10 Bullet Journal Hacks You’ll Want To Steal

Creating a beautiful bullet journal is not as easy as it looks.

I realized early on that creating an aesthetically pleasing journal takes a serious amount of creativity that honestly, didn’t come naturally to me. I’ve always preferred bullet journals over regular daily planners because with bullet journals you can create different sections for your memories, habits, logs, reminders, etc, etc.

You should probably know by now that I’m a research-o-holic and I spend way too much time on Pinterest. So after spending a couple of afternoons looking at how other people design their bullet journals, I decided to incorporate a couple of design elements and hacks into mine.

I have since seen a huge improvement in how pretty mine looks.

I feel like Martha Stewart’s long lost daughter. For reallll.

All jokes aside, having a good bullet journal will change your life. It’s helped me become 10x more productive and plus, it’s fun!

Here are ten awesome bullet journal hacks you can implement today in your journal.

Don’t have a journal yet? I got a pink journal from Amazon, and I’ve shared a link to it below. My absolute favorite pen to use is the Uni-Ball Gel Ink Pen because I can write/draw for hours without hurting my knuckles. I bought most of my bullet journal accessories off of Amazon because I couldn’t find anything cute at the local Staple’s store.

Do you want to start Bullet Journaling but don’t have a lot of money to start?

Bujo supplies shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, in fact, it’s a lot cheaper than you might think!

Check out my post BULLET JOURNAL ON A BUDGET: The Cheapest Bullet Journal Supplies On Amazon and start your Bullet Journal today!

There may be some affiliate links in this article which means I make a small commission if you purchase something after clicking one of the links. JoannaRahier.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and qualifying purchases made from links to amazon.com.   You can click here to read my Disclosure for more info

 

#1: Create a pocket by gluing an envelope to the back of the cover.

Glue an envelope to one of the covers so you can have a place to store pictures and keepsakes.

Pro tip: Use Washi tape if you want to add the letter to one of the pages. Using glue might damage a thin page and it might fall off after some time.

Seriously a great idea if you want to stash little mementos and pictures in your journal. I use my journal more for planning out my day/month so I use the envelope for things like bills and tickets.

 

 

#2: Color Code EVERYTHING!

Get yourself a pack of colorful highlighters or calligraphy pens! Hands down my favorite part of journaling is using colorful pens.

I’ll use them to highlight different tasks and reminders that I don’t want to forget about.

Pro Tip: Use WhiteOut to cover mistakes. No one is perfect! We all make mistakes when writing in ink. I use this White-out tape by Bic to make sure my entries look polished and clean

#3: Use Sticky Notes

Sticky notes are great for creating different sections on a page for memories or use it as a place to write reminders and have them really stick out from the rest of your writing. I use animal stickies & they’re sooooo cute 🙂

#4: Use washi tape to highlight different months & sections

I like to use Washi tape as a page marker to highlight different sections of the journal or on a specific page that I want to bookmark. Using washi tape has really taken my journal to the next level!

#5: Make bookmarks

It’s easy to create bookmarks for your journal. This Instagrammer cuts off two corners of a folded A-4 paper and tapes them together using washi tape. Pro-tip = A corner of an envelope can work also

#6: Create a section to track daily habits

In case you haven’t read any of my posts before this one, know that I’ve been on a serious self-improvement kick lately. By the way, if it’s your first time here, WELCOME! Make sure to say hi! You guys are awesome and I love meeting people that share the same interests with me.

My self-care regime involves hiking, working out, vitamins, water intake, nighttime and morning routines. Not to mention the things I have to do daily for my blog.

I pack on so many responsibilities that my to-do list can be stressful at times. Many micro-habits and routines are hard to remember so I find it useful to have a section in my journal just for habits.

Related Articles: 
20 Ways To Practice Self Care
9 Habits To Add To Your Morning Routine For A Great Day
70 Big Picture Questions To Ask Yourself In Case You’re Feeling Stuck

Having a habits section in my bullet journal holds me accountable for my goals. Accomplishing BIG goals (like getting nice abs, blogging, & work) usually requires a ton of micro tasks and the habit/task section is useful for tracking my progress so that I can accomplish goals on time.

#7: Make a fold-out key

Here’s a great bullet journal idea: create a key for some of your most commonly used symbols.

I created a fold out key by ripping out one of the pages but you can also tape a sticky note to the edge of a page. I use the key as a reference when I’m creating entries.

I have an extensive list of different symbols that I use while journaling so the key helps me stay organized and consistent.

#8: Create a section for goals

Create a special section for goals you can’t wait to achieve! Make sure to include notes of some of the things that you have already accomplished in life as a reminder that even though there’s still a lot of things you want to do in life, you’ve already come a long way.

Make sure to check out my post 70 journal prompts for self discovery. In it, I included all of the questions that I ask myself when I need to reflect on my current situation and make plans for the future.

#9: Create a dutch door

Creating a dutch door is simple and will look better once you finish writing out the page. Take one of the pages and cut a section out horizontally (or vertically, whatever floats your boat). This way, you can create a section in between your weekly schedule so you can have more space to write stuff that you couldn’t otherwise fit on two pages.

#10: Have Fun

Not exactly rocket science, or a hack of any kind :):) Perfectionism kills creativity. So just remember to keep things light and fun.

Bullet Journaling is something that you do for yourself, something that not only will make you more productive and organized but can also be a form of meditation or escape.

A journal doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be a place for you to come back to for clarity. In my case, a journal is a reminder that I got my shit together!

I hope you found this article useful! Let me know of any bullet journal hacks that I might’ve missed in the comment section below.

Do you want to start Bullet Journaling but don’t have a lot of money to start?

Bujo supplies shouldn’t cost an arm and a leg, in fact, it’s a lot cheaper than you might think!

Check out my post BULLET JOURNAL ON A BUDGET: The Cheapest Bullet Journal Supplies On Amazon and start your Bullet Journal today!

In no way do I claim ownership over any of the photos published in this article. My only intent to use/share images is to educate others and provide information that can be transformative to my readers. If you are the rightful owner of any of the pictures posted here, and you do not want it to be displayed or if you require a suitable credit, then please contact me and I will immediately do whatever is needed either for the image to be removed or provide credit where it is due.