Leah Grace I started bullet journaling in September of 2024, and I was instantly hooked. For a while, I had been hearing my friend Laura tell me about how she was doing it, and I thought, Why couldn’t I do that? When I finally committed and bought myself a journal & some supplies, I found it was 1000x better than I’d expected.
Here, I’m going to share what bullet journaling is, some of the best spreads that I’ve done, as well as pages from other bullet journalers, and finally, easy, cheap ways to start bullet journaling today!
What is a bullet journal?
A bullet journal (or “bujo” for short) is basically a notebook where you design & organize your own planners, habit trackers, to-do lists, goals, and anything else you could possibly organize, track, or plan. Imagine the most beautiful, detailed, and personalized planner you could have. That is what a bullet journal is.
A bujo spread (page/pages) can be really simple & minimalistic, or they can be elaborately decorated and intricate.
My favorite personal bullet journal spreads
This is a weekly planner that I designed, copying a picture from Pinterest. The format of this spread is pretty simple, since it’s just boxes for each day with a small calendar thrown in there somewhere. 😅 That Bible verse was my focus of the week, and the flowers were just decoration, so this could have been simplified or designed completely differently.
This is a monthly spread that I did. Again, I copied a picture from Pinterest for the page on the right, and it didn’t come out exactly the way I wanted it, but I was happy with it regardless. On the left, I drew a calendar of the month that was big enough to add events/birthdays to, and wrote a small autumn-themed poem as an extra personal touch.
This bujo page is pretty basic, but the colors are nice and the contents are even better! I love that I can add onto bullet journal pages later on, so it’s definitely not a one-and-done sort of thing.
This was my monthly spread for December, and it was very detailed (and a little busy…) but I enjoyed making it! It was the first page I did where I really went “all out” and liked how it turned out. I was able to smush a habit tracker, Bible verses, a calendar, Hebrew, a writing goal, and gift ideas into the same page and that was a huge win!
This page is very simple, mainly because I’m adding to it slowly & as I feel led by the Lord. Also, I believe that faith IS very simple; it’s not easy, but it’s simple. (My latest blog post about faith.)
I think that this is one of the best bujo pages I’ve ever done. 🫢 Per my usual, I copied a photo I found on Pinterest for this one, but I shocked myself. I used markers for the lines, words, and trees, and colored pencils to color in the mountains. I didn’t take as much advantage of this planner as I could have (clearly, as I only filled in two days haha), but the aesthetic is wintry and pretty!
I made it my goal in February to average 2 hours a day outside, and I’m pleased to say that I made my goal! I drew each strawberry in pencil at the beginning of the month, then colored one in for every hour I spent outside. The “56 hours outside” was printed, cut out, then glued in.
One sunny morning, on February 24, I decided to design myself a springy agenda for the day. I kept it out on the table so I could reference it all day, and I was able to hit all of my goals! I used a small bit of decorative washi tape on the bottom, and my markers for everything else. It was so easy to make and the perfect motivation for me to get all of my stuff done! (Also, the Jacob DeShazer book is one of the best nonfiction books I’ve ever read! Go check it out!)
Another Pinterest find, I copied it and was happy with how it turned out! I’d planned to add onto the right page, but inspiration never struck, so it stayed rather plain.
Because I was so happy with my 56 hours outside in February, I decided to try 62 in March. As you can see by my three, sad looking gray tulips, I didn’t get this goal. I literally missed it by 3 hours. 😭 But nonetheless, it’s pretty and I was able to track most of the things I did outside that month!
I found a beautiful weekly spread on Pinterest and made some modifications to my own design. The only thing I didn’t like about this page was how bright my colors were. In the picture I was copying, the colors were more muted, but I didn’t have any markers like that so I worked with what I had. I still liked it, though!
Okay, so this has nothing to do with planners, trackers, etc., but I found pictures on Pinterest and copied them both! I used markers & colored pencils, and was quite pleased with how they turned out. I love using my bullet journal for art, since it’s so therapeutic. It’s sooo flexible!
Summer bullet journal spreads
All of the pictures I’m about to share have been found through Pinterest. You can find my bullet journaling board here, where I’m regularly adding photos.
These are spreads that I’ve never attempted, but think are stunning and would love to try this summer!
With bullet journaling, I love how everything is completely designed from scratch, so you can literally do whatever you want. Even when copying photos, you can make as many modifications as you’d like.
There’s something about fruit on a bullet journal page that just makes me so happy. 😍 This monthly spread is a great way to keep track of dates and your focus for the month.
This bucket list page is so cute! I can hardly get over it! You could use stickers, drawings, or take a scrapbooking approach and glue in bits of paper and memorabilia. Seriously, this is so inspirational, adorable, and the possibilities are endless—I think this is going to be one of my next pages!
I’ve never done a mood tracker, since I’m intentional about not being dominated by my moods/feelings/thoughts. They’re real, and need to be validated & dealt with, but they shouldn’t dictate our lives as born again followers of Jesus! But I think that these pages are really cute and I love tracking habits! It motivates me to stick with it when I realize that the colors on the page will scream at me if I miss a day. 😂
So I’m not exactly sure what this is for, but I thought it was too cute to pass up. 😆 You could write the highlight of the day next to each number, plans, goals, or just leave it as is.
What a beautiful cover for the month! I like to draw pictures that match the season when entering a new month. I feel like it sets the stage, and helps things stay more organized when you’re flipping through and want to see what you’ve done each month.
First of all, I love coconuts! Coconut oil, especially, just seems so good for you & delicious & rich & creamy, which is maybe one of the reasons why I like this spread so much. It’s summery, but not overboard, especially if you’re looking for a more low-key month
This isn’t specifically summery, but hey, some people travel during the summer, right? It’s a cute way to plan what you want to take on a trip. Plus, it’ll be nice to look back and see when you were traveling & what you took with you!
This weekly planner is pretty simple, but cute and very straightforward. It’s an easy way to plan a week!
This planner is very pretty, and I like that it has a “notes” section and also a small calendar in the corner that highlights which week it is.
The layout here is really minimalistic but springy and cheerful. And, if you want to be symmetrical and only have 3 boxes on each page, then “weekend” is a perfect way to condense Saturday and Sunday!
The design in the middle adds such a pretty touch to an otherwise simple spread!
Déjà vu to the coconut spread I showed earlier?! But, it shows how you can match themes & styles for multiple spreads and I think that’s a great idea!
This spread is SO bright, cheerful, and happy looking. It’s a perfect way to get a quick overview of your month, plans, ideas, and dates.
This style is a little different than a lot of the ones I’ve shared, but it’s practical and really cute! 😄
The fruits are really cute, and the layout of this habit tracker is easy to manage!
How to start bullet journaling today
Maybe you’ve been bullet journaling for years, have never tried it before, or are somewhere in the middle.
Either way, if you like to planners & enjoy art or designing things, then bullet journaling is something you might want to try out! I always thought that I was a terrible artist and couldn’t draw well, but I surprised myself when I just started trying.
Some people go all out and buy tons of supplies for bullet journaling: a bullet journal, pens, markers, stickers, washi tape, stencils, and so on. That can seem rather intimidating (and expensive!), but it’s actually quite simple to start out.
You just need a journal and something to write with. It’s really that easy. And, you can even print pages for free that have pre-designed habit trackers, weekly spreads, etc. that you can just glue/tape it into your bullet journal. It doesn’t have to be complicated.
Granted, not everybody has the time or desire to bullet journal, and that’s okay too. But, if you’re artistically minded and like organizing things, then give it a shot! I think you’ll find that you like it more than you expected!
What was your favorite spread that I shared? Do you bullet journal, or are you considering getting into it? AND, would you be interested in a future blog post where I share all of my personal favorite bullet journaling supplies & hacks? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
