As we get older, we should remember that it is never too late to start a new hobby for the new year. Perhaps, you want to try some arts and crafts, or some interior decorating.
Or if you’re feeling a little adventurous, you may want to feel the need to explore more around your community. But with all of those goals in mind, why not write them down using one strategy – bullet journaling?
The Bullet Journal Method by Ryder Carroll took the world by storm as a way of personal organization. It has evolved in many ways to also be a creative outlet for people.
Sure, bullet journaling may sound like writing a diary, but it’s more than just that. It’s a place for you to explore your talents and interests, to plan for your goals in the next decade, and to track your progress.
You can decorate the pages anyway that you want, and by doing so, you’ll often experiment with new designs, mediums, and ideas. It’s your mini personal portfolio – for you to hold on to.
One of the most important things to remember is that your bullet journal is for you! Use it in a way that makes you feel good and organized. Whether thats using black ink or colorful ink, washi tape or stickers, hand lettering, stencils, or keeping it minimal. You might journal every day, once a week or a few times a month. You can be a bullet journal minimalist or a maximalist. It’s truly up to you.
More blog posts on bullet journaling:
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70 Minimalist Bullet Journal Spreads: Ideas To Inspire
But how can I get started? You may ask. Well again, a bullet journal is a place where you can express yourself and your emotions.
In this blog post, we’re going to cover minimalist bullet journal spread ideas. But if you want a very versatile bullet journal, you may want to try out the following ideas organized by the sections below.
An easy way to get started is to take a minimalist approach to your BuJo experience. The best way to get started is to loosely plan what spreads you’re interested in. In this post, we will be going into minimalist bullet journal layouts to get you inspired.
They’re further broken down in to ideas for those sections which can be turned into spreads for minimalist pages.
Introduction Section:
A simple way to begin organizing your bullet journal is by sections. It may be easier to navigate if you are looking to try out a certain activity. When you’re doing your bullet journal setup, in the first couple of pages, you can save a section for:
1. Title Page
On this page, you can create a logo for your own bullet journal. This section will set the theme for the rest of the journal.
2. Personal Statements
You can then begin to define yourself in this section, by stating your hobbies, interests, and MBTI-personality type (only if you want to). A personal statement can look a variety of ways – don’t feel limited!
3. Table of Contents
We should never forget our friend, the Table of Contents, as it will help us organize our journals into specific sections and keep your bujo spread organized.
4. A Self-Portrait
Want to exercise some of those art skills? Perhaps you may want to draw a self-portrait in the introductory section. It does not need to be perfectly sketched; you can draw yourself as an anime or cartoon character, or experiment with different types of styles – including stick people.
Activity Section:
You can then add an activity section stating which hobbies you want to try out. There are plenty of ways to go about this. However, some sub-sections you can add are:
5. Mind Map for Activities
Create a mind map to brainstorm some new activities you may have heard on social media or from friends. Do you want to try tobogganing? Camping? Or perhaps making bracelets?
You could also do a brain dump to help you figure out your important tasks for the coming weeks.
6. Your Favorite Habits
Little habits along the day get us by and make us happy for what we do. What are some of those habits that you like? And what are some habits which you feel empowered by? Remember to jot these down.
A habit tracker can be done in variety of ways and incorporated into a monthly spread or a daily spread.
7. Wish List
Are there any activities that you wish to try out for the future? You can definitely write this down in the wish board section. Depending on your preference, you can either arrange it like a collage with images from different parts of the internet, or brainstorm and jot down some ideas.
This is a simple spread where you can keep one list or multiple of things you’d like to do, to buy or to accomplish in the future.
8. Sports to Try
There are plenty of sports out there to try, and they don’t always need to be basketball, volleyball, or soccer. Jot down the ones you are intrigued in.
9. Gym and Fitness Goals and Ideas
Are you a fan of the gym? If so, why not write down some of the goals you wish to achieve daily, monthly, and yearly? There are plenty of fitness activities you can do on your own time, and you can record them as well.
School/Academics Section:
If you’re in school or considering going back to school, you can take notes and synthesize them in your bullet journal, regardless of the program you study. For example, you can divide them by:
10. Scientific diagrams
If you’re in a science-related program, you can create your own diagrams from the notes that you gathered in school.
11. School exams
Keep yourself organized by making a list of all your exam dates and study plans.
12. Academic goals
Do you want a 4.0 GPA this semester? You can definitely achieve it! Just write it down and add some small steps which will help you achieve the 4.0. This may include seeing your professor often, and reviewing feedback from your assignments.
13. Assignment Due Date Page
When there is so much due in one week, you can easily organize and prioritize which assignments to do first: You can structure this page like a calendar.
14. Information about the course and Professors
You can save a page or two just to write down the professor’s contact information, in order to get in touch with them quickly.
Expenses Section:
Budgeting is an art and a science, as it requires a lot of skill and planning. However, you can use the bullet journal to plan some of your expenses. Here are some of the sub-categories which you may add:
15. Bills
Remember to log them in as they can easily pile up. Don’t forget your utilities, car payments, credit card statements, etc.
16. Tracking Savings
Check mark your monthly savings just in case of emergency situations, and make sure you cross-reference this with your paychecks and expenses.
You could even separate this into savings areas for different things in different aspects of your life. Use a simple layout so you can easily repeat it and don’t have to spend much time recreating it.
17. Track Future Expenses (Future Log)
Try to pinpoint what you’ll have to buy in future months in order to save up efficiently. Although it is hard to predict, it may give you an idea on deciding to skip the morning coffee from Starbucks.
18. Tuition Loans
If you’re in school, or just recently graduated, you can also use this section to keep track of your loans and your repayment sessions.
Chores/To Do Section:
Perhaps, the chores section is the section that most of us dislike to do. It’s tedious, takes up a lot of time, and is hard to organize in our day-to-day lives. But if we add these to our bullet journal, we can easily create our own action plan to finish chores in an efficient manner. You can include:
19. Your Appointments (weekly, daily, or monthly)
Organizing your appointments by day can allow you to keep track of what’s coming easily. As a result, you’ll be able to prepare before the appointment efficiently.
20. Plan Chores
Perhaps you want to clean on Saturdays, and do laundry on Fridays. Well, whatever it is, it is always best to work out a plan that aligns with your daily schedule.
Art Section:
If you’re artsy and love to create, this section is for you. Here, you can draw as much as you want and try to experiment with different mediums and styles. You can also try out different drawing challenges as well. Some ideas include:
21. Daily Doodle
This is especially a good exercise for beginner artists because not only does your journal look customized, but you get to pick up new skills and techniques.
22. Draw Your Aspirations
Another way to achieve your goals is to envision the person you want to be. Try to draw that person out and it becomes much clearer, which allows you to be able to identify your goals much easily.
23. Watercolor and Wanderlust
You can definitely add some watercolor paintings in your bullet journals, especially if you want to draw landscapes. You can use your imagination and you may brainstorm a unique place, only known to you.
23. Polaroid Photos
No one can get enough of polaroids, especially if you record them in your personal journal as well. Hint hint: You can also write those notes at the bottom with a sharpie.
Another tip: A great way to add a personal touch to minimalist spreads is to use washi tape to add a touch of personality.
24. Interior Design Ideas
Want a makeover? Why not gather some ideas and draw some of them down?
25. Calligraphy
Want to practice your typography? You never know – you can use your calligraphy skills in other sections of the journal as well.
26. Photos of Important Memories
We should never forget photography in the art section. If there are some places that you have liked within your neighborhood, you should definitely include them!
27. Comic Panels
If you have more room in your notebook, you can also create your own characters and draw a mini comic. Perhaps you want to talk about an event that happened in real life, and portray it in a comic version, hint hint.
28. Emotion Tracker
You can draw some posters that portray your emotions and how you feel, whether that would be stressed or anxious. This will add diversity to your journal.
You could also do a mood tracker or sleep tracker.
29. Craft Ideas
Are you a fan of crafts? A journal is also the perfect place to brainstorm some ideas which you may want to try in the near future. You can search them up on Google and jot it down.
30. Pictures From Favorite Movies
Are you a movie buff? Why not personalize your journal with some quotes and scenes from your favorite movies?
Goals Section:
This is the section that most people use bullet journals for. There are plenty of ways this section can be arranged, but however, you can add some of these sub-categories:
31. Work Goals
Want a promotion or a new role? Want to learn a new skill? Jot down your ideas and work towards them!
32. Volunteer Goals
Do you have spare time? If so, why not volunteer? It may be a great way of giving back to the community and making connections. If you want to sign up with an organization, you can use this section to brainstorm your values, goals, and knowledge that you want to achieve.
33. Career Map
This is especially beneficial for students, as you can brainstorm the person you want to be in a career perspective.
34. Progress of Goals
This section will allow you to track your progress towards your achievements and see what you need to improve on. As a result, you’ll feel more empowered and on the right track.
35. Last Month Review
This section can be a shorter version of the progress section, as you can analyze your actions from the previous months and see what you need to improve on.
36. The ‘Goodbye’ List
Growing also means getting rid of habits as well, and if you can easily state which habits you want to get rid of, you can find some of the weaknesses that you have to work on. As a result, you can keep track of your goals easily.
Beauty/Fashion/Skincare Section:
Sure, this can be included in the ‘art’ section or it can be separated as there are a variety of topics to include under beauty/fashion. It may be hard to put together an outfit, but to make it easier, you can write down your ideas beforehand! Therefore, you’ll be able to piece together clothing in no time!
37. Fashion Mood-board
Perhaps you want to switch up your style, and you can do this easily by adding a mood-board to your journal. Whenever you find that you are out of inspiration, you can always refer to this page.
38. Makeup Products to Try
There are plenty of cosmetic brands out there, and in order to not get caught with the amount of advertisements, you can prioritize the products you want to try in your bullet journal. You can either draw them out, or print out some pictures and make a mini collage.
39. Skincare Products
Since there are so many products on the market, it’s definitely hard to keep up with the ones you have tried. In fact, you may not even remember the results from a couple of months ago. However, you can always record the products you have tried with a picture, and write what you feel about them. This will allow you to be mindful of future purchases.
40. Skincare Routine
Skincare routines are complicated, so if you can brainstorm a plan and stick to it, your journal may be useful for that.
Empowerment Section:
With so much negativity in the world, it is easy to get lost in the events that are going wrong, instead of right. The empowerment section is the perfect place for you to feel more mentally balanced and confident in terms of completing day-to-day tasks. Here, you can include topics such as:
41. Daily Affirmations
This should include some quotes that will help you get by through unexpected challenges.
42. Everyday Facts
If you feel like you’re stuck, remember to keep on recording the new concepts and ideas that you learn everyday. You may learn this through work, or through friends. But whatever you learn, it will help you grow as a person.
43. Self-Description
Your perspective is constantly changing depending on the events you face, and as a result, you will realize how much you grow once you record your thoughts.
44. Gratitude List
It’s easy to forget about the ones who care about you in a world filled with social media and negativity. But by being thankful, you can constantly remember them and remind them that you do have a good support system.
45. Values List
This is a creative exercise where you may learn how to reflect on yourself, and your values.
46. Happiness list
Write down things that make you happy – no matter how big or small they might be. Whenever you are sad, you can go to this page and try to think about the happy things that life has to offer.
47. Work Hours
Ever since we started working from home, it has been more difficult to keep a work-life balance. However, you can log your work hours in a bullet journal with a schedule format.
Start by dividing the page into a chart, with four columns titled “Started Work,” “Started Break,” “Finished Break,” and “Finished Work.” As a result, you can calculate these hours, and even better, this method works for side gigs too.
48. Screen Time
Sometimes, we need a technology detox and a bullet journal is the perfect place to make us realize that. Similar to the work hours format, you can also log your daily screen time and see if you can minimize your screen time weekly.
You could also keep track of your screen time along with a mood tracker to see how it affects your mental health.
49. Exercise Time and Activities
If you love exercising but you feel a lack of organization in routine, you can create a schedule in your bullet journal. You can write down the days you do yoga, go for a bike ride, or go to the gym. If you keep a balance between indoor and outdoor activities, you may see a difference in mindfulness and organization.
50. Morning Routine
Since some of us are so on the go, we tend to rush and think less about our morning routine. However, you can use your morning routine as a form of self-care by trying out different activities in various orders. Your bullet journal is the right place to record these experimentations.
51. Nighttime Routine
The nightly routine is essentially another form of a self-care routine. You can perhaps make a schedule on when to shower, and on activities to do during the night before bedtime.
Media/Current Events/Entertainment Section:
In order to easily keep up with current events, you can dedicate a section about the media and the news. You can include:
52. Newspaper Snippets
You can create a collage from snippets of your favorite articles which ignited a passion or interest in you towards a particular issue. This is especially suitable for college journalists, as they can obtain some ideas for future articles.
53. Books to Read
You can also start to read some more books in your free time, and be able to identify different issues and themes. You’ll also learn more as a result.
54. Shows to Watch
New shows are airing every season, so you can definitely check some of them out and add them to the bucket list in the bullet journal.
55. Movie Characters
Who doesn’t have a favorite movie character? Write down the ones you love and why you admire them.
56. Monthly Current Events
You can keep track of the current events that have affected you on this page, and structure them in a calendar.
Travel Section:
Due to the pandemic, many countries have issued travel restrictions. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t dream about visiting new places and experiencing new cultures. In this section, you can ignite your imagination by adding:
57. Travel bucket list
Even if you can’t travel right now, it’s fun to dream up the next adventure and write down a travel bucket list.
58. Transit/Metro Tickets
This is a good collection for nostalgia.
59. Travel Map
You can draw or print one that you can shade it with dream destinations or places you’ve traveled to already.
60. A collage of Old Amusement Park Tickets
To remember what it felt like to be a kid!
61. Souvenir Ideas
If you like to collect postcards or send them, you can keep them here.
Food Section:
There are so many new restaurants and places to try, and so many recipes to cook in the future. If you’re stuck on some ideas, you can definitely research and make a note of them in your bullet journal. As a result, you can always refer to your handy journal for a new recipe or place. You can include:
62. Favorite Beverage Recipes
From cocktails to mocktails to punch, it’s always handy to know a few favorites.
63. Meal Planner
A calendar to mark which dates you will cook the meals for the week, and which meals you will try out.
64. Coffee Shops
Support your neighborhood by exploring your local coffee shops.
65. Beverages to Try
Perhaps you may want to give bubble tea a try, and you can always add that to your bucket list.
66. Favorite Cuisines
Either a list of dishes you like, or recipes, or restaurants that have the best menu!
67. Restaurants to Try
If you live in an urban area, there are plenty of places to try. After researching some of these, you can definitely add them to your food bucket list and who knows, you may discover a new cuisine.
Friendship Section:
Most importantly, we can never forget about the friends who supported us throughout our journeys. As a result, we should dedicate a section for them to plan for their parties and get-togethers in the future. Some ideas are:
68. Birthday List and Dates
You can use this to prepare gifts and activities beforehand. You’ll also be able to remember every friend’s birthday precisely and impress them.
69. Gift Ideas
Never get stuck during a holiday season! This is a great idea so you have a list to refer back to when the time comes!
70. Costume Ideas
This will be especially useful for halloween, as you may want to coordinate your costumes.
71. Pet Ideas
You can also include the pet food that you want to buy or other treats as well! You can also include the schedule to walk your dog or feed your cat.
In Summary
All in all, bullet journals are a great asset in terms of planning out your goals and organizing tasks in your day-to-day life. You can customize it however you want to, and use some of the ideas listed in the section above. You can write daily to do lists or keep it as a monthly log. The great thing about bullet journaling is that there is no wrong way to do it.
Perhaps, some categories take up more entries than the others because at the end, it all depends on your interests and hobbies. Although bullet journaling may seem challenging at first, it is just as simple as going to your local dollar store, grabbing some sharpies and pens, and coloring away. It’s all personal preference!
List of bullet journal supplies:
The best thing about this is that it’s your own bullet journal and you can set it up however you’d like! Here are some supplies we recommend (affiliate links):
About the Author
Candice is currently attending school for social service work. One of her passions is helping others through my writing. In her downtime, you’ll find her listening to music, watching random YouTube videos, and writing about career goals and resumes. She hopes to start freelancing for writing and obtain a leadership position in a public services sector.
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