The Art of Bullet Journalling
If you’ve been wanting more clarity, motivation, focus and growth in your life, then a bullet journal is a beautifully creative way to explore personal development. It’s where mindfulness, journalling and wellbeing meet.
I’ve been keeping sketch books since I was 8 and I’ve used every version of a planner and calendar, but for the past 5 years, I’ve integrated the bullet journal framework to help keep me organised and structured, giving me the freedom for creative expression.
Bullet journal beginnings
The bullet journal method was created by NY designer, Ryder Carroll,, to help overcome hurdles he faced when it came to focusing on tasks. This method offers a visual planning method you can implement immediately into your favourite blank notebook, sketchbook or journal.
Photo: Estee Janssens
It's a notebook system which integrates sketching, organising, planning, and list-making all in a structured way. All the things I love. I've kept all sizes and ranges of sketchbooks since I was a child, notebooks for work, calendars and diaries and I've always struggled to use them all effectively; to decide what should go into which notebook. The bullet journal brings my many worlds together into one creative place. And, you can start it any month of the year.
Photo: Estee Janssens
Notebook review
For at least a decade, I have been using the Moleskine A5 and A6 notebooks (with gridlines) as my notebook of choice, but the paper has always seemed a bit thin, especially when trying to use watercolours or colouring with a lot of ink. It tends to bleed through the pages, so I moved on to another brand; a Leuchtturn1917 Dotted A5 notebook. While I am now in love with the dotted pages, again, the paper feels too thin, especially when using markers or paints.
My latest notebook purchase is an Ottergami bullet journal dotted notebook. What’s great about this notebook is the thicker, 150gsm dotted pages and the stencils that come with it, making bullet journalling a breeze.
The pros:
Hardcover vegan notebook with cover designs that draw subtle inspiration from nature.
3 stencils included to perfectly plan out weeks and months
Thick 150gsm dotted grid paper with no bleeding, even with permanent pens!
An inner pocket, pen holder and 2 ribbon bookmarks
The cons:
The price. At £22.99 it’s a little on the pricey side, but it does include extra thick paper and stencils that can be used again.
Pens and highlighters
My pen of choice, for long over a decade, is the Uniball Fine rollerball in Black for everyday writing and sketching and the Uniball Micro in Black for sketching finer details. These both come in 3-packs. I use the fine point nib for everyday writing and doodles, but the micro point nib for finer details. I mainly sketch in black ink these days, but I do always carry my pencil case around filled with sharpies, gel pens, highlighters and glitter, if the need for colour arises. Uniball is also available in different colours, but I tend to use a wider array of coloured pens that take my fancy.
I've also been getting into these cool Kamoi paper sticky tapes. There are many different brands and great colours and textures. And they are great for quickly sticking things into the journal. And I couldn't resist the mini post-its to mark important pages that I need to refer back to quickly.
Creating my Goals page. Music by Royal Organ Duo
Why not try a Bullet Journal of your own and see how creative you can be? I love this method of journalling, sketching and planning and always include a good mind map or two inside.
Explore more…
If you don’t know what a mind map is, then read about Mind Maps: a visual thinking tool for setting goals (and achieving them!) to find out more!
Full disclosure: There are some affiliate links on this page, which means if you click on the links above and purchase items from Amazon, I’ll get a small commission.