Inside: Bullet journal layouts can be as fancy or simple as you want but here are some ideas about the different types you might want to use.
Being organised is something we all aspire to. You want to get the most done with your time, whether you have a business, go out to a job, have a family, or just want to have time to meet with friends. Often much of it!
A bullet journal is a practical way to help organise your life and it can be much more. But the key to success is in finding the right bullet journal layouts. Let’s grab some inspiration!
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The joy of a bullet journal is that you can do whatever you want. That can also be the downside – you find yourself looking at all this empty white space and not having a clue what to add to it. That’s me! A good place to start is some of the core pages that most bullet journal users will add.
Contents or Key
At the beginning of your journal, you might want to create a little space for a content or index section and a key. If you plan to use repeat symbols or abbreviations, this is to place to pop a note of them just in case you have a brain blank. You can also use this to list the contents of the book which is handy as it grows.
Multiple calendar options
Personally, I don’t plan to use my bullet journal just for scheduling because I use online tools for this (having multiple businesses and working from home means there’s a bit going on!) but there are different calendar options to use depending on what you are doing.
You may want to have a monthly overview that is spread across a couple of pages to be able to see the big picture for the month. Then you might want to break it down into weekly layouts or even a couple of days on a page if you have a lot to keep track of.
You could even have six months at a glance layout where you note down important things like birthdays or holidays, so you can quickly remember what is to be added to the individual month sheet.
Week or day at a glance
Another popular calendar spread is using the week-at-a-glance style. There are loads of different ways to lay this out and you can even incorporate different layouts on one page with a box for each day and then a more in-depth tick-box style for each day if you want to use it as a to-do list.
You can even have a page per day and keep it simple. Just the day and date along with the top then you have a whole page to note down what is happening, what you need to do, and more.
This is an ideal approach if you want to use it as a combination of calendar and to-do list but don’t want to get too complicated in your bullet journal layout.
Time-based daily layouts
Another popular idea is to create a time-based layout. This can be used to track any number of different things over a time period that you decide on.
Habit trackers
A habit tracker can be a simple tick or dot box system where you mark the days of the month and list the habits then mark the box when you have completed them. This works with almost anything from drinking enough water to going to the gym or going to bed early. You can even rate it as good, okay and poor if there are components to the habit.
Spending trackers
Tracking spending is something best done with paper and pen because let’s face it, bank statements aren’t pretty. And you may have more than one account to track. Set up a system that works for what you need including the date, where you spent it, what it was for, the cost and also the balance of the account. Or just keep a simple list of when, where and what to check against your bank statement.
You can also use a similar idea for saving trackers or have little boxes to tick as you reach the stages towards a saving goal. This gives a sense of making progress!
Meal planning
Food spending is a big issue in our house with four adults (one of who nearly eats enough for two sometimes!!) so meal planning is something that we need to do more. It is one of the bullet journal ideas that really appeals, tracking what we have and also a shopping list of what is needed. Then when shopping time comes around, simply transfer the items to a list and you don’t forget anything you need.
Space to doodle
It is also important to have some space to doodle, jot your thoughts, and any other free-form layouts you might want to create. You can just jot down some ideas, something that is worrying you, or something you have conquered. Accomplishments to celebrate problems overcome or just if the weather was nice! Celebrate life with these little blank areas.
Make it pretty
Another part of bullet journal layouts is that you can make them pretty. You don’t have to, they can be as plain as you want. But if there are colors that you love, images that make you smile, or even pretty stickers that you like, these can be added to the journal. This will make you want to use it and get the most out of it. There are lots of layout ideas and free printables you can slip into or stick onto pages as well.
Find your perfect bullet journal layout
The key to the bullet planner system is that you can make it what you want. If you want flowery bullet journal monthly layouts but plain daily layouts, that’s great. If you just want to doodle and add your thoughts, no problem. It is about finding what is useful to you!
Have you got a favorite layout or style of layout? Tell us about it in the comments – I’m looking for inspiration!!
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