When you first start to discover bullet journalling and you check out Pinterest and Instagram, it can seem really daunting. Beautiful illustrations, carefully ruled and thought-out spreads, intricate mood mandalas – all look intimidating and time-consuming when what you really want is to be more productive and have more free time, not lots of extra swirly headings to add to your to do list.

The basic principle behind the bullet journal is that it’s your own book, everything goes into it, and it’s set up in a way that works for you, unlike a printed planner or diary. So the short answer is that it doesn’t matter how pretty it is or isn’t as long as you’re making the set up work for you. I found an old bullet journal of mine from when I first started – and full disclosure, I like to decorate mine – and was surprised how plain it was. But actually, the basic system and the way I use it hasn’t changed very much over the last eighteen months. I’ve just got way nicer pens now!

The best thing you can do in my view is just start. Make mistakes, accept it won’t be perfect (I have so many mistakes hidden under stickers in my journal!) and start to learn the system and make it work for you. This video from Ryder Carroll is a great place to start. 

Let me know how it goes – and thanks for reading,

PP