Bullet journals have really grown in popularity in the past couple of years, and whenever I looked at those amazing pictures on instagram and pintrest, I would get so intimidated. I have no artistic talent, and no creativity, plus I’m a perfectionist. So basically, the worst combination for a bullet journaler. I never let myself try it, because I was so afraid I would be bad at it.
Well, in December 2018, I decided to try it anyways. No one else would know, but me, so if I failed spectacularly, only I would witness it.
I’ve been bullet journaling for about six months now, so I’ve decided to share what I’ve learned, and my advice for beginners. And since this is a book blog, I’ve also included pictures of some of my bookish spreads!
This will be an overview of sorts, so if you want specific tutorials on how I did any of these spreads, let me know!
How to Get Started
1. Get Supplies
Everything I use for my journal, I got off Amazon. The journal itself is a Minimalism Art dotted journal (. If you’re just starting- dotted journals are the best for bullet journaling!
The pens I use are Pigma Micron fineliners. The variety pack with multiple thicknesses is super useful for beginners! I also use Pigma Brush pens for handlettering. As for markers, I got a pack of Crayola SuperTips and they are perfect! You really don’t need expensive markers if you’re looking to do spreads like mine.
2. Watch Tutorials & Look For Inspiration
When I first started, I learned everything I could about bullet journaling by watching youtube videos! I really recommend AmandaRachLee’s channel. That’s where I got most of my inspiration for a lot of my themes, and how I figured out what to buy.
3. Experiment
Bullet journaling is about having fun and expressing yourself! Don’t fret about making every line perfect. Just have fun, and do what you want. If you make mistakes, you can always fix it!
My Spreads
I really want to show how I’ve progressed, so these are all in chronological order.
This first slideshow includes all of my first spreads. I was just learning hand lettering, so they’re far from perfect. I also wasn’t sure if I wanted to use colors in my journal yet, so I kept it monochrome.
My most anticipated releases & reading challenges and TBR for 2019. Inspired by Katytastic on youtube 
A fun quote page plus my Favorite Reads! All books that are colored in are 2019 releases. As you can see, I left myself plenty of room to fill in during the year 
A Six of Crows quote page (the first quote page I ever did), plus my music page. 
My travel spread! This is 110% inspired my AmandaRachLee on youtube. 
My 2019 Reading challenge. As you can see, I have a lot I need to read… 
This is also inspired by Katytastic. 19 Goals for 2019 (as you can tell- still learning handlettering here), and my memories page!
As I started getting more comfortable, I started introducing color! I’m skipping over January, because that spread was boring with no theme or color, but I’ll show you February and March. I won’t show you all of the pages, otherwise we’d be here all day and they get a little repetitive, but here are some of my favorites.
I don’t show my calendar here, but in case you’re curious, it’s behind my reading log and TBR. Every month, I include a TBR, Monthly Reading Log, Habit Tracker, and Mood Tracker. I loved February’s mood tracker so much! 
This is my weekly planner. I always leave extra room to throw down any quotes that are stuck in my head that week. Also, in the actual planner side, I split it into two sections. One for events, and one to list things I’m grateful for. 
March is when I started doing a quote page at the start of the month. Here I have a Crown’s Game quote, and a Raven Boys quote. 
I also included quotes next to my habit tracker because I’m trash for book quotes. 
I decided to make a separate page for gratitude, and I really like how it looks on it’s own.
And now into more recent work! May and April are both two month’s I’m really proud of. I’m no longer afraid of color, and I’ve slowly discovered what I like and what I find useful.
April was Wicked Saints’s release month, so on addition to my purple cloud theme, I included some Wicked Saints quotes to celebrate! 
I really love this theme. The clouds were so easy to draw and the color isn’t overwhelming. It’s the perfect mix of muted and fun. 
I think I lied before. This is my favorite mood tracker. 
I learned I never use the notes section I set aside. Instead of letting that space go to waste, I put a Hadestown quote in there because that musical is amazing.
Fun fact: I originally wrote a “4” instead of a “5” for May. In marker. Luckily, I had some scrap paper from doing those fancy dutch doors so I was able to cover it up! 
Finally, you can see what my calendar looks like! I always include space to list my goals for the month, and upcoming book releases. 
I took these photos awhile ago, thats why my habit tracker is so empty. I swear I’m not that bad at keeping up with my habits! 
This mood tracker is fun, but my colors are a little too similar to each other. If you do something like this, definitely choose colors that are distinctly different shades! 
As you can tell, I’m still obsessed with Hadestown. Also, I needed a break from drawing boxes, so this theme was nice.
And now, onto some months that I haven’t finished. In case you want to see what a work in progress looks like:
As you can see, I’m no longer afraid of color. Also PRIDE MONTH IS ALMOST HERE!!! 
Another look at my calendar! I didn’t get a shot of the other side because thats nowhere near done. 
Okay I lied again this might be my favorite mood tracker. 
I’m not sure how I feel about this style of weekly planner. I have nowhere to put the dates and that really bothers me, 
July may be my favorite month. It took me way too long to do. 
I hate jellyfish but they’re so fun to draw. 
This mood tracker is fun, although I just hope it looks good when it’s finished. A lot of times I end up in the same mood for awhile, so it may not look as pretty as I hope.
Now, the actual planner part of bullet journaling is fun and all, but my real favorite part of it is quote pages. I’m obsessed with book quotes, and as you can tell, I always try to write down quotes that stick with me. If you’re as obsessed with quotes as I am, quote pages are a great way to get you excited about bullet journaling. Here’s two of my favorites:
And that’s my bullet journal journey so far. I’m excited to keep creating new spreads and finding new themes to try. Do you guys bullet journal? Are there any bookish quotes I’m missing in mine (I’m looking for any excuse to do another quote page)?
Let me know below, and if you have any questions about bullet journaling, ask away!
Cait Jacobs 
2 responses to “Bullet Journaling: A Bookworm’s Guide to Getting Started”
This is gorgeous!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much❤❤❤
LikeLiked by 1 person