If you’re into craft supplies and you’ve spent literally any time on Instagram or Pinterest, you’ve likely come across the trend of incredibly beautiful bullet journals. These meticulously planned-out organisers blend art and functionality to make it feel fun and creative to stay on top of your mood, schedule, routines and habits.

The good news is that with us, those gorgeous journals don’t just belong on your phone screen anymore. In this blog, we’ll cover bullet journaling, the benefits of keeping a daily journal, and how you can start building your own!

What is bullet journaling?

Bullet journaling is an effective method of personal organisation that was developed by the designer Ryder Carrol, and it’s also sometimes shortened to “BuJo.” This method consists of daily journaling that “organises scheduling, reminders, to-do lists, brainstorming, and other organisational tasks into a single notebook,” according to Wikipedia.

First shared with the public in 2013, this method has taken social media platforms by storm, not only because it works so well but also because it can be an incredibly creative practice that lends itself to satisfying content creation. Bullet journals are often created in notebooks that use a system of dots rather than traditional lines, which means more flexibility in choosing your formats.

At the core of bullet journalling is a set of “tools” that one needs to include in the process. These are: an index, rapid logging, logs and collections. The ‘index’ is like your table of contents at the front of your journal, indicating where all your information in the book is located, so you can find what you’re looking for immediately.

‘Rapid logging’ uses symbols – like dashes, asterisks and circles – to simplify and abbreviate your organisational info. You’ll generally track these symbols in a key at the front of your journal, and the info can be organised into tasks, events, notes, and other categories.

‘Logs’ or ‘spreads’ are to-do lists organised onto different time scales, such as daily, weekly, monthly and yearly formats.

‘Collections’ are the body of your bullet journal, and you can choose which ‘Collections’ you need. These can be things like habit trackers, to-do lists, fitness trackers, books to try, movies to watch, self-care visualisers, etc. These are a space in which you can really get unique and innovative!

Once you’ve integrated all these practical tools, your bullet journal can become a space for you to play creatively! You can work in drawing, collage, photographs, memory-making, creative writing and more. Creating a bullet journal is both meditative and motivating, and the more you make yours personalised and an enjoyable process for you to create, the more you’ll actively want to get organised!

The benefits of bullet journalling

1. It’s low-cost and easy to set up, especially when you start off with guides like this one, the hobby is entirely customisable to your budget and time availability – it’s your journal, after all!
2. It keeps everything in your life in one easily accessible place, so you never scramble for lost info.
3. It promotes organisation, which is especially useful if you can find yourself being a little scatterbrained sometimes.
4. It inspires you to be more productive.
5. It encourages you to make – and actually keep – valuable lists.
6. It makes tracking long-term goals feel much more achievable and realistic, as it helps you visualise the steps to get there.

How do I start bullet journaling?

There are tons of incredible bullet-journaling inspirations online. This Pinterest Board is a wonderful place to start if you want some aesthetic inspiration. We’ve also found this fantastic step-by-step tutorial on how to start your first bullet journal from Little Coffee Fox.

Next, you’ll need to gather your supplies. Head over to any PNA store and stock-up on everything you need to start your bullet journaling journey in 2023. From the actual journals themselves to writing implements, decorative tapes, fun stickers and exciting markers.

You can find your nearest PNA store using our store locator! The last step? Just go for it! Journals are deeply personal items, so there’s no wrong way to go about it. Here’s to a more organised, efficient 2023 with your brand-new journal and PNA stationery that makes it beautiful!