Starting a Bullet Journal When You're Really, Really Lazy

I am a compulsive keeper of lists. I love lists. Let me tell you why:

1. They keep me organized.

2. They make me feel like I'm getting things done.

3. Sometimes they're pretty.

Pretty much my entire life, I've kept lists with a variety of complexity: to-do lists for Sunday chores, weekly homework planners, study schedules, meal plans, calendars — I even list out when my dog needs to take her heartworm preventative every month (it's the 7th, by the way).

So when I discovered that there was an entire journaling system devoted to list-making, I about lost my mind. I'm on my fourth full Bullet Journal at this point, and I love it. A bullet journal can be as pretty or as simple as you want it to be. You can take notes on the fly, doodle the same eyeball you've been doodling since sixth grade, or lay out your entire game plan for writing a book and starting a business in painstaking elegance complete with stenciled inspirational quotes.

There's a really great Buzzfeed article that details what the heck a Bullet Journal is, how to set it up, and what Amazon affiliate supplies you "need" to get started. I send it to pretty much anyone who asks me how to start a journal, and the article links out to a bunch of Insta-worthy spreads for anyone who needs inspiration. But if you're like me, all that can seem a little overwhelming at the outset.

My first BuJo (yes, I do call it that, and yes, I know I'm boujie) was unnecessarily complex. Every page had a color scheme, every layout was different, I charted everything from how much water I was drinking to how many words I'd written. In the two or so years since starting my first journal, I've narrowed down my system to be much simpler — and you can do it when you're feeling lazy.

First up — The Supplies.

From left to right: Peter Pauper Press Dot Matrix Notebook (A5 size / 5.5" x 8"). Staedtler multicolor "triplus fineliner" marker pens (0.3 mm) - long since missing dark blue, brown, and black. Micron 05 felt-tip pens in black and purple. 6" plastic ruler I bought for fifty cents at Michael's. Cheap stencils without a brand name that cost, like, a dollar for the set. Patterned stick-on labels/reminder cues.

When I first started bullet journaling, I thought I needed the whole nine yards — Washi tape, a pen for every color of the rainbow (and then some), a protractor, the trapped soul of Leonardo da Vinci and a 15th-century architect. But I quickly discovered that when I was writing on the fly, I really only used a few of my supplies. Today, my BuJo "kit" is only what can fit in the pocket of the journal itself (quick plug to Peter Pauper Press for putting a paper sleeve in the back of the book that can hold most of your BuJo goodies, concert ticket stubs, forgotten receipts, and business cards you promise you're going to add to an address book at some point).

Honestly, you don't even need multicolor pens, stencils, Washi tape, or post-it notes. If carrying an around an entire craft closet makes you happy, then by all means, do it. I included everything that I keep in my journal in this picture, but I really only use the three most critical components: the journal itself, a black 05-sized Micron pen, and my six-inch ruler.

I've used the same company and ISBN of journal for my last three BuJos, and Micron 05's have always been my favorite pens — hefty enough to draw in inky, beautiful lines, but fine-point enough for writing in my tiny handwriting. I almost always stick with black, but I have a purple 05 too that lives on my desk. I could write an entire Don't Get Me Started rant on the glories of a six-inch plastic ruler. It fits in the sleeve of my journal, it can be a bookmark or a pen holder, and most importantly, it makes my lines so clean, clean, clean. I may not be the most intense bullet journalist, but I am very particular about my pretty lines.

Next step — The Setup.

My early journals include a key and a title page right off the bat because I like to start with a clean grid for my first layout. The journal I use has a nice blank page right before the grids start, so I put my key there. (I also write my name and phone number on the inside cover, because I will be Very Sad™ if I lose my list book and don't get it back.) The title page is largely insignificant and mostly a doodle (my second book didn't have a title page that I decided on until like three months in, and my last book still just has a blank page there.)

I'm pretending the colorful pens are there because I'm going to color in my title page, but really they're just holding the damn thing open since the spine's too new to stay open on its own.

On the same page as my key, I add the number of dots in my grid for easy reference. This used to drive me crazy — having to count up how many dots were on each grid horizontally and vertically. If you're making any kind of spread that involves portioning out the page into equal sizes, having this information on hand will save you SO much time and frustration.

I used to also number every single one of my pages, because it's highly recommended to insert a table of contents in the "real" system, but that's a lot of work, and I never referenced them anyway, so I don't do it anymore.

And finally — The Simple Layout

I'm only going to share one of my usual layouts, because the others are proprietary. That's not true. I'm sharing this one because it's so useful that it's pretty much the only one I use. It's simple, it's effective, it takes two minutes to set up, and it's easy to move things from one layout to the next if you didn't knock something off your to-do list or have a long-standing reminder.

Observe:

Yes, I'm a Millennial, and yes, I had avocado toast for breakfast today.

The top section is the title area, or the time zone. For me, this usually says "The Week Of [Date X] to [Date Y]." If I'm feeling sassy about something, it'll come out in my time zone. (One of my recent favorites was "Phuck January"; another was "Don't Get Sick," right before I got diagnosed with pneumonia. I added a little "lol" to the page to make myself feel better three days later.)

On the left is the to-do list, and on the right, any events or important moments that are happening around that time period. (I usually title them "To Do" and "Happenings," respectively.)

From there, it's easy! All I do is add nice, clean lines separating the sections (thank you, six-inch plastic ruler!) and go about my day. As I get sh*t done, I cross things off my to-do list or make a note that I need to add them to the next one. Easy-peasy.

Other Spreads

My other spreads vary. Most of the time they're not true BuJo "spreads," but rather random note-jotting and doodling, that all directs back to my weekly to-do list or something I've set up for a specific project. I keep track of who paid for groceries, freelance work, and money reminders, each with a different "layout" that isn't really a conscious spread but just the best way I came up with to store information in that moment. I even keep a list of potential blog topics in my BuJo! If you're looking for inspiration, all you need to do is search "bullet journal" on Instagram, or "bullet journal spreads" literally anywhere else. You will find thousands of color-coded, gorgeous layouts that will inspire you to drink water, save the wetlands, whatever. My weekly spread, though? That'll keep you organized.

Happy journaling!