I’m always looking for something to scratch my creative itch, but I never have the time. I recently picked up bullet journaling to try and get my life together, while trying to make it cute at the same time. I fell in love with it. Bullet journaling can be intimidating, especially if you don’t know where to start. Here is the ultimate guide to bullet journaling for someone who has more than enough on their plate. 

Cover pages are optional, but I just really like to go all out on this page with a theme for the month, but it’s just according to how much time I have. Begin with a monthly spread. Count how many dots wide and tall you want your squares to be. My journal is 35 dots wide and 48 dots tall, so I try and make each day in the month 9 dots wide and 7 dots tall. This gives me just enough space to write important dates, such as birthdays and breaks; not to give specifics. The month spread is just supposed to give you an outline as to what the month will hold. Add little doodles that coordinate with the theme you have chosen. Pinterest is the best place to find inspiration.  

Next, there are weekly spreads. I divide the spread into Monday through Wednesday on the left and Thursday and Friday on the right with extra room at the bottom. I prefer to not put Saturday and Sunday, because the bulk of my work is on the weekdays, but the extra space can be used for these days. I like to keep it simple on these pages, so I just write the day and date. I add a couple doodles but this where the planning happens. On the left column I write important events like club meets or practices. On the right I write my homework and other small tasks. My biggest tip for this spread is to keep it simple because the page can get full and overwhelming. 

I like to do some pages about the newspaper to organize my thoughts, but this is where you get to be creative. These extra pages are for organizing whatever you want. Some ideas are a mood tracker, memories like notes and tickets, and a bucket list. Get creative and use different colors and make the headers a fun font. Pinterest is filled with ideas that you can put your own spin on. The best part about a bullet journal is how personalized you can make it. You can spend as much or as little time as you want to make it as detailed as you want.