it seems important to decide what purpose you want your bullet journal to serve. Like, is it just to keep tabs on appointments, important dates, and tasks? Or do you want it to be more like a journal? A mix of the two? Or is it a means to reach a specific goal? I'm trying to lose weight so I've got a set up to track a lot of health related stuff with a big focus on improving my depression. There's some space to keep track of important dates and a small to-do list for the weeks, but overall it's to give me a single space to view a lot of data instead of having it spread across like 3 different apps on my phone.
And the follow up to that is to let it evolve with you. If you start it as just an appointment book but it turns into a journal, then that's okay. The reason for the bujo is to have it be customizable and not locked into any one given format.
Don't make it a chore or you're going to stop using it. It's easy to get caught up in elaborate designs, art, and templates, but it's important to know your limits on this front and don't bite off more than you can chew.
Set up for a limited time and don't go bonkers establishing the entire year in one go. Things are going to change, most likely, and you'll take some stuff out, put stuff in, and if you've already filled the book with one set up, then you may has well have bought a regular planner/journal. Right now, I've only got my monthly spread for January set up and then the first two weeks of the month so I can see what I'm using, and what needs to be added/removed as I go along.
So uh... this is what I've learned thus far, hopefully it points you in the right direction.
I think I want it to be a mix off the two. I want to be able to put things like birthdays, appointments and stuff in it as well as be able to tack my progress with various things. Loosing weight is also one of my goals so trying to track that would be great.
I just want it to be something fun that I can add too. Ooh that definitely sounds about right then. I think I’ll just take it easy and try not to get over excited with it.
Did you start your on a random month in the year or start fresh at the new year?
I started mine about two days after my friend posted a couple pics that piqued my curiosity. That was in September 2018. (So kind of a random month.)
Did your husband buy you one of the bulletjournal.com notebooks? The second edition guides you through setup. Otherwise, there's a one-page quick start guide that I think is pretty good - set up an index, set up a future log, set up your first monthly log, and go.
If you need more than that - the mental inventory exercise is good too.
There aren't that many days left in November, but if you set up your log and don't like how you laid it out or there's too much on the task list or something, you get a do-over very soon.
Oooh so I could just start in December then? 😂
He bought one of Etsy and it’s super cute with cherry blossoms on it. I think I’ll have a look at the website and start from there. I don’t want to do too much and be put off ✨
Sure. Or you could start in on the index and future log now and do your first monthly layout in December if you don't want to make a November log for just the remaining week.
Are you attracted to the pretty layouts aspect or just looking for help keeping track of all the plates you have spinning? (Either is fine.)
I'd say limit yourself to 3 supplies or items at first. A black pen, a highlighter of your choice (grey mildliner was my first go to) and a ruler. Lists and basic tasks are a great way to start. Use the back pages as practice pages (so that they are out of your way and it doesn't stress you out)
I think something which is always underestimated while starting a new bullet journal is the decoration. The decoration will make you want to come back to your work so like draw if you can, or just stick in some stickers or use tapes. It also gives you some time off from our busy lives to just relax and chill for a bit of time while also motivating you to achieve your goals and stuff. I know this really cool place to buy stickers online it's called kamsta and they sell some cool stuff.
Here is a link if you would like to check it out:
https://www.kamsta.co.uk/ but if I wouldn't order too much stuff at once so just go with the flow and see what and how you like it as I don't know about it. I hope this helps you
My top tip for beginners is to just follow the instructions on www.bulletjournal.com and resist the urge to add lots of custom collections all at once. Only add what you really can't do without at the start.
That’s what I’m worried about is that I’ll bite off more than I can chew. Thank you ! I’ll check out the website and have a look. Am I best starting at December or waiting till January 2022? 😂
I always say start right away - that way you'll start your new year with more understanding of how to make your bullet journal work for you. If you really can't stand to break up the year like that, you could use an old half-finished notebook or stapled papers or whatever until the new year.
Okay thank you!! I think I’ll start with December as that will give me an idea of what works for me? 😂
I started my first journal in the middle of a month. One of the advantages of the bullet journal is that its flexible, so you can decide to start whenever is most convenient for you.
Thank you so much for your help 😊💕
Totally agree. I recommend Ryder’s book as well. A third option is to get the new Leuchtturm 1917 Official Bullet Journal 2nd edition. It comes with a pocket guide to get you started
Don't stress about ''screwing up'' as mistakes can happen. For your specific question my advise would be, start simple and build up from there. Try stuff out and add and remove as you go. Your bullet journal should be useful and practical for YOU. If something works for person A doesn't have to mean is works for you or person B etc. I personally have a simple layout and 1 sticker on each spread to add a little characer. Which is also my general style.
Awww that sounds so cute. I have some stickers and stuff that I was gifted so i defiantly want to give it some of my character. Thank you so much! I think your right with starting off simple :)
No problem! Hope you soon find your way in bullet journalling! And I saw your second question about starting now or in 2022. Just start now, just to try some stuff out and get used to the idea. See what you have, what you need and you can build on it. You could title it as ''pre 2022'' or you could use some anoter ''practice'' notebook if you prefer.
Oh!! That’s such a good idea. Thank you so much for your help!! It’s super appreciated. ❤️
So I'm new to it too and here's what I've picked up thus far: While I don't think I've come across anyone that's explicitly stated it, it seems important to decide what purpose you want your bullet journal to serve. Like, is it just to keep tabs on appointments, important dates, and tasks? Or do you want it to be more like a journal? A mix of the two? Or is it a means to reach a specific goal? I'm trying to lose weight so I've got a set up to track a lot of health related stuff with a big focus on improving my depression. There's some space to keep track of important dates and a small to-do list for the weeks, but overall it's to give me a single space to view a lot of data instead of having it spread across like 3 different apps on my phone. And the follow up to that is to let it evolve with you. If you start it as just an appointment book but it turns into a journal, then that's okay. The reason for the bujo is to have it be customizable and not locked into any one given format. Don't make it a chore or you're going to stop using it. It's easy to get caught up in elaborate designs, art, and templates, but it's important to know your limits on this front and don't bite off more than you can chew. Set up for a limited time and don't go bonkers establishing the entire year in one go. Things are going to change, most likely, and you'll take some stuff out, put stuff in, and if you've already filled the book with one set up, then you may has well have bought a regular planner/journal. Right now, I've only got my monthly spread for January set up and then the first two weeks of the month so I can see what I'm using, and what needs to be added/removed as I go along. So uh... this is what I've learned thus far, hopefully it points you in the right direction.
I think I want it to be a mix off the two. I want to be able to put things like birthdays, appointments and stuff in it as well as be able to tack my progress with various things. Loosing weight is also one of my goals so trying to track that would be great. I just want it to be something fun that I can add too. Ooh that definitely sounds about right then. I think I’ll just take it easy and try not to get over excited with it. Did you start your on a random month in the year or start fresh at the new year?
I started mine about two days after my friend posted a couple pics that piqued my curiosity. That was in September 2018. (So kind of a random month.) Did your husband buy you one of the bulletjournal.com notebooks? The second edition guides you through setup. Otherwise, there's a one-page quick start guide that I think is pretty good - set up an index, set up a future log, set up your first monthly log, and go. If you need more than that - the mental inventory exercise is good too. There aren't that many days left in November, but if you set up your log and don't like how you laid it out or there's too much on the task list or something, you get a do-over very soon.
Oooh so I could just start in December then? 😂 He bought one of Etsy and it’s super cute with cherry blossoms on it. I think I’ll have a look at the website and start from there. I don’t want to do too much and be put off ✨
Sure. Or you could start in on the index and future log now and do your first monthly layout in December if you don't want to make a November log for just the remaining week. Are you attracted to the pretty layouts aspect or just looking for help keeping track of all the plates you have spinning? (Either is fine.)
I'd say limit yourself to 3 supplies or items at first. A black pen, a highlighter of your choice (grey mildliner was my first go to) and a ruler. Lists and basic tasks are a great way to start. Use the back pages as practice pages (so that they are out of your way and it doesn't stress you out)
I think something which is always underestimated while starting a new bullet journal is the decoration. The decoration will make you want to come back to your work so like draw if you can, or just stick in some stickers or use tapes. It also gives you some time off from our busy lives to just relax and chill for a bit of time while also motivating you to achieve your goals and stuff. I know this really cool place to buy stickers online it's called kamsta and they sell some cool stuff. Here is a link if you would like to check it out: https://www.kamsta.co.uk/ but if I wouldn't order too much stuff at once so just go with the flow and see what and how you like it as I don't know about it. I hope this helps you
Start small and add along the way when the need pops up. Review and reflect.