Bullet Journaling — From A Beginner’s Perspective

Stuck in my house as 2021 was coming to an end, I was extremely bored and needed something to keep me occupied and organized. I had always seen videos and pictures of aesthetically-pleasing bullet journals and decided it was time for me to start my own. 

A bullet journal is essentially a planner and a diary combined, but it is entirely customizable, which is part of the reason it’s so appealing to start one–and also very overwhelming. Going into the process I was fairly clueless as to what to do. I scrolled through Pinterest and Youtube attempting to fill in the holes in my knowledge. I found a theme that I thought was easy and not too expensive to recreate, and I began. 

I had fairly low expectations going into this project, but I have been pleasantly surprised. I wholeheartedly believed that my pages would look horrible compared to the ones I saw on Pinterest. Yes–my spreads are definitely subpar. But, it’s been a fun work-in-progress. 

It has been a super fun way for me to plan my weeks, and considering how overwhelming a week-in-the-life is in college, it has been a great way for me to ease my nerves. Creating each page of my bullet journal has been relaxing. I turn on my favorite songs or watch an episode of my favorite show as I create every new page. Not only is it calming, but I feel like I am being productive at the same time. My schedule for each week changes and the amount of work I have for my classes does as well. Having the ability to change the format of each week’s planner spread has made me regret buying a new planner every year. My bullet journal also provides me with an opportunity to track progress for habits that I wanted to start in 2022, and in some way, has made me more accountable for these goals. 

Obviously, I am only a beginner, and I have a lot to learn. My bullet journal is far from perfect. Maybe even far from average. But that’s okay. It’s a work-in-progress, and I have loved every second of it. So, even if you doubt your own abilities, give it try. You might pleasantly surprise yourself, too. 

• bullet journal
• diary
• Journal
• Planning
• stress relief