Whether you discovered bullet journaling recently and give it a try in 2020, or you already have a bullet journal, you might need some expert tips on how to bullet journal.
For weeks, I was trying to create more spare time for myself. So I could start working on my first round-up post. Hopefully, I managed to do it at the end of 2019.
I went to the authors of the top bullet journaling blogs of this year.
I’ve asked them all the same question:
What is your number one tip for people who will use a bullet journal in 2020?
Planning and journaling are two amazing things. They have countless benefits, but they also take too much time. Especially right before and after New Year’s Eve.
Hopefully, all the top authors of the bujo world were kind enough to create time to help me with this round-up post during their busy schedule. Most of them were able to contribute to this post by answering the above question.
Here you can see their journaling tips to get the best from your bullet journal in 2020.
Shelby Abrahamsen
Shelby is from Illinois. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She has an amazing blog called Little Coffee Fox where she shares guides, resources, tips about bullet journaling, productivity, and planning in general.
With so many beautiful bullet journals floating around on social media, it is so easy to focus on making your bullet journal perfect before you actually put it into use.
If you are using your bullet journal as a creative outlet, as well as a planning system like I am, then you should absolutely take the time to make your journal look the way you want it, but don’t get too wrapped up in getting it just right.
Done is always better than perfect.
Jenniffer Viracacha
Jenniffer is the creative blogger & digital artist of Life is Messy and Brilliant for 3 years. Her blog is a great source for digital planner tutorials, journaling inspiration, and journaling freebies.
My number one tip is to not be afraid to make mistakes on a brand new bullet journal.
Making mistakes on a blank page is the only way you are going to learn how to create and create beautiful layouts.
Kim Alvarez
Kim has one of the best bullet journaling blogs.
Her blog and especially her Free Bullet Journal Reference Guide is helping people who want to know how to bullet journal a great deal for many years.
My number one tip for those who will use a Bullet Journal in 2020 is to use your Bullet Journal the way that you need to, whatever that means for you.
You don’t have to do what you see others doing online. You can start out simply and add or subtract however you need to. If something doesn’t work, reflect on why that was and simply turn the page.
Remember that this is for you to get the most use out of for YOUR life. Enjoy your Bullet Journal journey, one day at a time. :)
Cindy Thompson
Cindy Thompson is a life-long over-planner from Portland, OR.
Her blog Plan Another Day is one of the best sources of planning and bullet journaling ideas, layouts, walkthroughs and journaling guides.
Even if I(Mete) was not interested in journaling or planning at all, I would most probably still visit her blog and her Instagram for her glamorous works daily.
Let your bullet journal work for you!
It is so easy to take up bullet journaling thinking it has to look a certain way or has to be filled in every day. But there is no right way to bullet journal!
When needs change, how you use your bullet journal should change as well. Sometimes this means needing a new page every day. Sometimes you need a break from journaling altogether. Certain weeks you can fully decorate every page. Others you may need to strip things down to basics. However, you choose to journal, make sure the system works for you.
It can be very tempting to stick to something because it looks good or gets a positive response on Instagram. But if you are not benefiting (logistically, creatively, emotionally) from the work you put into your journal, then you are missing the point of this amazing system.
I think the goal for 2020 should be to meet your own needs first and worry less about how your bullet journal is received by others.
Susan
No round-up post about planning and being organized is complete without Organized31!
Susan from Organized31 is a professional organizer who is helping people to find organizing tips, crafting tips, repurposing and parenting advice for more than 7 years.
Some people feel intimidated by the elaborately and artistically decorated bullet journal spreads that you see on Pinterest. Other people feel limited by the starkness of a minimalist bullet journal. The beauty of a bullet journal is that you can design and use your bullet journal any way that you want.
Embrace the flexibility and power of the bullet journal – create and use it so it works best for you. Don’t feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing.
If you’re artistic and want to decorate your bullet journal – do it! If you are more of an I-just-need-the-basics person, then don’t stress over embellishing it. And if your happy place is somewhere in between, then a bullet journal is perfect for you, too. Create and use your bullet journal so that it’s perfect for you, inspires you and keeps you on tasks and productive.
Elizabeth Ghekiere
Elizabeth is a full-time graduate student studying clinical mental health counseling, and she is the creator and writer of the ElizabethJournals(Formerly called Jihi Elephant).
She shares organizational tips, creative bullet journaling guides, and important advice for a positive lifestyle.
You can read the interesting history of her blog here.
My top tip for bullet journal beginners is to take it slow. It is easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of bullet journaling and the community without stopping to acknowledge change and time.
It’s a frequent mistake to go all-in at the beginning–adding every tracker, doing full art, and creating the whole year in one go. However, as time goes on, people and their schedules change.
If you’ve already created the whole notebook, you haven’t allowed yourself time to change and adjust. I recommend doing one month at a time.
Additionally, if you use every layout possible, you are likely to become overwhelmed and give up. Start with one or two trackers for a month or two. Then, if you’ve benefited, keep it and try more. But, if you haven’t used the tracker much, remove it and try something more beneficial next month.
Bullet journaling is a game of trial and error sometimes and that is okay!
Rose
Rose’s bullet journaling blog quickly became one of the most loved bujo blogs.
She helps thousands of people to get started with their own journals.
Join Little Miss Rose for bullet journaling freebies, inspiration, how-tos, tips, tricks, and recommendations to make your bullet journal work for you.
My number one tip is to keep it simple! If you’re new to bullet journaling it can feel overwhelming when knowing where to start and what to include.
My best advice is to stick to the core spreads and collections that form the original bullet journal system. These are the future log, index, key, monthly log, dailies and/or weekly logs. Add the extra collections that you see online later, when you’re comfortable with the system.
If you’re not new to using a bullet journal, then I still recommend keeping it simple. I’ve discovered that adding too much and trying too hard to keep your journal beautiful makes it so much harder to maintain and it starts becoming a task in itself.
Remember that your journal should be for you, it should be useful, and it should be fun!
Joanne Mellor
Oops a Daisy was created by Jo as a result of a lifetime obsession for beautiful stationery. After a while, she discovered bullet journaling.
She is a professional organizer who shares her advice and adventures on her blog.
Her beautiful blog has an entire section dedicated to step-by-step how to bullet journal guides.
For those who are new to journaling, my biggest tip would be to experiment: don’t plan too far ahead and your journal will evolve naturally into something that will work for you!
I see a lot of people online that set up a whole year in advance and then realize that the style of their spreads doesn’t work for them.
My journaling routine has always been to set up the upcoming month just before the month starts. I then set up each week on Sunday before. This allows me to adjust my set up depending on how busy my week is, how much time I have to journal, and what mood I’m in! Constantly changing my spreads also stops me from getting bored.
Some weeks I also use daily spreads, some weeks I don’t, sometimes I do doodles or quotes for fun, or extra spreads for travel or projects I’m working on. It totally depends on my mood and my journal naturally builds based on this. By all means, go onto Pinterest and YouTube and get inspiration, try things out and see if you like them.
Remember there are no rules. It’s your journal so it only has to work for you, and if you don’t like a spread turn the page and start again.
Most importantly have fun!
Crystal Fogleman
Bullet Journal Addict is a relatively new blog, but Crystal’s powerful guides helped her blog to quickly become one of the most popular bujo blogs of this year.
You should definitely check her Bullet Journal 101 series and her highly-useful collections of helpful pages.
My biggest piece of advice for people who will use a bullet journal in 2020 is to just keep using it. Make getting into your bullet journal a habit every single day.
The hardest part about using any type of planner is sticking to it, so make it the first and last thing you do in a day and you’ll quickly turn using your bullet journal into a habit.
How to Bullet Journal: My Interpretation
More Journaling Tips for 2020
The authors who were kind enough to contribute to this blog post have amazing journaling tips and planning advice on their blogs. I also share tips for journal keeping here on my blog from time to time. One of them is 5 Incredible Bullet Journal Ideas for Work. If you use your bullet journal as a diary too, you can find some useful journal prompts on my blog by clicking here.
CHOOSE YOUR PIN
Which One Looks Better?
Answered Questions
We have answered some very important questions of the bullet journal community in this post. Let’s take a quick look at them:
How to bullet journal as a starter or beginner?
First, don’t focus on making your bullet journal a perfect example of an art journal. You should keep it simple. Take it slow and try to make bullet journaling a habit.
Don’t go all-in from the beginning and try every spread you see online. Bullet journals can be really rich, but it can be overwhelming if you are not careful enough.
How can I turn bullet journaling into a habit?
Some well respected people from bujo community, such as Crystal Fogleman, suggests that it is better to just start and end your day with your bullet journal. Journaling becomes a habit if you do it regularly, every single day.
Which spreads should I use for my bujo in 2020?
You can use any, really. But it may be better to start with basic ones. Those will take less time, and be more efficient. We linked them above in this article.
Almost all of the bloggers I follow are in this post ^_^
Thank you for this wonderful post!
Thank you, Clara :) I am glad you liked it.
That is awesome and a great read! Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you Samantha! :)
This is a wonderful post! I’m happy to be included among such great journalers.