Journaling has a lot of benefits, like reducing stress and keeping you organized. There are all sorts of ways to journal, including a calendar diary, a blank book, or daily writing prompts. One method that’s become incredibly popular in recent years is bullet journaling. Learn more about this system, and get lots of creative bullet journal ideas to try.

What is a bullet journal?

A bullet journal is a book with pages full of faint dots in a grid pattern. It’s similar to a blank book in that you can turn any page into anything you like. But the grid of dots helps many people feel a little more organized and inspired. You can connect the dots to make calendars, tracking grids, and much more. Or you can ignore them and just doodle or create a work of art on each page.

Most people who use bullet journals enjoy the creativity involved. Many of them use stickers, templates, markers, and other stationery supplies to make their journals colorful works of art. But you don’t necessarily need to use a bullet journal that way. This system is so versatile that it can really work for anyone.

You can find lots of bullet journal inspiration by searching sites like Instagram. Tip: Try using the hashtag #bujo in addition to #bulletjournal when you search. This nickname is very common in the bullet-journaling community.

How To Choose a Bullet Journal

There are lots of bullet journals to choose from out there. (You might also see them called dotted grid notebooks, dotted journals, or something similar.) Make sure you choose one that lies flat when it’s open so you can easily write on the entire page. Also look for heavy-duty paper, since a lot of the fun of bullet journaling involves markers and colored pens that can bleed through thinner pages. Pick a size that makes sense for you: Do you want large pages with tons of room or something smaller that you can tuck into your bag or pocket?

Once you’ve chosen the right journal, now it’s up to you to fill it with pages that fit your needs and personality. Take a look at these ideas to get started.

Bullet Journal Habit Tracker Ideas

Habit trackers are some of the most popular bullet journal page ideas. In their simplest form, they’re just a grid of squares you can fill in as you accomplish your habit goal each day. But many people use the open-ended nature of the pages to make truly creative trackers, such as the petals of a flower or the rays of a sun. Here are some of the most common tracker pages found in bullet journals.

Habit Tracker

Combine all your habit trackers into one simple page, where you can simply mark whether you met your goals for each day.

Study Tracker

This tracker helps kids keep track of how long they spend in focused study. They can break it down by subject, or combine the time together into one tracker.

Mood Tracker

Here’s another creative type of tracking page, this one for moods. People often use colors to track their moods, but you might also select stickers, emojis, or another design.

Exercise Tracker

Keep track of your daily exercise with a simple tracker page. If you like to mix up your routines, use different colors to indicate the various types of exercise you complete.

Sleep Tracker

Tracking the amount, timing, and quality of your sleep can help you see how it connects to your overall health. If you have a fitness tracker, you can even note the amount of time you spend in deep sleep, REM sleep, etc.

Reading Tracker

If you’re trying to read a little more, create a tracking page in your journal. It’s also a good place to record books you’re planning to read in the future.

Self-Care Tracker

In addition to tracking exercise or hydration, keep track of other important self-care activities, like meditation, personal time, creative activities, or affirmations.

Anxiety Tracker

Need to tame the anxiety monster? Try tracking your anxiety level each day so you can identify patterns and make connections.

Expense Tracker

Trying to get a better handle on your finances? Use an expense tracker so you’ll have a clearer picture of where all that cash is really going each month.

Hydration Tracker

Most of us never seem to drink enough water, no matter how hard we try. A hydration tracker might give you the nudge you need to meet hydration goals.

Distance Tracker

Prepping for a 10K or a marathon, or just want to encourage yourself to run or walk more? A distance tracker is a fun way to keep yourself on the right path.

Fitness Tracker

Lay out your favorite exercise routines, then track how often you complete them. This is a good way to see if you need to balance out certain fitness routines, like cardio and strength training.

Goal Tracker

Tracking your progress toward goals can keep you motivated and engaged. Set up your tracker by day, week, or month, or simply track the progress you’ve made toward achieving each goal.

Creative Bullet Journal Page Ideas

One of the most fun parts of bullet journaling is the creativity! Whether you draw and illustrate your own pages or add stickers and use stencils instead, the goal is to create a fun, colorful journal that truly reflects your personality.

Monthly Theme

Lots of bullet journalers like to create a title page for each new month, often with a theme they’ll use all month long. These colorful pages can help set the mood for the weeks to come.

Art Page

Love to draw, sketch, or paint? Fill your journal with your own beautiful works of art!

About Me

It can be really fun to create an About Me page every so often (maybe once a year or so), so you can track your own personal growth and achievements.

Quote Page

You can use this page to document and illustrate one favorite quote, or create a whole collection you can reflect back on as needed.

Book Review

Whether you belong to a book club and want to organize your thoughts or simply love to write reviews for your own enjoyment, these bullet journal pages are always fun and relaxing.

Bullet Journal Planning and Organization Ideas

Calendar

Calendar pages are one of the most basic and common bullet journal pages. Use a ruler or straight-edge to connect the dots into a grid, making the blocks any size you like. Then you can decorate the calendar pages with drawings, stickers, and more.

Task List

There are lots of creative ways to set up a task list. Some people connect the dots to make tiny checkboxes. You can also make a single slash mark for each item, then add a second to create an X when you’ve finished the task.

Budget

A budget layout is a very personal thing, so choose the style that works best for you. All that matters is that you stick to that budget!

Schedule

Schedule pages can be very simple, or they can be more artsy and colorful. Experiment with both styles, and see which you prefer.

Goal Setting

Goal pages are another very common bullet journal feature. Some people prefer to keep them simple so they’re not overwhelming. Others use their goal page for inspiration, making them creative and full of color and life.

Notes

This is a no-rules kind of bullet journal page, where you can jot down anything you need in any way you like. Small sticky notes and highlighters can help you keep thoughts clear and organized.

Year-at-a-Glance

Get a look at the big picture with a year-at-a-glance layout. Sketch out each month with an overview of the highlights. Try color-coding different activities and events to make it easier to read and follow.

Project Planner

Planning a project in advance is good, and keeping your plan in your bullet journal means you’re less likely to lose it before you implement it!

Meal Planner

Create a list of your family’s favorite standard meals. Then, draw from those ideas and set up a meal plan for the week or month.

Chore Chart

These aren’t just for kids! Create a detailed cleaning schedule to help yourself remember all those pesky household chores.

Yearly Bookshelf

How cool is this idea for tracking the books you read each year? And it’s really not that hard to draw if you use the dots and a straight-edge as a guide.

Gift Planner

Get ready for the holidays or plan out your gift-giving needs for the year ahead with this bullet journal idea.

Trip Planner

As you prepare to travel, create lists of places to go, things to do, and other details that will help make your trip a success.

Packing List

Speaking of travel, a packing list page is another bullet journal winner. Keep a standard packing list you can alter as needed for each trip—it’s a real time-saver.

Lesson Planner

Teachers, have you tried using a bullet journal as a lesson planner? You might be surprised at how well the flexibility works for you!

Mindfulness Bullet Journal Ideas

Bullet journaling is all about mindfulness, with its combination of structures and unstructured pages and activities. Consider these ideas to bring a dose of calm meditation to your journal experience.

Daily Gratitude

Bullet journaling is meant to be a mindfulness activity, so be sure to include a page each month for documenting all the things you’re currently thankful for.

Mind Map

Mind mapping lets you get ideas out of your head and down onto paper, in a somewhat organized fashion. You can refer back to these pages as you set goals and create task lists.

Personal Reflection

Take a few minutes to think about your recent life activities and events, and to consider your current state of mind. This kind of mindfulness is very helpful at reducing stress.

Daily Journal

If you like to keep track of what you’ve been up to on a daily basis, a bullet journal is a terrific option for that. Many people like to add drawings, stickers, and other creative elements to these pages too.

Playlist

Capture the music of the moment with a playlist page! These are fun to look back on when the year draws to a close, helping you see the soundtrack that’s been scoring your life.

Daily Overview

Many people like to create a separate page in their journal each day to document what they need to do and what they actually accomplish. Spending a few minutes on this exercise each day is a form of mindful meditation and can be very soothing.

One Line a Day

If a full journal entry seems like too much, try this easy page. All you need to do is write one sentence each day, capturing the mood and most important moments of the day.

Bucket List

Dream big on your bucket list! Some people like to make them for a season, a year, or even a month. Or create an ongoing bucket list with goals for your entire life.

Affirmations

When you need daily inspiration, turn to your affirmation page and remind yourself just how great you really are.

Daily Delights

Each day has a highlight, so take a moment to jot it down before you go to sleep.

Monthly Challenge

Choose an activity that brings you joy, and devote a little time to it each day, documenting your progress in your journal. This is less about establishing habits and more about choosing something new and enjoyable each month. Try an art challenge, a writing challenge, a photo challenge, or something else that sparks your creativity.

Travel Wish List

Use your journal pages to document all your travel dreams! You’ll appreciate having these pages when it’s time to plan your next vacation.

Travel Diary

Bullet journals are wonderful travel diaries. You can add photos, sketches, and travel mementos alongside your written reflections on your adventures.

Month in Review

When the month draws to a close, create a spread where you reflect on the highlights and accomplishments before you move on to the next one.

Recipe Page

Turn a bullet journal into a cookbook, or just capture a favorite recipe every so often. Be sure to include your own notes on making the recipe a success.

Recipe Collection

A collection of favorite recipes will make it much easier to plan meals or prepare special foods for celebrations (or just for Mondays).

Class Notes

Bullet journals can be a terrific place to take class notes to help you study later on. (Check out Helpful Note-Taking Strategies here.)

Birthday List

Remember all those VIBs (Very Important Birthdays) with a bullet journal page. (If you’re artistic, try adding a sketch of each person next to their birth date!)

Brain Dump

Sometimes it’s nice to just have a place to jot down notes, worries, and anything else that’s taking up space in your brain. Later on, you can look back over this “dump” and use it to make more organized lists or charts.

Do you use bullet journals with your students or for yourself? Come share your bullet journal ideas in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, Simple Ways To Incorporate Social-Emotional Learning Throughout the Day.