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For students, being able to plan and manage your time is an essential skill. Bullet Journalling makes planning easier, and this guide will show you how.
Many people around the world use bullet journalling. I absolutely love my bullet journal. It’s not for everyone – but you should definitely consider trying it, as it is a great way to experiment, and figure out what set up you prefer when planning.
When learning how the Bullet Journal works, there’s LOADS to go over, so let’s get started!
Great YouTube Channels for beginners!
YouTube is great for learning things, and I know many people would prefer to watch rather than read, so I’ve put together a short list of some great Channels that helped me start my journey!
Pro’s and Con’s!
Pro’s
- Easily Customisable
- Will be able to suit your needs
- Can be changed everyday
Con’s
- Takes time to set up
- You have to set it up yourself
My journey to using a Bullet Journal!
When I was in Year 8 I tried to use a typical academic planner that used time blocking and had little room for to-do lists. By October of that very same year (I started using it in August), I gave up on it. It had no room for my planning style. I work better with to-do lists and habit trackers than with time blocking.
That was when I heard about Bullet Journalling. It seemed like the perfect method for me, and I spent hours upon hours watching YouTube videos about it. Being the perfectionist I was, I wanted to wait until the New Year to start my Bullet Journal. But, when the New Year came around, I had no idea where to buy the actual Journal, and had no real understanding of it.
So, in August of the next year I finally found a cheap Journal to start me off and until December, I used it every day. Then of course I wanted to start a new Journal for the New Year, so I did.
In short, I use a Bullet Journal because it is creative, and I truly hated pre-made planners. (Of course I now know that there are some really brilliant planners out there, but I would still vote for the Bullet Journal).
Yearly Spreads you might want to include at the start of your Bullet Journal!
- A year in pixels
- I use my Year in Pixels to track what kind of day I had. At the end of the year I will easily be able to tell which months were the best and which were the worst.
- A Future log
- This gives you a bird-eye view of the main events of the year.
- Word of the Year
- My word of the Year this year is Risks. If that wasn’t my word of the year, maybe I wouldn’t have started this Blog!
- Goals Page
- Goals are a great way to stay on track.
- Goals Actions Page
- Goals Actions allows you to achieve your goals easily by giving you the steps you need to take.
- A Vision Board
- A Vision Board is a must. Keeping it in your Bullet Journal means you can take it with you anywhere!
- A Key
- It’s not necessary, but it is useful.
- A contents
- The same as before, it’s not necessary, but it is useful.
- A Cover Page
- It looks nice and tells you what year/ period of time the Bullet Journal was used in.
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Monthly Spreads you might want to include!
- A Cover Page
- It looks nice and tells you what Month you are in.
- A Gratitude Page
- Gratitude is key to happiness.
- A Calendar
- A Calendar gives you a bird-eye view of your month.
- A Habit Tracker
- Useful for building new habits. (Although I have my habit tracker weekly!)
- A Goals Page
- Goals are a great way to stay on track.
- A Goals Actions Page
- Goals Actions allows you to achieve your goals easily by giving you the steps you need to take.
Should you use Weekly or Daily Planning Spreads?
I personally use Weekly, because Daily takes up too much time and space, but there are many benefits to a Daily Spread.
If you want to use your Bullet Journal as a diary-type Journal, Daily Spreads are probably better. Weekly Spreads only really work if you work better with To-Do Lists then a fixed plan.
I like having a fixed plan, but not on paper, because it’s too rigid if I can’t easily move things around.
In the end, it’s your decision and you should probably try both, like I did before deciding on one.
Student Spread Ideas for your Bullet Journal!
- A Timetable
- I forgot to put a timetable in my Journal this year – big mistake!
- A Study Tracker
- Can help you keep track of your studying.
- A Homework Tracker
- Will keep track of your homework.
Buying a Bullet Journal!
I personally use a Yop&Tom Journal. My first ever journal was just a footed notebook the I bought at The Works for £5. Definitely be sure to buy a good quality Journal like the one I linked below.
Remember that you don’t need any fancy stationary at all! The only fancy stationary I have is a Tombow Fudenosuke brush pen, that I got long before I started Bullet Journalling and has lasted me ages!
Conclusion
Bullet Journalling is not for everybody. But it is something everybody should try. Bullet Journalling can be a form of art, and is actually really, really easy once you get the hang of it. This post goes over the basics, but there is loads more to Bullet Journalling. You have to learn the basics first of course.
I touched on other methods of planning in a previous post. Click here to read it.
Thank you for reading this post. I post every Wednesday and Sunday at 12:00. Don’t miss out!
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