Bullet Journal Recommendations for Beginners (Guest Post by Leah Grace)

Autumn Grace
5 days ago
6 min read

A post by my good friend, Leah Grace.

"Art was never really my thing. With the exception of occasional crafts done with my sisters, I didn’t ever get into painting or drawing. The reason for this is simple: I wasn’t good at it, so I didn’t enjoy it.

But I discovered something special when I began bullet journaling in September of 2024. You don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it. When we let go of insecurity, then it doesn’t matter whether or not we’re good at something! We don’t feel like we have to prove anything to anybody. So, if I’m not particularly talented when it comes to art, why should that bother me? It’s not about being talented, it’s about being God’s child and knowing how valuable I already am. We need to know our identity in Christ!

This revelation (which didn’t really hit me until recently) has absolutely rocked my world. That’s why I’ve been able to play volleyball with friends & family and not worry about being the worst player on the team. 🤪 I can just have fun and not worry about what people might be thinking about me, because what they think doesn’t define my value or identity. God defines those, which gives me the courage to try new & exciting things—even if I’m not very good at them.

So even if you feel like you’re not good at art… why not try anyway? If you never compared it to anybody else’s work, and knew that God thought it looked great because He gave you the creativity in the first place, then would you still feel self-conscious about how it looked?

Besides, bullet journaling is one of the easiest forms of art out there—and I’m stoked to share all about it! 🤩

What is bullet journaling?

“Bullet journaling” isn’t something everybody is familiar with. When I mentioned bullet journaling to my dad, he thought I was going to journal about my day in bullet points and try to be as fast & efficient as possible 😂

But, that’s not what bullet journaling is all about!

Bullet journaling is designing your own planners, organizers, and lists in a blank notebook.

There are so many different things you can do in a bullet journal. You can make daily to-do lists, weekly planners, monthly overviews, calendars, habit trackers, gratitude lists, menu planners, password and birthday lists… the options are endless.

One of my favorite things about bullet journaling is that you get to design each page to perfectly match your taste! For example, here are 3 different weekly planners I’ve made—the styles are all so different but they’re each pretty in their own way!

Bullet journaling dictionary

There are some terms that get thrown around when it comes to bullet journaling that may seem a bit confusing. Hopefully, I can demystify some of them!

BUJO: shortened version of “bullet journal,” just taking the first two letters of each word

SPREAD: a section of pages (typically two but sometimes one) that are used to organize specific information or tasks. You could have a weekly spread—like the pictures I shared—a monthly spread, an exercise tracker spread, and so on.

LOG: a place to track/record events, habits, patterns, etcetera.

EPHEMERA (in the context of bullet journaling): random things from everyday life that have some sort of memory associated with them & would add a personal touch to a bullet journal—for example, maps, tickets, newspaper scraps, envelopes, photos, dried flowers, and so on. People get really creative with this!

WASHI TAPE: okay, to be honest, it took me about a year before I figured out what it actually was, even though I used it all the time 😂 Washi tape is basically decorative, thin tape, originally made from Japanese paper. It’s very unique, since if you don’t like how it looks once you’ve put it on paper, you can just take it off and stick it somewhere else. You can reposition it several times and it’ll still be sticky without leaving marks on the page or ripping the paper.

Bullet journaling tips + products

One of the things I love most about bullet journaling is that anyone can do it. It doesn’t have to be artsy, intricate, or gorgeous. Some of the best spreads are the most straightforward, plain ones. If you want some ideas for simple, easy bujo spreads, you can check out this blog post where I shared a bunch of them: How To Start Bullet Journaling For $0 | Easy Bullet Journal Spreads That Anyone Can Do.

With that said, some people like using things like stickers, washi tape, markers, scrap paper, and so on. That’s totally optional! Don’t let elaborate spreads with fancy add-ons turn you off.

As far as I’m concerned, all you need is a notebook and something to write with—that shouldn’t be too hard to find! A few things that I’ve found to be helpful are rulers (or anything that can help you get a straight line), a pencil (preferably with a reliable eraser), and some markers/colored pencils/crayons/anything that can add some color—personally, I like colorful pages!

When it comes to specific products, Amazon is my best friend. Here are some of my favorites if you’re looking to buy something new! (I’m part of the Amazon Associates Program, which means that if you use an Amazon link I provided and make a purchase, I’ll get a small commission and it doesn’t cost you anything extra 😀)

Bullet journal — this specific bullet journal is on the more expensive side, but I got it as a birthday gift and couldn’t love it more! The pages are thick and durable, so even if I use markers and pens with heavy ink, they don’t bleed through. The cover is just gorgeous. I also love having two bookmarks, since it helps me stay more organized!
Black gel pens — I use these all the time! The ink is very dark and smooth, and I find them so satisfying to write with. Just a word of caution: they smudge easily, even after they’ve dried. If you’re very careful, it shouldn’t be an issue, and I find that it’s worth it to me to use them anyway, since I love the way it looks (:
Bullet journal/junk journal kit — I can’t recommend this kit enough! It comes with a nice assortment of scrap paper, washi tape, multiple kinds of stickers, and even a little notebook! It’s great for people who like floral/vintage style. I use it all the time in my bujo!
Glue tape — this is great if you like the scrap booking approach to bullet journaling. You can easily glue in bits of paper, fabric, or other ephemera very easily! I’ve struggled to find a great brand of glue tape, however. I’ve ordered this kind twice and it works well for me… except that sometimes I don’t know if they spontaneously break, or if I run out faster than I think. I’ll leave that up to you 🥴
Scrap paper — I have so much fun with decorative paper! These papers have lasted me for more than a year and I still have a lot left.
Washi tape — these rolls are so cute 😍 I went through a huge mushroom-loving stage in August and September, so I got these for my birthday. They’re great!

Pros + cons to bullet journaling

There can be both positive and negative elements to bullet journaling. For example…

PROS:

Each planner, organizer, list, and tracker is 100% customized to your needs. The meaning of this is huge! Every single page in your bullet journal is maximized to the fullest to help you achieve your own personal goals.
You make it as you go—meaning that you don’t have tons of wasted pages from weekly/daily organizers you never used.
Bullet journaling is a fun way to experiment with different styles of art & design.
It’s a great way to keep track of different seasons of life, like what projects you were focused on, what your to-do lists looked like, different events you planned, and so on.
You get to decide the design of every page, so the colors, style, and aesthetic always match your preferences.
It’s so fun! Seriously, if you let go of trying to make it perfect and just enjoy the process, it’s so pleasant. Who says every line has to be straight, every doodle has to be perfect, all the colors need to match perfectly? Just use your bullet journal like no one else will ever see it and you’re a great artist. (:

CONS:

It takes time to design each spread. Not having a readily-made spread might make you unmotivated to plan/track/organize things.
You have to start from scratch (although you can find sooo much inspiration online!)
Some people simply don’t like anything art or design related, so making their own spreads sounds boring or overwhelming.

In conclusion…

Bullet journaling isn’t for everyone, but I wanted to share my perspective with you and help you understand this art a little better. If you’re interested in bullet journaling but think it won’t look good, I encourage you to just give it a shot. Have fun with it. It’s not about creating the most gorgeous thing you’ve ever laid eyes on. It’s about making a functional planner that is unique to you & can serve your specific needs.

And, if you’re anything like me, you might find that you enjoy art a whole lot more than you thought you would. 😉

What do you think? Do you have any questions about bullet journaling? I’d love to chat about it in the comments!"

Thank you, Leah!