My Bullet Journal Setup for 2018

I’m new to bullet journaling but I’ve watched so many videos, double tapped on so many IG pics and read so many blogs that I feel like I’m practically an expert.  All of that was super inspiring and yet my bullet journal is actually going to be so simple that’s it’s more of a nod to the original idea of bullet journaling than all the cool stuff you see on social media today.

My plan, for at least the beginning of 2018, is to use my bullet journal as more of a social media planning tool and a space to plan videos that I want to film, content ideas for my Instagram and ideas for this blog.

I love looking at all the mood mandalas, habit trackers, weekly layouts and all sorts of doodles but I know that with those bullet journal pages aren’t really going to be realistic for me to implement into my journal.  I really just want to focus on my social media content planning and if I can toss in some cute stuff as I go along then that’s just a bonus.  I will have some pages that include some those things but it won’t be the primary focus of my journal.

If you’d like to try your hand at bullet journaling then you are going to need just a few supplies.

— A good and sturdy journal, preferably one with thicker pages if you are going to doodle.  I am using the Leuchtturm1917 Softcover Medium Dotted Notebook in Anthracite.  I’ve seen others use the Scribbles That Matter (STM) journals as well as the Moleskin Notebook.  I think it’s more important to start journaling instead of worrying about the perfect one.

— Pen(s) and pencil.  I am using the Staedtler Triplus Fineliner .3mm pens and they are working fine.  I know a lot of folks use the Tombow Dual Brush Pens but I tested them in my journal and I noticed a lot of “ghosting” (ink showing through to the other side) and I had already decided I wasn’t going to do much lettering so I just stuck with the Staedtler.  Lots of folks also use pencils to kind of sketch out their designs to see how it will look first.  I’d suggest doing that too unless you like living life on the edge because, well, ink is permanent…haha!

— Rulers and stencils.  If you don’t trust yourself to freehand a straight line then a ruler will come in handy.  I have both a large and small one and I find that the smaller one is better to handle.  You can get them anywhere but mine is just an inexpensive one from Michael’s that is stainless steel and cork on the back.

A great timesaver when creating layouts is to utilize stencils.  I purchased a small stencil from Recollections at Michael’s and found them in the planner area.  They also had some over by the art brushes area such as one with larger circles and squares.  I don’t know if I’ll use them as I’ve decided to keep mine pretty simple but they weren’t that expensive.

If you would like to see how I set up my journal then click on this link:
Setting up my bullet journal for 2018 – YouTuber Style | Bullet Journal

I also highly encourage you to check out the Bullet Journal website and watch the intro video to get you started on the right foot: Bullet journal intro video 

I’d like to leave y’all with some final tips.  BEFORE you buy anything I highly suggest you do some research, buy a little at a time and use a coupon when you can.  Both Hobby Lobby and Michael’s have a 40% off regular priced merchandise coupon on their app.  Yes, you will have to make a couple of trips and make several purchases but the Tombow Advanced Lettering Kit I purchased is regularly $27 before a coupon so it just makes sense.

Happy journaling y’all and if you are into bullet journaling leave a comment below with a link to your site so I can check it out!

(((hugs))) ~lisa