Bullet Journal Ideas

So, you want to start a bullet journal. But, you don’t know what to put in it. Here’s a guide of bullet journal ideas you can use to start your journaling journey!

1. Habit tracker

[Bullet journal habit tracker idea by Prophsee Journals on Unsplash]

A habit tracker is a great way to start journaling ideas and helps you stay on top of your habits. Each day, you look at your habit tracker and check off the habits you did. You can set this up using charts, tables, diagrams, etc. In my journal, I draw a 5 x 6 table per habit. This gives me thirty boxes for each thirty days in a month. I usually end up with 7 tables for each habit. 

2. Mood tracker

A mood tracker documents how you feel each day. When I first heard about this, I was skeptical. “Why would you need to track how you feel? What benefit does that even bring?” I decided to give it a chance and have never gone back.

Tracking your mood can help you identify what things make you happy or sad. For instance, if you’re tracking your mood one night, and draw a sad face, you might wonder what made you sad or mad. Then, you realize you were studying for a last minute test that day. The tracker can help you realize that studying at the last minute makes you really stressed, and to prevent it, you decide to study at least two days before a test.

Ultimately, the tracker leads to reflection that identifies bad habits and patterns. There are many ways you can make a mood tracker. In my journal, I draw a circle, with another bigger circle around it. In the outer circle, I divide it into thirty sections. Then, I assign certain colors to a mood. Each day, I pick the color I am feeling and fill in the section.

 3. Goal Action Chart 

I really suggest writing a bulleted list of your daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals in your bullet journal. Once you have done that, you need to find what actions you are going to take to achieve those goals. This step is vital. It’s one thing to have goals, but another to actually work on them.

For example, if one of my daily goals is to do yoga in the morning before school, I write down that I need to wake up thirty minutes earlier than usual. Then, I will prepare for those actions by setting an alarm and keeping a mat close to my bed.

My biggest tip here is make your actions doable and personalized. If you know you won’t wake up thirty minutes earlier, you need to find another solution that will challenge you, yet not discourage you when you don’t perform well. 

4. Goal calendar

[Bullet journal calendar idea by Eric Rothermel on Unsplash]

It’s common for a bullet journal to contain a calendar, but what about a calendar for just one goal? If you have a goal you want to achieve that requires daily work, this method is  perfect. Draw a calendar, and fill in each day with what you will be doing every day to reach that goal.

This is great if you’re a high school student who is studying for the PSAT, ACT, SAT, or AP Exams. You can schedule practice exams and review through the calendar. I feel that the goal calendar also gives you a sense of time. How close is something, how far away is something? I find myself checking in –“it’s been two weeks, how much have I accomplished. Do I need to do more?”

5. Notes 

[Bullet journal list idea by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash]

Always keep a notes section at the end of your spread. Sometimes, things come up during the month that you want to write down. Or, if you’re a big diary person, you can write down daily or weekly entries. This is also a great place for grocery or to-do lists. 

Here’s some ideas for getting your bullet journal started.

And don’t forget to check out Girl Spring contributor Rpant’s guide to bullet journaling here.

Dania A.

More Posts