The BEST supplies for your bullet journal in 2022

April 25, 2022 / By

The best bullet journalling supplies

The best bullet journal equipment for beginners

It can be really exciting looking for bullet journal supplies. 

Whether you’re just starting your first bujo, or you’ve got stacks of journals filled, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of getting brand new stationery! 

But, it can also get overwhelming.

Sifting through the endless amount of bullet journal equipment online; the notebooks, pens, markers, colours, accessories… 

There’s so much to choose from, it’s difficult to know what supplies are really worth getting (especially if you’re new to the bujo world!). And it can become easy to overspend. 

Whether you’re looking for bullet journal equipment to get started, or you’re wanting to add to your already established collection, this post breaks down the best bullet journal supplies. 

Read on to find out what bullet journal supplies are really worth your money!

What bullet journal supplies do you need as a beginner?

If you’re new to bullet journaling, you don’t need loads of equipment.

You only need to cover the basics, which are;

  • Something to write on/in
  • And something to write with

So supplies you need for bullet journaling boil down to just a notebook, and some pens!

What types of paper can you use for bullet journaling?

Starting with having something to write on, there are actually different types of paper you need to consider.

There are 4 main different types of paper you can choose to start your bullet journal.

These are:

  • Grid paper. If you pick a bullet journal with grid paper, the sheets will have a continuous square grid printed on it. 
  • Dot grid paper. Imagine a sheet of paper with a grid on it. If you remove the lines, and just leave a dot where the lines meet, that’s where the dots are on dot grid paper. 
  • Lined paper. This is paper just with horizontal lines on. It’s often used for writing on. 
  • Blank paper. Clue is in the name here; this type of paper has nothing on it!

Which type of paper is best for bullet journal beginners?

If you’re a beginner, having paper with dots or lines helps to keep your text straight and designs neat, as the dots and lines act as a guide.

I recommend getting a notebook with dot grid paper if you’re a bujo beginner. 

Dots aren’t as invasive as the lines on grid or lined paper, but they provide subtle guidelines to keep your writing straight and drawings neat.

Which type of paper is best for advanced bullet journalers?

If you’ve got a bit more experience with bullet journaling, I recommend using blank paper. 

Having a blank page can be a bit scary! 

But if you’re a creative person who has designed many spreads before, using a journal with blank paper will allow you to have as much freedom as possible when creating your designs. 

You can still use dot grid paper, however, if you prefer to have a bit of guidance when designing (like I do!).

What style notebook can you use for bullet journaling?

There are lots of different style notebooks you can choose from for your bullet journal.

You can pick from any of the following style bullet journal notebooks; 

  • Spiral notebook
  • Soft cover journal
  • Hardcover journal
  • Journal specifically for bullet journaling, with special pages like habit trackers, keys, etc included. 

Best bullet journal notebooks

There are lots of notebook brands that produce great notebooks for bullet journalling.

Some of the best bullet journal notebook brands online include: 

  • Leuchtturm1917: This is a highly recommended brand of notebooks in the bullet journal world.
  • Archer & Olive: Look online and you’ll see plenty of praise for Archer & Olive Notebooks. Their journals are on the expensive side, but the paper in them is super thick (some have pages that are 200gsm!). 
  • Yop & Tom: This is another great bullet journal notebook brand, but with slightly cheaper price points than Archer & Olive.

These are just some of the best bullet journal notebook brands, but there are more available.

If you’re looking for specific bullet journal notebooks to try, read on for some notebook recommendations!

Best bujo notebooks for beginners

Here are my favourite notebooks for beginner bullet journalers:

1. LEUCHTTURM1917 – 120G Special Edition – Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook (Black) – 203 Numbered Pages with 120gsm Paper

This is a well known brand that is constantly recommended by bujo enthusiasts.

For starters, the size is ideal; A5 is convenient, and well-sized for carrying around.

It’s also been designed with travel in mind; it has a hard cover, so you can lean on it when writing or drawing out and about. It is also thread-bound, meaning it opens flat, allowing you to bring your designs right up to the centre of the two-page spread.

It also has an elastic closure band, 2 ribbon page markers to easily note what page you are working on, and a pocket in the back cover.

The high page count (over 200 pages!) of individually numbered pages means you have plenty of room to design your spreads in this bullet journal, and included in the pages in this edition of the Leuchtturm1917 is a table of contents and a set of stickers for labelling included.

The pages also have dots to help you plan your designs, making it perfect for new bullet journalers who need some guidance on the page.

Laslty, the journal comes in plenty of different coloured covers, including black, dark red, green, and blue; whilst I like the shades of the colours on offer, I wish there were a few more!

Here’s a roundup of why I like the LEUCHTTURM1917 Special Edition journal for beginners:

  • Well known brand
  • A5 is a convenient sized notebook
  • Hard cover, so you can lean on it when writing or drawing
  • Thread-bound so it opens flat
  • Lots of pages included (over 200)
  • Individually numbered pages
  • Includes a table of contents and a set of stickers for labelling
  • Has an elastic closure band, 2 ribbon page markers, and a pocket in the back cover
  • Dotted paper to help you plan your designs
  • 4 different coloured covers to choose from

SIDE NOTE: There are different versions of this notebook available on Amazon (I found one that has a stunning lilac cover).

Whatever you do, make sure you check the paper thickness, and don’t go for any versions where the paper is 80 gsm if you’re planning to use any inky pens. The paper will be too thin and the ink will bleed through.

The ones with 80 gsm paper do seem to have more pages (250+), but the paper is too thin.

The one I have recommended above has most of the same features, but thicker paper!

2. Yop & Tom Dotted Journal Notebook A5 – Moon and Stars – Updated 2021 Design – with Extra Thick Paper (160 GSM) – Bullet Grid Journal – Midnight Blue

I love this bullet journal; it was actually my first ever bullet journal!

I picked it because I liked the cute moon and starts design on the front.

As I said with the previous notebook, A5 is the perfect size for convenient carrying.

The hard cover is stitched lay-flat binding, so you can easily lay the pages flat to work on, and lean on them when writing or drawing.

(Plus the cover is vegan. Go environmentally friendly products!).

The 160 individually numbered pages include a page for a key, index, and pen test pages, and the paper is very thick at 160 gsm (perfect for colourful spreads!).

Here’s why I bought the Yop & Tom Dotted Journal Notebook as my first bullet journal:

  • Conveniently sized 
  • Vegan hard cover
  • Cute design on front
  • A stitched lay-flat binding
  • 160 pages, including a page for a key, index, and pen test pages
  • Each page is numbered
  • Very thick 160gsm paper

3. A5 Dotted Journal (160gsm) by Scribbles That Matter – Bullet Dot Grid Notebook – Ultra Thick Premium Paper For No Bleed Through – Hardcover Vegan Leather Notebook

Lastly, I also recommend this notebook for beginner bullet journalers.

This notebook by Scribbles that Matter has dotted paper to help plan your designs.

The paper is super thick (160gsm), so there won’t be any bleeding through.

It also has a vegan leather cover available in 10 different colours.

Here’s a roundup of why I recommend this notebook:

  • Vegan leather cover available in 10 different colours
  • Dotted paper
  • Thick paper (160gsm)

PLEASE NOTE: Some people have noted recently that the elasticated band on the front is coming in a different colour to what is in the image.

So these are the bullet journals I recommend for beginners.

But if you’re used to bullet journaling, you can check out these bullet journals that I recommend for advanced bullet journalers.

(Of course, you can also chose a bullet journal from those recommended for beginners! But these next bullet journals I only recommend for advanced bullet journalers).

Best advanced bullet journal notebooks

1. LEUCHTTURM1917 (354587) Notebook (A5), Hardcover, 251 Numbered Pages, Plain, Nordic Blue

This Leuchtturm1917 notebook is similar to the edition mentioned for beginners; it has a hardcover that’s thread-bound, and individually numbered pages (this one actually has more pages included at 250+ pages).

However, this notebook has plain paper inside; no guides or anything.

If you’ve created a number of bullet journal spreads, the blank space won’t be as intimidating to bullet journal newbies, but will allow you to be as creative as your heart desires.

It’s also worth noting that the paper is very thin compared to the beginner bullet journals at 80gsm, but if you’re experienced (and not using pens that are too inky), you should be able to avoid any bleed through.

Here’s a roundup of of the LEUCHTTURM1917 plain notebook:

  • A5 size convenient for carrying
  • Hardcover
  • Thread-bound so it opens flat
  • 250+ pages that individually numbered
  • Plain paper means you can fully use the space
  • CON: Paper is thin
  • CON: Plain version is only available with a blue cover

2. SCRIBBLES THAT MATTER A5 Starry Night Dotted Journal by Scribbles That Matter – Bullet Dot Grid Notebook – 160gsm Black Paper – Hardcover Notebook

If you’ve filled a few bullet journals and you’re bored of the traditional white paper, this is the bullet journal for you!

This bullet journal by Scribbles that Matter has black paper in, so you can make gorgeous spreads with white ink on the black background.

The paper is thick at 160gsm, so you won’t get any bleeding or ghosting and can do double sided designs.

Plus the paper is also acid-free, so the ink glides over the page smoothly.

This journal also includes a key code page, index pages, and colour coded bookmarks to help with organization.

And despite being recommended for advanced bullet journalers, the pages actually have a dot grid reference, to help with planning your designs.

Here’s a roundup of why I like this journal from SCRIBBLES THAT MATTER:

  • Unique black paper to spice your spreads up a bit
  • Paper is 160 gsm and acid-free, so no bleeding or ghosting and ink will glide over the page
  • Includes a key code page, index pages, and colour coded bookmarks to help with organization
  • Pages are dotted and numbered

These are all the 2 bullet journals I recommend trying if you’re looking for a bit more of a challenge with your spreads!

Now we’ll move onto the next bullet journal supply you’ll need; pens.

What types of pens can you use for bullet journaling?

There are tons of different types of pens you can use for your bullet journal 

Some include:

  • Fineliners
  • Coloured Markers
  • Brush pens
  • Gel pens
  • Fountain pens
  • Highlighters
Different colour pens for your bullet journal

What type of pens are good for bullet journaling?

Fineliners are one of the best types of pens to use in your bullet journal. 

They’re great for both drawing and writing notes, as they tend to be less inky. 

This means your designs will dry quickly with minimal smudging, and the ink tends to not bleed through paper. 

Whilst fineliners are great as they’re not too inky, it’s good to keep in mind coloured fineliners can be a bit tricky to colour in with, as they can end up with visible lines.

So for that reason, brush pens or even coloured pencils are best for adding large amounts of colour to your bullet journal designs.

But that’s only if you don’t want any lines showing in your colouring in. If you don’t mind lines, feel free to colour in your drawings with fineliners!

And of course, coloured fineliners are perfectly fine for adding small amounts of colour to your spreads.

What types of pens are best for bullet journal beginners?

If you’re new to bullet journalling I recomend the following pens:

  • Non inky pens, such as fineliners for writing and drawing/ adding small amounts of colour only (NOT colouring in)
  • Brush markers to add colour (or coloured pencils, but obviously these are not pens!)
  • Highlighters are also quite beginner-friendly

What types of pens are best for advanced bullet journalers?

If you have a bit more experience the following pens can require a bit more practice, or have a knack to using them;

  • Thin nibbed fineliners (the thin nibs require a gentle hand, or the nib might snap)
  • Gel pens (these can smudge easily)
  • Fountain pens (again, smudge easily)
  • Calligraphy pens (these take a lot of practice to get right!)

Best bujo pens for beginners

Below are some of the best bullet journal pens for beginners.

If you want to read more about bullet journal pens specifically, please check out this post on the 18 best bullet journal pens.

Bujo fineliners for beginners

Below are the best bullet journal fineliners for beginners;

Colouring brush pens beginners

If you’re looking to add a large amount of colour to your spreads, brush pens are an excellent choice.

The coloured brush pens I recommend for bullet journal beginners are the ones below;

You have plenty of colours to chose from in this set with 36 colours in total, but it’s worth noting that there are more of some colours in the pack than others.

For example, there are 6 shades of pink! But only 3 purples.

However, they are still a great set of brush pens for beginners.

Gel pens for beginners

Generally I recommend steering clear of gel pens if you’re a beginner, as they have serious smudging potential.

But if you’re particularly keen to use gel pens, I recommend the pens below; the ink dries very quickly to avoid smudging!

Beginner highlighters

Highlighters are a great type of pen for beginners, as they don’t really smudge at all.

Below are my favourite highlighters

Roundup of the best bullet journal pens for beginners

Below is a roundup list of the best bullet journal pens for beginners:

Best advanced bullet journal pens

Now we’ve been through pens for beginners, here’s a list of advanced bullet journal pens.

Remember, there’s nothing stopping you checking these out even if you’re new to bullet journaling!

Just that these pens are advised for more advanced creators, as they require a bit more practice to use.

And remember, even if you’re a bullet journal pro, you can still just stick to the beginner pens recommended if you want to stay on the safe side.

Best bullet journal fineliners for advanced bullet journalers

Advanced coloured fineliners

Advanced colouring brush markers

If you’re looking to add more colouring brush markers to your collection, I recommend the set below, as it includes 72 colours:

  • Funnasting 72-Colors dual tip BrushPens; these are like a 2-in-1 fineliner and bush marker set, as they’re dual tipped. One side has a 0.4mm fine point, and the other a soft brush tip for adding larger amounts of colour.

Advanced gel pens

Black gel pens for advanced bullet journalers

Best coloured gel pens

Fountain pens

I only recommend fountain pens as a more advanced bullet journal supply.

Mainly because you do not need them at all!

But they are quite interesting to use.

Black Fountain Pen

  • Pilot Pen Disposable Fountain Pen – Black (Pack of 3); over 80% of the reviews for these pens are 5 star! They have a 0.58mm bib that gives a medium thickness line, and an ink controller mechanism for no leaks. You can also see how much ink is left in the pen thanks to the transparent ink window.

White Fountain Pen

  • LAMY Safari Medium Nib Fountain Pen – White; again, this fountain pen is highly rated, with multiple 5 star reviews. The white fountain pen is great for adding white highlights to your illustrations, or creating white text and drawings on a black background. This one is available with nibs of different thickness from extra fine through to broad, and it even comes in a left handed option!

Pens for handwriting

  • Hethrone Calligraphy Pens; this set has 8 different calligraphy pens including both soft and hard tips. The nibs come in 1mm, 2mm, and 3mm thickness, extra-fine, fine, medium, large, and soft brush. They are also quick drying and waterproof (meaning no smudges or ink running if you accidentally spill something on your journal!).

Coloured markers

  • Copic Marker 12 Piece Set; Copic markers are top end markers. They’re definitely on the pricier end, but they’re great for illustrations and adding large amounts of colour, as you can layer them. I also love that they have a set of colours just for different skin tones!

Roundup of advanced bullet journal pens

Below is a roundup of the best bullet journal pens for advanced bullet journalers:

Watercolour Paints

Now that we’ve looked at pens, you might want different methods of adding colour to your spreads.

One of which is watercolour paints.

Watercolour paint palette

Can you use watercolour paints in your bullet journal?

When you use a medium that is inky/ wet, there is a chance the results will be slightly inky or damp.

And of course, watercolours are designed to be painted on watercolour paper; this paper is thick, and is designed to absorb the water and pigments.

You can however definitely use watercolours in your bullet journal. You just have to make sure the paper in your journal is thick enough to handle it, and don’t go overboard with the water!

Best watercolours for your bullet journal

Below are the best watercolours to use in your bujo spreads:

  1. Faber-Castell FC169748 Watercolour Paints

Faber-Castell is a well known and trusted brand when it comes to watercolours.

This set included 48 highly pigmented watercolour pans, including unusual colours like metallic and neon paint.

It also includes a water brush so you don’t have to worry about carrying a little jar of water around with you if you’re painting out and about, and it also has a detachable mixing palette!

  1. Winsor & Newton 230471 Cotman 45 Half Pan Studio

Again, Winsor & Newton is another excellent brand name in the painting world.

This lightweight set has 45 pans; note that this is not 45 different colours, as there are only around 40 different colours in total, but there have bee reserves of colours you may use frequently (such as black) included in the set.

It also comes with paintbrush and mixing space, which combined with its light weight, makes it perfect for travel.

  1. REEVES WaterColour Paint Set

If you’re looking for something on the cheaper side, I recommend this pack of Reeves watercolours.

It’s on the smaller side in comparison to the previous two, as it only has 18 colours. But this is more than enough for simply adding colour to your spreads!

The only other thing to note is that these watercolour paints come in tubes; this doesn’t make it ideal for travelling, as the tubes are e a bit more fiddly to use than a pan.

But they’re a great idea if you’re looking to add some colour at home!

Roundup of the best bullet journal supplies for beginners

Here’s a roundup of the best bullet journal equipment for bujo newbies:

Roundup of advanced bullet journal supplies

If you’ve filled a fair few journals, you might want to try out these advanced bullet journal supplies:

Best bullet journal accessories

Now we’ve looked at the best bullet journal supplies for beginners and more advanced bullet journalers, you might be interested in accessories.

I want to make it clear that bullet journal accessories aren’t necessary.

You can make beautiful bullet journal spreads without any accessories.

But, accessories are always nice to have!

And it’s great to have a long “bujo wish list” for when family members ask to buy you birthday presents (and trust me, there are plenty of accessories to chose from!).

Check out the best bullet journal accessories below:

Bullet Journal Ruler

A ruler is always handy for helping to draw straight lines in your spreads, in particular for drawing boxes, etc.

Small ruler

Here is a small ruler I recommend:

This 15cm ruler is super cheap, and as it’s small, it’s very easy to carry round in a pencil case.

I also always recommend a clear ruler, as you can see your work underneath it!

Foldable ruler

If you want a bigger ruler, but still want to be able to pack it away neatly, check out this 30cm folding ruler:

This Helix folding ruler is double the size of the previous one, so you’ll be able to draw much longer lines with it.

However as it’s foldable, it’s still just as convenient, and you can fit it into a pencil case easily.

Again, it’s inexpensive (so you’re not breaking the bank!) and transparent (to see your designs underneath as you’re drawing).

Bullet Journal Stencils

tThere are loads of different sets of bullet journal stencils on Amazon.

These sets can be quite big; they usually include 18 – 26 sheets, and have a variety of shapes on each sheet to use in your bullet journal spreads. 

These stencils are also quite cheap (both in cost and quality)…

…They’re usually under £15, and the plastic can be thin and flimsy.

However, despite them being cheap and low quality, they are useful. You can get a clean line by using washi tape to fix down the stencil tightly on the page, then lightly trace the shape.

Here’s a good set with 20 sheets included:

This is good as a starter set; you can test out the different shapes, and figure out which ones you use the most often.

Then you can upgrade to a higher quality stencil with thicker plastic, once you know exactly what stencils you will use. 

The main benefit to these stencils being so thin is that you can carry them around in your bullet journal easily as they’re not bulky, so they won’t add any extra thickness to your journal.

Bullet Journal Stamps

Stamps are a great way to speed up your bullet journaling process.

They also look really good in your journal!

There are lots of silicone stamps available from Amazon and other retailers.

However, I don’t recommend silicone stamps; they are fiddly to work with, and are often poorly printed with errors.

Below are some higher quality stamps I do recommend:

This set of 36 wooden stamps includes all the letters of the alphabet and the numbers 0 – 9.

The stamps come in a cute little wooden box, and there is also space to store the ink pad.

Whilst it may be time consuming to stamp each letter or number individually, these long wooden stamps are much easier to hold, and better quality than the silicone stamps.

It also means you’re not limited in your stamping designs, as you can create as many combos and basically write whatever you want with your stamps!

Best Illustrative Stamps for your Bullet Journal

You can also get beautiful illustrative stamps to use in your journal.

I really recommend these, as they’re a super quick way to add pretty designs to your journal (plus you don’t really need any skills to use them!).

Check out some beautiful stamps below:

Top Stamping Tip: When you load up your stamp, make sure you do a first press on scrap paper, then stamp onto your paper, so the ink doesn’t bleed and make the stamper image messy.

The stamps in this set are so unique; they include planets, stars, and even bubble blowing!

I like that in these set of 24, they come in varying sizes; some of the planet stamps are tiny, so you can easily add them into your designs.

The only thing I don’t like about this set is that I think 3 bubble blowing stamps are too many, since they’re very similar; it would have been better to have different designs than 3 that are very similar.

This is another good set to try if you’re looking for planet inspired stamps.

There are 16 different moon, stars and planet wood and rubber stamps in this set, but these ones are all the same size (which is quite dainty, making them perfect to easily fit into your spreads).

Again, these wooden and rubber stamps are the perfect addition to a stamp collection.

There are 16 different butterfly designs in this set.

The only negative to note is as the stamps are quite small, a couple of the designs include writing, but it’s so small it’s virtually impossible to read!

However, the designs are gorgeous regardless.

Bullet journal stickers

Stickers are another great bujo accessory to add to your collection.

Similar to stamps, they’re quick and easy to use, whilst helping to make your spreads more exciting.

Check out some awesome stickers below:

This is a very large set of stickers for a journal.

There are over 1,300 stickers included, making it excellent value for money.

It includes a good mix of practical stickers for planning, brightly coloured and fun stickers, and motivational ones. It basically has something for everyone.

The large amount of stickers can be seen as a plus, but it also can be a bit overwhelming, and it’s really unlikely you’ll like or use all of them.

It’s also been noted that they have a slightly “younger” look, aimed more at teenagers.

However, they’re not at all expensive, and you can just pick your favourites out of the set to use!

This set again has plenty of stickers included (over 1,000).

There are a variety stickers which include useful stickers for bullet journalling that will help you with planning, such as:

  • Weekly Schedule sticker
  • Meal Plan sticker
  • Chores Sticker

The stickers also come in an envelope to store them in.

Similar to the stamps, you can also use stickers purely for illustrative purposes in your designs, rather than for practical reasons.

These flower stickers will make beautiful additions to any floral bullet journal designs.

They’re slightly more expensive per sticker than the previous sets mentioned, but they’re still inexpensive to purchase.

Bullet journal washi tape

Whilst discussing stickers, who can forget washi tape?

Washi tape is a decorative adhesive tape; unlike stickers which come individually, washi tape comes as a roll, so you can cut off as much as you need.

Check out some washi tape ideas for your bullet journal below:

This washi tape set includes 10 rolls, and each roll uses a different design, from floral and leaves to geometric.

This tape is easy to tear and place and sticks very well, but there are some reports of it causing paper to tear after removing it. So it’s best to only use it if you’re not planning moving it at all it afterwards.

It’s also worth mentioning that it’s advertised as gold foil washi tape… But only some of the rolls actually use gold foil in the design!

If you want to add a bit of colour to your buo spreads, this is the washi tape for you!

This set of 30 brightly coloured washi tape is perfect for adding colour to your designs.

It’s easy to use, and also reasonably priced considering there are 30 rolls included!

Circle Maker

No matter how much you try, it’s pretty much impossible to draw a perfect circle.

And whilst you can probably get it near enough over time, if you don’t fancy practicing drawing circles, a circle maker is a smart bullet journal supply to invest in.

Check out this circle maker below:

It’s purpose is pretty straight forward; it’s to help you create perfect circles!

Similar to the other supplies mentioned, this circle maker is inexpensive and easy to use.

And like the other rulers mentioned, it’s clear, so you can see your design underneath as you’re drawing.

Post It Notes

Just like the other bullet journal accessories listed, post it notes are NOT needed at all.

However, they can be used in a number of ways in your bullet journal spreads:

  • Post It Notes can be used for decorative purposes
  • You can use square ones to mark out boxes for text
  • Adding paper and layers can help to add more dimension spreads

Below are some Post It Notes you can try:

  • Coloured Square Notes
    • Well known brand
    • Lots of different option colour combinations to choose from
    • 90 sheets per pad; good value for money
    • Very good stickiness

These colourful square post its are from a well known brand (Post It are perhaps the most well known brand for Post It Notes).

Lots of different option colour combination sets to choose from.

Each set has 90 sheets per pad and the pages have very good stickiness, making them good value for money.

They are slightly large depending on how you’re intending to use them in your designs, but there’s always the option to cut them smaller and glue them into your spreads if need be.

These page markers again by the brand Post It are an inexpensive option that work well.

They are much smaller than the previous set linked, meaning they’re easier to fit into your spreads.

They’re also great to use as their intended purposes of marking pages.

This set come in really bright colours, but there are other ones in different shapes available, such as arrows.

These bright and colourful heart shaped sticky notes are super fun your your spreads!

The link is for the hearts, but there other shapes post its available, like flowers and speech bubbles.

A Set of Clips

Paper/binder clips are really handy for laying your bullet journal pages down flat.

The clips keep the pages down instead of your hands, so the pages don’t spring up suddenly and smudge your designs, plus they help to make sure you can go right up to the middle of the double page.

Your binder clips don’t need to be fancy, as they don’t feature in the final product! They’re just a tool that helps to create your spread.

Check out these binder clips below:

This set included 100 clips of various sizes; mini, small, medium, jumbo, large, and extra large, so you can pick the best size to fit your bullet journal.

The best thing about this bullet journal supply unlike others mentioned is you can reuse them, so you only need to purchase them the once!

Glue

Glue is another handy supply to have in your collection; you never know when you’ll need to stick something in!

PVA glue

Below are some glue products I recommend:

Glue roller

This compact glue roller is from the well known brand (Pritt stick glue is what they’re most famous for).

The roller is a very useful tool for sticking stuff down neatly and flat

The downside is it is on the expensive side for what it is, and you’d have to keep repurchasing every time you run out.

In which case, I recommend this cheaper alternative.

It is not a well known brand, but includes 3 glue rollers instead of just the one.

Glue Dots

Glue dots are good option because you can reuse them/ remove them without making a mess

They’re also a great option for sticking stuff down if you want to give it a slight 3D effect, as they tend to be slightly thicker than traditional glue/ glue rollers, and therefore leave a slight gap.

However, they’re not a good choice for sticking sticking items down flat.

Sticky Fixers

Sticky fixers are an even better option if you want to create a 3D effect, as they’re slightly thicker than glue dots.

They’re also a bit larger, but can be cut down to smaller sizes with a scissors if need me.

But again, as they’re quite thick and create a 3D effect, I would not recommend using them too much in your bullet journal, as you might not be able to get it to close properly if all the pages are extra thick! 

Tippex mouse

Tipp-Ex is good for covering up pen any mistakes you make in your spreads (providing your bujo paper is white of course!). 

I recommend this Tipp-Ex mouse:

This mouse is small and compact, making it easy to carry around and use on the go.

I prefer the mouse to traditional tippex, as it’s much neater and easier to use.

You can also use this to make white lines in your bullet journal to write on.

Bullet journal accessories roundup

Below is a roundup of all the bullet journal accessories that have been recommended previously:

Bullet Journal Supply Storage

Lastly, we’re on to bullet journal storage!

Again, whilst not a necessity, if you’re the kind of person who is into stationery, you also the kind of person who will want to keep it organised (or even if you don’t want to, it’s probably still a good idea!).

Below are some bullet journal accessory storage ideas:

Desk Storage

It’s good to keep your most regularly used bullet journalling supplies neat and organised on your desk using desk organisers, so you can access them easily.

Check out these desk organisers below:

Small Desk Organiser

This is a set of 4 stackable organizers, with a total of 16 compartments.

They come individually, so you can stack them horizontally or vertically.

They are slightly on the smaller size, and are meant for pens or pencils (but that’s not to say you can’t store other supplies if you wish).

This vertical desk organizer is advertised as a pen organizer, but it’s actually good for keeping all your stationery neat and tidy (not just your pens) as it has compartments of varying sizes.

This desk tidy is definitely on the smaller side; the slanted storage in particular will only be able to hold a couple of pens each, so you definitely won’t be able to store all your supplies in just one.

But you can either purchase multiple, or invest in a larger desk organizer if you have a lot of supplies to organize…

Large Desk Organiser

If the last two suggestions were slightly too small for you, check out this large mesh desk organizer below:

This desk organizer is larger than the previous 2; it has 5 compartments that are various shapes and a drawer, so you can store different types of stationery in it.

The mesh also means you can see all your stationery at a glance, so you know where everything is.

This organizer also comes fully assembled (yay for unbox and go), and is available in blue, gold, and rose gold.

This pen holder is very large, so you can store a lot more pens and pencils on your desk; it can easily hold over 100 pens!

It rotates for easy access and the mesh is small enough to stop anythign fall through.

It also has a secure handle to carry it around easily.

The only downside is it only comes in black.

Drawer Storage

Drawer storage is an ideal way to store stationery you’re not reaching for as often.

Check out this drawer storage for your bullet journal supplies below:

Stationery Supply Drawer Organizers/ Dividers

This drawer divider has 5 different compartments to help organize your drawers; you can purchase multiple to fill your drawer, and also stack them on top of each other.

(It’s worth pointing out that it does not come with a lid, and isn’t exactly large. But this means you can fit more together in your drawer!).

Stationery Supply Storage Boxes with Lids

If you’re looking for storage with a lid, check out these storage boxes below:

These storage boxes are great for keeping your bujo supplies neat in your drawers.

They come as a pack of 5 or 10, and you can chose different colours (including either all one colour, or rainbow sets).

Even though they come in lovely bright colours, some of the sets are also transparent, so you’ll be able to see what’s in each box at a glance.

Pencil case

We’ve covered desk storage and drawer organizers, but pencil cases are a convenient way of storing your stationery and taking it on the go.

Below are some awesome pencil cases to store your bujo supplies:

Extra Large Pencil Case

This pencil case is advertised as large, but you could say it’s extra large as it comfortably fits around 200 pencils.

It has 72 large elastic slots (which can hold 3 pencils or pens each) and 4 extra large slots (which each hold 4 pencils or gel pens).

It also has 2 outside pockets, but is compact enough to carry around easily (plus the handle makes it easy to carry).

It’s also available in 16 different colours/ patterns, including plain block colours and cute patterns.

Large Pencil Case

This large pencil case easily holds 100 pencils.

It has solid (not flimsy) inside slots for better organization, and also has huge side zip pocket and a half size (non zip) front pocket.

It’s available in different vibrant patterns, but unfortunately is only available patterned, so you can’t get a plain version.

Lastly, this large pencil case is great for transporting pens, pencils, and other stationery.

It has number of compartments to keep your bullet journal equipment organised.

However, this one is on the smaller side in comparison to the other cases mentioned, as it only holds around 60 pens or pencils.

It only comes in 4 different colours; black, blue, grey and pink.

However, it’s still pretty inexpensive, and a great choice for carry your bujo supplies out and about!

Bullet journal stationery storage roundup

Below is a roundup of the bullet journal supply storage ideas mentioned:

Best bullet journal supplies – final thoughts

Remember, when gathering supplies for your bullet journal, you decide how much or how little you need.

You can push the boat out and get all the supplies and accessories… Or you can keep it conservative with the bare basics – it’s totally up to you.

There are plenty of good quality, affordable supplies available, and lots of varying designs, so you can make sure your bullet journal equipment is exactly what you need.

Don’t be afraid to experiment, but most importantly – have fun with it.

And use your supplies and stationery to make your bullet journal whatever you want it to be!

Related Bullet Journal Supplies posts

If you enjoyed this post, check out these other posts on bullet journal supplies you might like:

The best supplies for your bullet journal

Bullet journal daily spread ideas to help you be more productive

March 27, 2023 / By

Bullet journal daily spread ideas to help you be more productive

Amazing daily logs you need to try

If you’re new to the bullet journal world, you’re probably searching for fun ideas and spreads inspo to recreate.

You also probably started your bullet journal because you want to be a bit productive (and creative, of course!).

If you’re looking for creative but productive bujo spread ideas, you need to try a daily spread.

What is a bullet journal daily spread?

A daily bullet journal spread (or daily log) is part of the original bullet journal idea of combining planning and tracking.

A daily spread in your bullet journal is a spread that allows you to plan and track each day of your week.

You can include things like a daily to do list to plan a productive day, but you also have space to review your day; to track and take note of things that happened.

You can plan and track important things in your daily spread, like;

  • Plan each day of your week, and organise upcoming days in advance
  • Pace a reminder for events happening the following day, and then review that event once the day is over and the event has happened
  • Track important habits with a habit tracker; you can record your mood, the weather, your water intake for the day, the amount of steps you took, the amount of sleep you got, etc

Now you know a little more about daily spreads, you might want to create your own.

This post is all about daily spreads for beginners, including the pros and cons of daily spreads, and daily spread inspiration to make your own!

So read on for inspiration and ideas for your daily spread.

When do you make a bujo daily spread?

If you’ve decided you want to start a daily spread in your bujo, you might not be sure when to start one.

Typically, you create a daily spread the night before the upcoming day (or first thing the morning of that day, if you don’t have time the night before!). 

This is to make sure you are planning the day just before it begins; by leaving it close to the day, you are ensuring you include everything you need to for each day.

If you plan it too early, you may have new plans that come up for example, and may not have left enough space to fit them in.

So creating your daily spread the day before or of the day means you can be sure it is up to date and as accurate as possible.

As daily spreads are made very regularly, you can leave as much space as you need to, and add anything you want in; as much or as little information as you like.

What should be in a daily bullet journal log?

Your daily log can contain a mix of plans for your day, and then tracking the day after it’s finished. 

In terms of planning your day, you can make lists of things you have to do for the day, such as;

  • To-do lists
  • Appointments and meetings to attend
  • Events happening that day
  • Reminders for the day

Then in terms of tracking in your daily spread, you can;

  • Tick off as you complete the tasks you planned
  • Journal your thoughts for the day
  • Track your habits throughout the day

And make a note of anything else you want to track.

Aside from planning and tracking, your daily spread can also be used as a place to write goals and quotes, and record important ideas.

The positives and negatives of a daily journal

A daily spread can be a great tool for productivity in your bujo.

And there are a lot of advantages to keeping a daily log.

The pros of a daily log

  • As you make the spreads daily, you can ensure there is the right amount of space for you for each day. This means you can leave plenty of space to write in and track your habits if you know your next day is going to be a productive one, or leave less space if you know you’re not going to have much to say for the following day.
  • As you decide how much space you leave for your daily spread, you can allow plenty of space to be thoroughly organised for each day (if you want to be super productive with your daily spread that is!).
  • You can also allow more space to be creative; you can leave a full page or even a double spread for your daily log to fill with drawings and illustrations.
  • If you like writing, a daily spread allows you to be more free flowing with your writing, as you can leave dedicated journal space to fill thoughts and feelings for each day (sometimes bullet journal spreads are not very wordy).
  • A daily log also allows to solely focus on what is planned for each day; you can take each day is it comes, and not worry about the days, weeks, or months ahead.

The cons of a daily log

Whilst a daily log is a fun spread, it does have some disadvantages.

  • Since daily spreads are usually created the night before, you can’t pre-plan your spreads any earlier. So it’s not great if you like time to plan your spreads, and prepare them days in advance!
  • They are daily spreads, so you have to create a page everyday; it can be time consuming creating new spreads each day.
  • If you’re mentioning things in your daily spread you’ve already covered in your weekly spread, you might find yourself re-writing some things.

What is time blocking in your bullet journal?

Time blocking is an easy but super productive feature to include in your daily spread.

Time blocking is a way for you to break down and manage the time you have in each day in your bullet journal.

You take a block of time, and then assign that time to complete a certain task or activity.

When the time in your day is laid out clearly in front of you, you can easily see all the time you have to work with.

You might think this could be overwhelming, but by breaking the day down into small chunks, your time becomes much easier to manage and plan.

Which should help you to be more productive with all the time you have, and hopefully complete more tasks!

How do you block time in a bullet journal?

To create a space for time blocking in your bullet journal, you firstly need to decide what hours you are planning for.

For example, on a working day of the week, you might want to plan your time between 9 am and 5 pm (perhaps later if you’re a student and need to study).

Either way, start by deciding your scheduled time you want to plan for.

Then, draw a small square in your bullet journal.

Each square represents a certain time of day, and an amount of time.

So that one square can be 9:00am, and what you’re going to do at 9:00am for 30 mins.

Once you’ve drawn your first square, on the left of that block, write the time of day you have decided to start your plan for.

Once you have drawn and labelled one block with the first time of day, you then draw another block next to it (either above or below it).

I recommend drawing your second block below, as you’re going to be writing next to each block, and I find it easier to write across the page than down, but either way is fine.

This square represents the next block of time you have to plan.

So if your blocks are 30 mins each, this second block will represent 9:30am.

(Each block you draw does not necessarily need to be equal; you may plan the start of your day in 30 minute increments, then tail off to 1 hour increments in the evening. But to start, it is simpler to stick to having a block meaning an exact amount of time).

Continue to draw multiple blocks or squares underneath each other in your spread, and label them the time of day they represent as you go.

Keep drawing out squares until you have your full day out in blocks labeled with the designated times; if you are planning a working day, keep creating blocks until you reach 5pm, or later if you want to plan your evening too. 

Then, next to each block on the write hand side, you can write your plan/ to do tasks for that set time of the day!

If you have a task that will take more than half an hour (and you are sticking to each block representing 30 minutes) you can group together multiple blocks to show it will take longer than the given amount of time a block takes you.

You can also colour code the blocks, or use a key to plan your time more efficiently.

Adding trackers to your bullet journal daily spread

Whilst time blocking is a great way to make sure the hours in your day are productive, another way to monitor you day for productivity is to include a tracker.

A daily tracker is a way to monitor an activity or habit for each day.

Some trackers you can include in your daily spreads are:

  • Habit trackers, like water intake trackers, exercise trackers or a total step count, sleep trackers .
  • The weather
  • Mood tracker
  • Activity trackers
  • Study trackers

You can include just one of these trackers, or all of them, depending on how many of your habits you want to keep track of!

Bullet journal daily layout inspiration

Now you know all about daily spreads, including how to make one and what to include in your daily log, it’s time to make your own!

Check out these amazing daily log ideas below:

Creative bullet journal daily pages

If you’ve got the time to spend, you can make really creative daily logs with illustrations.

Check out some creative daily spread ideas below:

Creative bullet journal daily spread ideas - Pokemon daily spread
Credit to @dear.tinaa

If you’re a Pokémon fan, this spread is for you!

This daily log by Dear.tinna has an amazing torchic illustration.

Pokémon is a great theme idea for your daily spreads; there are so many different ones, that you can create a Pokémon daily spread for each day of the year for over a year, and not run out of characters to draw!

But even if you’re not a Pokémon fan, you can still take inspo from this spread; by drawing a cute cartoon or character and sticking to set colours, you can create a strong theme for your daily spread.

This spread isn’t just about the looks either; it also has multiple different sections to plan and organise your day, including a daily log, to-do list, and a cute reminder section.

So don’t feel you have to pick either being creative or productive for your daily spread; you can have both.

Creative bullet journal daily spread ideas - Hercules daily spread
Credit to @bujo.disney

Perhaps you’re a Disney fan?

If so, you need to follow @bujo.disney on instagram; Disney themed bullet journal spreads are their thing!

This daily bujo spread by Emily is a great mix of creativity and productivity.

Her Hercules illustrations at the bottom of the page really showcase her drawing talent, and are also super fun.

If you are being creative and drawing images in your daily spreads, make sure you remember to leave room for the actual bullet journaling side!

As you don’t know how much you’ll be writing about each day, it’s best to play on the safe side, and leave plenty of room.

Emily has left lots of space around her drawings in this spread, so she can write as much as she wants to about her day around her awesome drawings.

Colourful bullet journal daily spread

Colourful bullet journal daily spread - bright yellow daily log
Credit to @vivi_bujotte

A great theme idea for your daily logs is to pick a colour, and base your spread around that.

This log by Virginie Le Rouzic uses a vibrant shade of yellow, giving it a bright and bold vibe.

The illustrations of the lemons and lemonade also give the spread a strong summer theme.

Again, Virginie has made sure there is plenty of room to write about her day, by making sure the illustrations are mostly around the border of the page.

But don’t feel too restricted in ensuring your design leaves lots of writing space; Virginie has added illustrations to the center of the page too, and it’s worked out beautifully!

Minimalist daily spread bullet journal

Daily spread bujo idea
Credit to @bujo_ashx

If you’re not one for filling your bullet journal spreads, perhaps a minimalist approach is a better idea to try.

Above is a perfect example of minimal daily spread; it’s concise, and contains very little content compared to the last spread we looked at.

But despite being concise and minimal, this daily spread is still creative; it has a clear feminine theme, and even has a sweet quote at the end, which uses layering to add some visual depth.

Time blocking daily bullet journal ideas

Bullet journal daily spread with time tracker
Credit to @marisasbujo

We already know that time blocking is a great way to use your daily spread for productivity, and the spread pictured above is good example of this.

This daily spread by Marisa has a very detailed time blocking section to keep your day organised and on track.

There has been time mapped out for the majority of the day in 30 minute increments, meaning most the day can be thoroughly planned if need be.

This time blocking section is also colour coded; colour coding your time blocking means you can get a lot of detail about that day with a quick glance.

You can set different activities as different colours, so if you quickly look at the page, you can see what type of activity you have at that time; for example, meetings and appointments can be in one colour, exercise in another colour, etc.

Or rather than setting an activity in a certain colour, you can colour each block of time depending on whether you completed the planned activity next to it; a green block can mean you completed it, a red block you didn’t start it, and an orange one to show you did start the task, but couldn’t finish it.

These are just suggestions of course; you can colour code your time however you want!

Bujo daily log with timeblocking
Credit to @curlsarestudying

Here is another great example of a daily spread with time blocking.

This spread by curlsarestudying makes the most of each page; the time blocking fills the vertical space, meaning the day can be thoroughly planned from start to finish.

They have also made clever use of the space, by splitting up the pages into different sections.

If you’ve got different parts of the day you want to time block for, you can also split up the page into different sections like above.

For example, you can have 9 – 5 planned in detail (perhaps in 30 min increments), but after 5, you can split the page by drawing a line across it, and then just plan the evening by the hour.

You can also split up the page for different purposes, like essential tasks being done before a certain time, then less essential tasks in a second section to be completed after a certain time.

But either way, splitting up the page into sections is a great idea to fully utilise time blocking to its full potential.

One page bullet journal daily log ideas

One page bullet journal daily log spread - teal and leopard print
Credit to @clmplans

If you’re new to bullet journaling and looking for layout ideas for your daily spread, a single page daily spread is a great idea.

This is because having only a single page means there is less space to feel overwhelmed by.

(It also helps to keep your daily spread concise, as a single page means you can only include the most important details for the day!).

The daily spread above is a good example of a one page daily spread.

A single page doesn’t mean that you have to skimp on the details of you day either.

In the above daily spread, despite being only one page, lots of information about the day has been included.

The small space has been divided into sections and labelled with multiple headings and titles, giving each section a clear purpose.

Your daily spread can have a number of different purposes, like tracking habits, making to do lists, etc.

Splitting the page into sections helps to allocate enough space for each job you want your daily spread.

This spread has some great ideas for other topics to cover in your daily spread too, such as what you’re working on, things to update, and tracking stuff you need to buy.

Daily habit tracker

Another thing you can add to your daily spread is a habit tracker.

These are great for helping you track certain behaviours throughout the day, and can even help to make sure you’re improving these habits.

For example, if you include a sleep tracker in your daily spread, you can work on getting more sleep if your tracker is showing you’re not getting enough rest each day.

Bullet journal daily spread ideas - daily habit tracker
Credit to @mychamomiledays

The above daily spread by Eva is a great example of a simple yet effective habit tracker in a daily spread.

Despite only including a few drawings and some words, it clearly tracks a lot of key information, including how much exercise was done that day, what time they woke up, how long they slept for, how long they read for, etc.

The habit tracker above also includes some super cute doodles.

If you don’t want your habit tracker to take up too much time, but want to track multiple habits, you can pick a simple icon to represent each habit like Eva has.

You will get quick at drawing each icon the more times you draw it for each daily spread!

Expenses daily tracker

If you’re into budgeting and keeping on top of your finances, another tracker you might want to include in your daily spread is an expenses tracker.

Making note of all the things you are spending money on each day can really help you to notice a pattern in your spending habits.

Hopefully if you can clearly see where your money is going, it will help you work out if it’s going to the right places, or if you need to start budgeting a bit better!

Bullet journal daily spread with an expenses tracker
Credit to @asthacreates

Above is an example of a daily bullet journal spread with an expenses tracker.

There is a box at the bottom right of the page, which has plenty of room to note down all your purchases for the day (no matter how many there are!).

This spread also shows you that you don’t have to dedicate the whole of your daily log to just one item.

Despite having plenty of space for an expenses tracker, there are also boxes for writing to-do lists, notes, and even a water intake tracker.

So don’t feel you can only track your expenses in your daily log, if you’re creating a daily spread for budgeting purposes; you can still fit plenty of other information around your spending tracker (even if you do like to splash the cash).

Daily spread with checklist

Bullet journal daily spread with checklist
Credit to @creffectivepaper

If you think you’ve got too much stuff to include in a single daily spread, check out this example above.

This daily log has loads of detail, but has the perfect blend of organizing on the left page, and creativity with quotes and images on the right.

The right page in particular looks full, and has layered different materials like washitape and pictures to help add more dimension to the page.

One of the most productive things you can include in your daily spread is a checklist.

Just like the example above, to help with productivity, try including a list of things you need to do that day, and tick off your tasks after you complete them; either as you do them throughout the day, or as you’re filling in your daily log at the end of the day.

You can even write your checklist the day before, so you can wake up that day knowing exactly what you need to do!

Colourful bujo daily spread with checklist
Credit to @bujo.my.kind.of.therapy

Above is another great example of a bullet journal spread with a checklist.

This spread by Cecile has clear spaces for each day, and dedicated checklist spaces for each day.

This daily spread has been drawn out, but not filled in yet.

This is really helpful to see, as creating a layout before you start filling anything in is a great idea if you hate working with a blank page.

You can map out the space and set up where you want things to go, then come back to fill in the details; for example, you can set out boxes for your checklist, then write what needs to be done alongside the tick boxes.

I also really love the use of stickers in this spread; they help to add lots of colour and personality to the page, but the sticker process is much easier than having to hand draw it all yourself!

Daily spread with key

Bullet Journal Daily spread with a key
Credit to @crimson_kas

This spread by Kas shows how to make your daily bullet journal spread productive by using a key.

After writing out tasks for the day, rather than ticking them off once the day is completed, you can do little symbols next to the task to mean different things.

For example, a tick can mean the task listed was completed, a cross means wasn’t started, a dash can mean it was partially started, a * can mean it was moved to a later date, etc.

Rather than just crossing things of a list, using a key will allow you to add even more information to your spread, but without taking up much extra room.

So by just creating a key, and putting different symbols next to each task, you can look back at a later date and see exactly what happened with each task on that day, rather than reducing it down to “Did I do this; yes or no?”.

Daily bullet journal spread with writing

If you prefer to write than plan, a daily spread is actually one of the best bullet journal spreads you can create.

You can draw out your page for the upcoming day, and leave your page pretty much blank, then write all about your day in the space after the day has taken place.

You can write as little or as much as you like; it’s your bullet journal, after all!

Bullet journal daily log with checklist
Credit to @willbujofor.treats

Here is a great example of a bullet journal daily spread with lots of writing.

Whilst they have included plenty of information about the day, such as the date, events happening, and tasks for the day, there is also a huge section on the left to write in.

So if you’re more of a journaler than a bulletjournaler, you can still make a daily spread work for you!

I also love the use of layering here; the additional layers of paper for the events and tasks help to make sure they are highlighted, and the room for writing about the day has a dedicated space on the left.

Daily spread with quote

The last idea for your daily bujo spread is adding a quote.

Adding a quote or thought is a great way to make your spread both creative and personal.

You can chose a quote that means something to you, and design it in a way that allows your creativity to flow when drawing it out.

Bullet journal daily spread with Harry Potter quote
Credit to @vivi_bujotte

Here is a daily spread by Virginie with a huge quote in that takes up the whole page!

It’s beautifully designed, and adds a real touch of creativity to this spread; the drawing in particular is so detailed!

Not only is this quote designed beautifully, but it clearly has a very deep meaning.

You can add a quote that resonates with you, to make your bullet journal spread mean more to you.

Bullet journal daily log inspiration – final thoughts

Hopefully, you know a lot more about daily spreads after reading this post!

You should be able to create your own, and also have plenty of ideas for different daily log themes, and what to include in them.

If you enjoyed this post, check out these other bullet journal spread inspiration posts:

Bullet journal daily spread ideas

How to draw lavender flowers

December 30, 2022 / By
Lavender drawing tutorial featured image

How to draw a lavender flower tutorial

Want to learn how to doodle flowers in your bullet journal?

Perhaps you want to add flower drawings to your spring spreads?

If you’re looking for flower doodles, an easy flower to learn how to draw is lavender.

Why learn to draw lavender flowers?

Lavender is an amazing flower to draw in your bujo spreads.

They are a beautiful, elegant flower, and the bright purple will add vivid colour to your bullet journal spreads.

But also because the lavender plant has deep meaning.

The symbolic meaning of lavender flowers

The lavender flower is a great flower to illustrate as it has a number of different meanings:

  1. Lavender symbolizes a number of powerful emotions, such as devotion and love
  2. The lavender flower also represents more soothing ideas, such as calmness, tranquility, peace
  3. Lastly, the colour of the lavender petals themselves have deep meaning. Purple is a royal colour, that symbolizes elegance and luxury

With these different meanings in mind, lavender doodles can be used in your bullet journal for various spreads!

Lavender bullet journal ideas

So now you know what lavender symbolizes, you might be wondering how exactly you can incorporate it into your bullet journal designs.

Check out these different ideas for lavender drawings in your bullet journal below:

  • Spring and summer spreads. Lavender plants are typically summer-blooming flowers, so adding them to your summer spreads is a great idea. Some Lavender flowers bloom early in springtime, so you could also use them in a spring spread.
  • As a theme spread. When creating monthly spreads with definite themes, it can be hard to think of ideas for every month of the year. Rather than just adding them into a spring or summer spread, you can pick one month in the summer, and dedicate it to a lavender theme.
  • Colourful spreads. Perhaps you don’t like creating themes for your spreads, but like to focus on set colour? If so, lavender drawings are a great doodle to add to a purple themed spread (providing you colour them in of course!).
  • With quotes. As the lavender flower represents powerful emotions like love and devotion, you could draw some next to a relevant quote.
  • Meditation tracker or self care page. Because they also represent peace and calmness, you could also add lavender drawings into any spreads relevant to these, such as a meditation or mindfulness tracker, or a self care page.
  • Goals spread. Lastly, as lavender can symbolize luxury, you could also add them onto a goals spread (if you have luxurious goals, of course!).

Hopefully these have given you plenty of ideas for adding lavender doodles to your bullet journal.

Now it’s time to learn how to draw them; check out the lavender drawing tutorials below!

How to draw lavender – easy for beginners

Lavender drawing supplies

Before you actually draw your lavender doodles, you need to make sure you have the right equipment.

Here’s what you need to create an awesome lavender drawing:

  • Something to create your lavender drawings in. This can be paper, a sketchbook, or we recommend a bullet journal.
  • A black fineliner to draw your lavender flower. We recommend one with a medium thickness nib.
  • Coloured pens to add colour to your doodle. You can use either fineliners, pencils, or brush pens. (Just make sure you have a purple and a green to hand!)

Now you know what supplies you need, check out the lavender drawing tutorials below!

Lavender doodle – step by step tutorial

How to draw lavender- quick and easy

Below is a very quick and easy way to draw a gorgeous lavender doodle:

Step 1. Draw a long, slightly curved, vertical line.

Step 2. Draw a small, thin petal coming off the top of the line. 

Step 3. Just underneath that first petal, draw a set of two petals together.

Step 4. Add another set of two petals just underneath.

Step 5. Continue drawing sets of petals all down the stem. Make the petals at the top smaller and more sparse, then add more, slightly larger petals towards the middle. Stop a bit before the bottom. 

Step 6. Add a long, thin leaf or two towards the bottom of the stem. 

Step 7. Add some colour, and you’re done! 

Repeat the above steps to create a bunch of lavender flowers.

Here’s a picture tutorial:

Lavender drawing picture tutorial; how to draw a lavender flower easily step by step

This has shown you how to draw a simple lavender plant.

However, if you want to draw a more detailed lavender flower, check out the tutorial below!

How to draw a detailed lavender flower

Step 1. Draw a long, slightly curved line (this is the stem).

Step 2. At the tip of the line, draw a single petal.

Step 3. Slightly down from the tip, draw two petals next to each other.

Step 4. Then draw three petals together just under the last bunch. If you want your lavender to appear full and thick, leave very little space between each set, or you can leave a slightly larger gap for a sparser looking lavender plant.

Step 5. Draw another four bunches of three petals on the line, leaving the slightest gap between each set of petals.

Step 6. Then draw four bunches of four-petal doodles down the line.

Step 7. Now draw three lots of five petals.

Step 8. Draw two lots of six petals. Make sure to leave plenty of space at the bottom of your line, to add in leaves.

Step 9. Further down the line, you can also add a few sets of two-petals, if you want your lavender flowers to gradually thin out.

Step 10. Lastly, add a few long, thin, wavy leaves towards the bottom of the plant. Only add in two or three leaves max.

Step 11. Add colour if you wish; light purple to flowers, and light green to the leaves.

Step 12. Repeat the above steps to create multiple lavender flowers together in a bunch!

Below is a picture tutorial to follow for your lavender drawing:

How to draw lavender - detailed picture tutorial

Lavender drawing tutorial – final thoughts

Whether you want to draw lavender quickly, or you want a more detailed lavender doodle.

Hopefully this post has shown you how easy it is to draw lavender!

Related easy doodle tutorials

If you found this post helpful, check out these other easy drawing tutorials:

Learn how to draw more flowers in your bullet journal with this dandelion tutorial:

Or if you want to learn how to create other doodles, read these posts:

Lavender drawing tutorial

The 18 best bullet journal pens

April 25, 2022 / By
The best bujo pens and markers for your bullet journal

The best pens for your bullet journal

You’ve just purchased a notebook to start your bullet journal.

You added it to your basket, maybe thrown in some washitape and stickers for good measure, and pressed “order”. 

Your bullet journal is on its way! 

But then you realise, to create your spreads, you need… pens.

Finding the best bullet journal pens

There are so many great bullet journal pens out there to choose from.

Thick markers, coloured markers, gel pens, brush pens…

The never ending choice can be a little overwhelming if you’re just starting out.

But, because there are so many good bullet journal pens out there, there are plenty of options for you to create some really gorgeous bujo spreads. 

So whether you’ve just started your first bullet journal, and all you need are some pens to write with…

…Or you’ve got stacks of bullet journals filled with notes and doodles, and a collection of bullet journal markers you want to add to…

This post will guide you through buying the best bujo pens for you.

You’ll learn all about finding the best bullet journal pens to add to your pen collection, including:

  • The things to remember when buying pens for your bullet journal
  • What bleeding and ghosting are
  • And a list of the best bujo pens!

Things to remember when buying pens for your bullet journal

So, before you even start looking at possible bullet journal pens, some things you need to remember are:

  • Less is more. If you’re new to the bujo world, remember to start small; just buy one or two sets of bujo pens, and you can build your pen collection as your bullet journaling confidence grows.
  • Skills comes over tools. People often think you can only create amazing bullet journal spreads if you have the best equipment. But remember, good equipment alone won’t make you an amazing artist! 
  • It’s not just about the pens… Whilst we’re talking about tools, remember, bullet journaling isn’t just about pens. You can have the most amazing, expensive bujo pens, but if your paper is rubbish, you’ll get bleeding and ghosting.

Which is the next thing to discuss when considering what bullet journal pens to buy.

What are Bleeding and Ghosting?

When looking for bujo pens, you might see bleeding and ghosting mentioned in some of the reviews.

These are both things you need to watch out for when using pens in your bullet journal, as neither are something you want!

What is ghosting in bullet journaling?

In bullet journaling, ghosting is when you draw or write on one side of a page, and the ink shows through to the other side of the paper. 

The ink does not come through, but you can still see the drawings and writing on the other side (it’s a faint ghost of the other page).

What is bleeding in a bullet journal?

If the pens you are using are particularly inky (or the paper particularly thin), some of the ink might actually seep through to the other side of the page.

In bullet journaling, bleeding is when ink soaks through the page you are writing on and comes through to the other side of the paper. 

If your pen bleeds through the paper too much, you won’t be able to create a new design on the other side of the paper, and you’ll have to skip the page.

If you’re skipping multiple pages in your bullet journal, this can be quite wasteful. 

But not only that, pens bleeding can mess up the designs in your bullet journal. 

If your spread is supposed to be across two pages, and there is ink seeping through on the one page, you might not be able to create the spread on that page at all.

What type of pen doesn’t bleed through?

Now you know what bleeding and ghosting are, you’ll want to think about them when deciding what bujo pens to buy.

You might even be searching for bullet journal pens that don’t ghost or bleed.

If you’re looking for pens that are definitely not going to bleed, remember that the inkier the pen is, the more likely it is to bleed through.

This means that certain pen types are more likely to bleed. 

Highlighters, gel pens, and ballpoint pens are less likely to bleed, as they’re not very inky. 

But certain fine liners, brush pens and markers might bleed, because they have more ink in them.

However, you also need to remember that bleeding is not just about the pens you use.

It’s also about the paper you use; the combination of the paper in your bullet journal and the pens you use will determine whether there is bleeding.

The thicker the paper you use, the less likely the ink will bleed through. 

So you can use one pen, and it will cause bleeding on one sheet of paper, but not in another.

What type of pen doesn’t cause ghosting?

Again, you are more likely to be able to see ink through the paper if the pens you are using are inky. 

And the thicker the paper, the less likely you will get ghosting. 

But avoiding ghosting completely is almost impossible.

You are more than likely to see some of your design on from previous page when creating spreads in your bullet journal.

The only way to avoid ghosting is to make sure your bullet journal has very thick paper (almost as thick as card), and don’t use inky pens like markers or fineliners.

However, this limits your choice of pens for your spreads.

So whilst we will try to avoid bleeding as much as possible and choose the best bujo pens to avoid bleeding, ghosting is likely to happen here and there.

Just don’t stress over it!

How to prevent bleeding in your bullet journal

The best ways to prevent bleeding in your bullet journal are;

  • Use a bullet journal with thick, good quality paper with a high paper weight. When shopping for your journal, look for anything with paper that’s over 100 gsm (the one I bought recently had paper with 160 gsm)
  • Alongside using a bullet journal with high quality paper, use good pens created specifically for bullet journaling.
  • When using your pens, try not to colour multiple layers on top of each other, if you can help it. 

Now you know how to avoid bleeding in your bullet journal spreads, let’s get back to buying those pens!

What to ask yourself when looking for a bullet journal pen

When you’re looking at different bujo pens, you want to make sure you’re only buying ones that are right for you. 

Some questions to ask yourself are:

  • Versatility– how versatile are they? Can you use the pens in different ways for multiple different spreads? Or do they only have one purpose?
  • Reviews – are there any reviews of the pens online? If so, are they mostly good reviews? Read what they say carefully; a common complaint is pens bleeding through paper. But remember, often that depends on the paper in the journal being used.
  • Cost – are they affordable? Expensive doesn’t always mean better. Make sure to check the reviews (and if they are more expensive, make sure they are worth the money!)
  • Brand – is the brand known for being a good bullet journal supplies/ stationery brand? If so, is the brand name worth the money? Or are you paying more for it? Remember, there may be similar versions of pens and other bullet journal supplies, but without the brand name, for a lower cost (like makeup dupes).

Now you know what you need to be considering when you’re looking to buy, check out the best bujo pens below!

Which pens are best for bullet journaling?

Best pens for beginner bullet journalers

If you’re a bullet journal newbie, you’ll want to stick to the simple pens. 

All you really need to start are some black fineliners and a few colours.

Stabilo Point 88 – 0.4mm Fineliner – Box of 10 Pens – Black

These Stabilo fineliners are a great choice if you’re new to bullet journaling.

There are 10 pens included in the set above, so they’re almost 60p per pen!

The black they produce is a true black, so your drawings will be clear and the lines precise.

However, you must remember that these pens are not waterproof, which means the paper cannot get wet. If the paper did get wet, the ink would leak.

But hopefully, you are not planning to get your bullet journal wet anyway!

And given the price, these pens are a solid purchase for your bujo.

BOIROS Double Art Colouring Pens Fine Tip Brush Markers

Similar to the previous pens, these brush markers are worth the price; they work out as under 40 pence per pen!

They’re also very versatile because they are dual tip pens.

One side has a 0.4mm fine point tip, and the other has a soft brush tip (although this is more like a marker than a soft brush).

As each pen has both a fine point and a soft brush, these versatile pens are a good set to have to begin your bullet journal journey.

The only downfall is there are more shades of certain colours than others. For example, there are 6 different shades of pink, whereas there are only 3 shades of yellow.

But this shouldn’t be too much of a problem, as there are still plenty of shades to work with.

Just be sure to take a good look at the shades available before you purchase; if you’re planning a bujo spread filled with yellow flowers for example, you might want to look at a different set instead!

Best Fineliners for Bullet Journal

Uni Pin Fineliner Drawing Pen – Sketching Set of 8-0.1mm / 0.5mm – Black, Dark Grey, Light Grey, and Sepia

When looking for fineliners, unless you specifically search for “coloured fineliners”, you will likely only find black pens on offer.

This is why this pack is so great; there are multiple different coloured fineliners included.

These colours include;

  • Black
  • Dark Grey
  • Light Grey
  • and Sepia

So it’s great to have a set of pens available that have different “basic colours” included for sketching, other than just black.

There are also two different thicknesses in each colour; a very thin nib at 0.1mm, and a thicker one at 0.5mm.

A 0.1mm is one of the thinnest nibs you can have, so you can draw very thin lines with these pens.

And then you can also use the 0.5mm to draw slightly thicker lines.

Of course, the main downside is that there is only a 0.1mm and a 0.5mm thickness available in each colour.

So there isn’t the option to create really thick lines in a single stroke with these pens.

But, considering the different colours that are included, I’d still say they’re pretty unique.

And definitely worth it!

I also really like the Staedtler fineliners below:

Staedtler 308 SB6P Pigment Liner Fineliner

These pens are great for your bujo pen collection, as they’re good for both drawing and doodling.

There are a number of pens included of different thickness, ranging from 0.1mm to 0.8mm.

The packaging is secure too, since they come in a thick plastic case, making them easy to carry around.

Although these pens are great, the only downside is the thin nib pens can be quite fragile – 0.1mm is very thin!

So if you’re using with the pens that have a less than a 0.3mm nib, don’t press too hard (or they might bend).

Best coloured fineliner pens

STAEDTLER 334 Triplus Fineliner Superfine Point Pens, 0.3 mm, Assorted Colours, Pack of 20

As we’ve already seen, Staedtler are a well known stationery brand, and these coloured fineliners are another great set to add to your bujo pen collection.

Again, they comes in a solid plastic case, which is great for storage and keeping them safe and travelling.

Another good thing is that the reviews mention these pens don’t dry out very quickly, so you can colour in plenty of spreads with them and they will last a while.

The only disadvantage is that there are only 20 colours, which isn’t great for variety, but it isn’t the end of the world (there are enough colours to doodle with!).

Best gel pens

MUJI 0.38mm Black Gel Ink Pen (Pack of 5)

I discovered the brand Muji after a trip to London, and it’s safe to say I love them!

This brand provides both regular black gel pens, and colourful gel pens.

I find these to be the perfect level of inky-ness; not too inky, nor too faint.

Plus, they dry down pretty quickly, which is great for preventing smudging in your journal (especially if you’re left handed!).

Best coloured gel pens

Muji Gel Ink Ballpoint Pen Cap Type 9-Colours Set, 0.38 mm Nib Size

These are the coloured gel pens from the same brand.

Again, the quality is there with this brand, as they are the perfect level of inky-ness.

However, there are only a few different colours available in this set.

So, this pack is perfect if you’re just looking to write in colour with gel pens.

But if you want to create a bright spread with a range of different coloured gel pens, it might be better to use the set below;

Paper Mate InkJoy Gel Pens | Medium Point (0.7mm) | Assorted Colours | 14 Count

These pens are from the well known, high quality brand Paper Mate.

They’re another set that don’t smudge; the ink dries very quickly, so your paper will be smudge free.

Plus, there are more colours available in this set than in the Muji set of gel pens.

The only thing to note is that the textured grip is listed as an advantage, but some reviewers have mentioned the rubber coating picks up dirt quite quickly.

But this does not impact how the pens work themselves!

Best fountain pens

Pilot Pen Disposable Fountain Pen – Black (Pack of 3)

These fountain pens are great for handwriting; the 0.58mm nib gives a smooth, medium thickness line, meaning they’re perfect for calligraphy.

The only downfall is that because they are disposable, they are more wasteful.

Best white fountain pen

LAMY Safari Medium Nib Fountain Pen – White

This white fountain pen is perfect for adding highlights to your drawings, or white detail onto calligraphy.

It also has a cartridge refilling system with ink cartridge, so it is more sustainable than the previous option.

Whilst this one is medium (M) thickness, they also have extra fine (EF), fine (F), and broad (B) for different thickness options.

Plus, they have a left-handed (LH) option too!

Best permanent marker pens

Sharpie Permanent Markers | Fine Point | Assorted Colours | 24 Count

Who doesn’t love a sharpie?!

Sharpies are a huge brand, and their products are generally inexpensive.

These sharpie pens have a sharp, fine tip, and are highly recommended with lots of good reviews.

The only disadvantage to note is they are advertised as being pens with permanent ink that marks on paper, plastic, metal, and most other surfaces, but the reviews suggest the ink is not permanent on all these surfaces.

But as we’re using them on paper in a bullet journal, that doesn’t really matter!

Best ballpoint pens

Ball point pens are a great idea for your bullet journal.

Because they are not very inky, there is no chance of any ghosting or bleeding.

So they’re the perfect pen for bullet journaling!

Check out the best ballpoint pens below:

BIC Ballpoint Pens, ‘Cristal Original’ Black Pens ideal for School, Medium Point (1.0mm), Pack of 50

These BIC ballpoint pens are the basic pens you need for your collection; you really can’t go wrong with them.

From the well known brand BIC, these ball point pens have tonnes of good reviews, including that they are smudge-free.

Best Colored ballpoint Pens

BIC Cristal Fun Ballpoint Pens Wide Point (1.6 mm) – Assorted Colours, Pouch of 10, 921342

These pens are almost the same as the plain black ones, but come in the following colours;

  • Pink
  • Green
  • Blue
  • Purple

They’re great for adding a bit of colour to your writing!

But if you’re looking to colour in large drawings, I recommend using a different type of pen; ball point pens aren’t very inky, which can be a plus, but it’s difficult to colour in with them as they don’t layer well.

Best Brush Pens for Bullet Journal

Tombow 62038 Fudenosuke brush pen with soft and hard tip, black, 2 pieces

This set of brush pens include 2 different pens; one with a soft tip, and the other with a hard tip.

They’re great for both drawing and sketching, and also writing and handwriting.

Best coloured brush pens 

Funnasting 72-Colors dual tip BrushPens

This is a really big set of pens!

They’re inexpensive considering how many you get, and there’s a wide range of colours and shades included.

These brush pens are also dual tipped, and each tip has a different size (a 0.4mm fine point tip for outlining and detail and a 1-2 mm soft brush tip for shading and colouring).

So it’s actually like you’re getting double the amount of pens!

They also come in a plastic case, which makes transporting them around easy.

The only downfall is they are not a very well known brand – but don’t let that put you off.

Best Highlighters for Bullet Journal

STABILO highlighters – Pastel Wallet of 6 Assorted Colours

I love the colours in this set of pastel highlighters.

They are from the very well known brand Stabilo, and have tonnes of good reviews online.

They’re great for adding pastel colours to your bullet journal.

Best bullet journal pens for handwriting

Hethrone Calligraphy Pens, Hand Lettering Pens and Black Calligraphy Set for Beginners Writing, Signature, Illustration Design and Drawing (8 Size)

These pens are great for handwriting; this set has 8 different pens included, with a number of different sized nibs, so you can create plenty of different looks for your text.

They also dry very quickly, and are waterproof.

So it doesn’t matter if you spill something on your bullet journal by mistake!

Best Pens for drawing

Copic Marker 12 Piece Set – Basic

Lastly, we have to finish this post with copic markers.

Copic markers are the best for drawing.

They are seriously high quality; you are able to layer up colours and blend them easily, so they’re great for creating gorgeous colourful spreads.

There are a range of different colours available, and you can get copic markers in both small and large sets.

They even have a set of various skin tone colours!

The only down side is they are pretty expensive.

But considering the quality, they are definitely worth the money

Best coloured pens

If you’re looking for colouring pens for your spreads, here is a round up of the best coloured pens for your bullet journal:

The Best Coloured Pens for Beginners:

The Best Coloured Fine liners:

The Best Gel Pens:

The Best Coloured Permanent Markers:

The Best Coloured Ball Point Pens:

The Best Coloured Brush Pens:

The Best Coloured Highlighters:

The Best Colouring Pens for Drawing:

Best bullet journal pens – final thoughts

I hope you enjoyed this post all about the best bullet journal pens.

Hopefully it will help you find some amazing pens to add to your bullet journaling supplies collection!

Related bullet journal supplies articles

If you enjoyed this post, check out these other posts on bullet journal supplies:

The best pens for your bullet journal

23 Gorgeous Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads you need to try

March 27, 2023 / By
Bullet journal weekly spread ideas featured image

Bullet Journal Weekly Spread ideas

There are tonnes of bullet journal weekly spread ideas online.

In fact, at the time of writing there are almost 40,000 images with the #bulletjournalweeklyspread hashtag on Instagram!

But if you’re new to bullet journaling, you may not have tried a weekly spread yet.

Perhaps you have just stuck to the monthly ones.

If you’re looking to create a weekly spread for the first time, but not sure where to start, this post is all about bullet journal weekly spreads for beginners, so you can start planning and tracking your weeks!

What is a weekly bullet journal?

Weekly bullet journal spreads are bullet journal pages that map out your week.

Bujo weeklies tend to be a one or two page spread that contain a section for each day of the week.

Just like daily or monthly spreads, you can plan, track, and make notes of what’s happened in your life in a weekly spread.

But they are mostly used as a place to plan your upcoming week.

Believe it or not, weekly journal spreads are not part of the traditional bullet journal system.

But they are a great way to plan for the week ahead, and combine with a monthly log (it’s also fun to carry over a theme from your monthly bujo log, if you have one!).

So if you’re a beginner, it’s a great idea to start a weekly log.

Bullet journal weekly log vs monthly log

You might be wondering what the difference between a weekly bullet journal spread and a monthly one is.

The clue is in the name; one is for planning/ tracking by month, whereas a weekly spread is week by week within that month.

Monthlies are used for a general overview of the entire month. 

Traditionally, monthly spreads always include:

  • A calendar overview of that month
  • A monthly to do list

But you can also plan for specific events in a monthly spread, write down the things you’d like to do/ achieve for the month, track things over the month, etc.

Whilst weeklies are similar to the monthly bujo spread, a weekly spread gives an overview of the upcoming week specifically.

And of course, you tend to make then each week, whereas a monthly spread you plan once a month (and then fill in throughout the month).

The two actually go hand in hand; a weekly spread breaks down your monthly plans and tasks into weekly bites, which are more manageable.

Bullet journal weekly vs daily – what’s the difference?

Now you know the difference between a monthly and weekly spread, you may be wondering what the difference is between a daily bullet journal spread vs a weekly one.

Whilst a weekly spread helps to break down the monthly tasks, the daily spread helps to break down your week.

The weekly bullet journal spreads are created weekly for the upcoming week, and the planning for dailies can be completed weekly too.

But the journal part where you track what happened each day will be filled in at the end of each day.

So daily spreads are completed more regularly than weekly spreads.

Often, you do not need to start a daily spread in advance; this allows you to create as much space as you need, depending on what happened during the day.

Somedays, you will have lots of content you want to note down.

Whereas other days, you will not have much to put!

Should I journal daily or weekly?

Lots of people get stressed over whether they should be writing in their bullet journal weekly, or daily.

Remember, a daily spread can do most of what a weekly bujo spread can.

Both can help you plan your time, set daily goals, give space journaling and thoughts, and track your moods.

But, there are differences between the two.

Some questions you should ask yourself when deciding are:

  • What are your Bullet Journaling goals? What do you aim to achieve by writing in a bullet journal? Do you want to look back at what you did week by week? Or do you want to see your activities on a more specific level, day by day?
  • What do you want to track in your logs? If you want to track things you are doing daily (e.g tasks you have completed, thoughts for that day, etc) it is better to do this daily, so you are noting your feelings whilst they are still relevant, and tasks you have just completed that day. Plus, you can make sure you have enough room for each day, if you are creating them daily. If you are more interested in noting more weekly activities however, it is better to do a weekly spread.
  • How much time will you have for planning? If you’re a busy person (aren’t we all), you might not have enough time to plan a whole bullet journal page every night. In which case, it would be better to dedicate one night a week where you plan a weekly spread.

The other way to decide if you should journal daily or weekly is to look at the pros and cons of each.

The pros of a weekly bullet journal spread

  1. There is less planning, as you only set up the spread once a week.
  2. When looking back, you get to see an overview of your week at a glance.
  3. It’s easy to see the progress you’re making during the week as you fill out the weekly spread, as well as if you move tasks to different days.
  4. You do not have to write too much for each day of the week.

The cons of a weekly bullet journal spread

  1. You don’t have much room, so you can’t go into detail with planning each day, or journaling daily. There also isn’t as much space to add other elements, or draw and be creative.

In comparison, here are the positives and negatives of a daily bullet journal spread.

The pros of a daily bullet journal spread

  • Because are completing it daily, you can add as much space as you need day by day. This means you have more space to draw and be creative, as well as adding more detail to your to do lists.
  • Because you are completing a full week in small daily chunks, it allows you to be more focused on tasks for each individual day.
  • Bullet journaling daily helps you to get into a rhythm and solid routine.

The cons of a daily log

  • You have to allow enough time every day to journal, as you need to create a new page daily. This can be time consuming.
  • You can’t pre-plan pages, because they are usually done the night before. This means if you know you are going to have a busy day in the week and you won’t have much time to journal that day, you fall behind.
  • Whilst it is good to have plenty of space to work in, having too much space to write in each day can be overwhelming (especially for beginners).
  • Because you decide how much space you want for each day, some days will be bigger than others, meaning your days will be uneven.

Hopefully, this will help you decide which is right for you.

But remember, there is no set rule; you can do weekly spreads, daily spreads, or both!

Just try them out, and see which system works for you.

How do you do a weekly journal?

A weekly journal can be really simple, and doesn’t have to take very long.

You simply draw a weekly layout before each week begins, including small sections for each day.

Then, you add tasks and other things to each day.

When you set up your weekly, you can also reference your monthly log, and move things from your monthly into your weekly (e.g if you were going on holiday for a week this month, you can reference this during that week in a weekly spread).

What should you put on your weekly spread?

The joy of bullet journal is that your bullet journal is completely customizable.

So you can decide what goes in your bullet journal.

If you’re just starting out, it can be really difficult to keep up the habit of bullet journaling if you’re putting lots of work into it. 

So if you’re new to bullet journaling, start off with a very simple weekly spread.

Weeklies can literally just contain a simple overview of the week, with the days of the week with their dates, and notes.

Then, once you’ve started to get the hang of it and are journaling regularly, you can start using different layouts, collections, and spreads, and seeing what works for you.

What to include in a weekly bullet journal spread

Here’s a list of ideas for a weekly bujo spread:

  • The days of the week with the date
  • Calendar for the month
  • Appointments on certain days
  • Special dates for that week (birthdays, etc)
  • To do tasks for the week
  • Important notes
  • Weekly habit trackers
  • Weekly water tracker
  • Exercise tracker
  • A meal plan for the week
  • House chores list
  • A review of the week
  • Plans for the upcoming week

Bullet journal weekly spread ideas

So now you know all about bullet journal weekly spreads and how to make your own.

Here are some bujo weekly ideas to inspire you!

Remember, there are so many different looks and bujo themes.

So I have tried to include as many as possible!

Minimalist bullet journal weekly spread ideas

Simple weekly spreads can contain just contain an overview of the week.

These minimal designs tend to be much easier for beginners, to help keep your bullet journal functional and stop it being overwhelming.

Check out some minimal weekly spread ideas below!:

Minimalist bullet journal weekly spread ideas
Credit to @miss_roseheart

The above minimal bujo spread simply has the days of the week, the date, and a space for notes.

This is very simple, and does not make any reference to a monthly log.

But sometimes, that is all you need!

Especially if you are a beginner.

Minimalist bujo weekly spread idea
Credit to @tristanstudynotes

This spread, whilst still minimal with only the dates, days of the week, and notes for next week, has a bit more creativity thanks to the gorgeous flower drawing.

Colourful Bullet journal weekly spreads

Colourful Bullet journal weekly spread - purple weekly log
Credit to @daydreamdesk

If you want a colourful weekly spread, you don’t need to use a lot of colours!

You can just pick one colour to use throughout the spread, like in this purple weekly layout.

Colourful weekly spread ideas
Credit to @its_marta_bujo

If you don’t want to stick to one colour, try using lots of them!

This colourful bullet journal weekly spread uses lots of different colours, alongside interesting text and illustrations.

It’s really full, and looks fun!

Watercolour weekly spread idea
Credit to @bujoilunpolulla

Another way to make your weekly spread nice and colourful is to use watercolours.

You can see in this spread above, watercolours can help keep your bullet journal vibrant and fun.

2 page Bullet Journal Weekly Spread

Whilst single page weekly bullet journals are concise and simple, usually you will find you have enough information to fill a 2 page weekly spread.

(In fact, a large majority of the bullet journal weekly spread examples you will find online will be spread across two pages).

Check out some double page weekly spread examples below:

Bujo double page weekly spread ideas
Credit to @priyanka.bujo

Above is a beautiful example of a double page bullet journal weekly spread.

There is plenty of information, and the colours and illustrations give it a summer feel.

I love the pastel purple!

Bullet journal weekly spread for students

If you’re a student, bullet journaling is a great way to stay on track with your studies.

You can plan revision time daily, make note of your class timetable, and note when you have upcoming exams.

Check out these bujo weekly spread ideas for students below.

Work or school weekly planning pages

Work or school weekly planning pages
Credit to @little_dove_lacu

This spread is specifically for making notes of exam information and essays in a bullet journal.

There’s room to note information about the exam, the date, and the grade you get, as well as the length of your essays and the due date.

Bullet journal weekly spread with time

If you are a student, a bullet journal with time is important, so you can note down your weekly timetable.

Check out these bujo weekly spreads with time below:

Bullet journal weekly spread for students - Bullet journal weekly spread with time
Credit to @danna_belle4

This bullet journal spread is a great spread for students to try.

It has a clear schedule with a key, so you can note what lessons you have each day.

Weekly bujos pread with time
Credit to @scribblesandscribe

This weekly spread has plenty of room to write a timetable.

There is also space at the bottom to note what work is due that day.

Productive bujo weekly spreads

Perhaps you are not a student, but you would still like your weekly bullet journal spread to be productive?

If so, check out these weeklies for productivity below!

Credit to @leahbujos

Another way to make sure you have a productive weekly spread is to have a single page to track the days, and then dedicate another page to track and log activities.

You can see in the bright yellow spread above there is a whole page dedicated to being productive; there’s a notes section for the week, a place to log upcoming events, a checkbox to do list, and even a small habit tracker with multiple habits to track throughout the week at the bottom left!

Floral Theme Weekly Spread

If you’re looking for themes for your bujo weekly spread, a floral look is a great idea.

Flowers are easy to draw, and there are so many different looks you can create!

Bujo Floral Theme Weekly Spread
Credit to @a.freckle.a.day

This floral theme weekly spread is stunning!

It’s really simple, with just the days of the week and the date, but the flowers are a big, bold statement.

There is also plenty of room to plan and journal for each day.

Floral Theme Weekly Spread
Credit to @hellobonjournal

Remember, you don’t have to stick to drawing and doodling in your weekly spread!

This floral weekly spread uses stickers and washi tape to give it a cute, flowery look.

Vertical Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads

When creating a bullet journal weekly spread, you need to consider the layout.

Specifically, if you want your spread to be vertical, or horizontal.

Check out some vertical bujo weekly spreads below!

Vertical Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads
Credit to @wildeyesbujo

I love the colours and drawing on this vertical spread above.

It also contains a lot of information, despite there being a lot of illustrations!

Vertical BuJo Weekly Spread idea
Credit to @wildeyesbujo

This spread has been split into 2 vertical sections on one page; one half is for planning each day of the week, and the other contains beautiful illustrations.

Vertical Weekly Spread inspo - galaxy bujo spread
Credit to @plslars

This is another stunning vertical bullet journal weekly spread idea.

The spread itself is very simple, with just the date for each day and room to write about that day.

But the cute illustrations with the block colours help to give the design a full look.

So don’t feel you have to spend hours drawing and shading to make your spread look full and fun; this is a perfect example creating a wonderful, exciting spread, with just a few colours and drawings.

I also love the colour scheme used here – purple is my favourite colour!

Horizontal Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads

Alternatively, if you don’t enjoy the vertical weekly spreads, you can try a horizontal bujo weekly spread.

Check out some horizontal spread ideas below:

Horizontal Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads
Credit to @paperythoughts

Again, you do work your way down the page for this weekly spread.

But because the boxes take up the width of the page, it is a horizontal weekly spread.

I also love the leaves on this design!

Turn it bullet journal weekly

Another quirky way to lay out your weekly spread is to turn your bullet journal on its side.

Check out the examples below!

Turn it bullet journal weekly spread
Credit to @dadwithplan

This bullet journal has been turned on its side, and then a simple design for a weekly spread has been fitted onto one page.

Block Layout Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads

Including blocks or boxes in your bujo weekly spread can really help to break up the page and make it look neat.

You can also put more emphasis in the design for certain blocks, so they stand out more.

This design is handy for beginners to be able to see exactly where they need to write.

Check out some block layout bullet journal spreads below:

Credit to @penpapersoul

Above is a great example of a weekly spread with boxes.

There are clear sections to write in for each day.

Creating a weekly spread with sections is a great idea if you’re a beginner.

As it gives you a clear space to write in, so you can be certain each day will be evenly spaced.

Blocks don’t have to be visible

Whilst it can be very helpful for beginners to have visible blocks to write in, you don’t need to actually draw the boxes in if you don’t want to.

Here are some examples of bullet journals with blocks that have not been drawn in:

Weekly spread with blocks that are not visible
Credit to @a.freckle.a.day

This is another weekly spread by a freckle a day.

The spread also has plenty of room to plan and track each day of the week, and despite there being set space for each day, there have not been actual boxes drawn in the spaces.

Blocks don’t have to be visible
Credit to @stationerynat

The above weekly spread again has clear sections to write in for each day of the week, but these are not boxed in.

This means it’s option how much or little is written under each day.

(Side note: I also love the camping theme!)

Credit to @theminibujo

This is another great example of a block layout for a bullet journal weekly spread, but without the blocks being visible.

There is clear space underneath each date of the week to write about that day, but there is no box, meaning the writing for that day is not limited to a set space.

The images at the bottom right are also a special touch!

Dutch Door Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads

Last on the list is dutch door weekly spreads.

A Dutch door bullet journal is when out of a set of pages, the outside pages remain stationary, whilst the inner pages are designed to move and be turned. 

Typically, the inside pages are cut thinner than the outside pages, so more of the outside pages can still be viewed, even when the inside pages are not being turned.

Below are some examples of dutch door weekly spreads:

Dutch Door Bullet Journal Weekly Spreads
Credit to @theminibujo

The section on the right with Thursday and Friday on is actually a much smaller page.

Turning it reveals the weekend days on the next side, followed by the start of a new week!

It is a clever way to go through each week, whilst still having the content on the outer pages (the quote on the left and the images on the right) visible.

Bullet Journal Weekly Spread with Dutch Door
Credit to @cali_pages

This photograph shows the dutch door being turned; the pages in the middle are turned to show days throughout the week, whilst the month on the left and the events for that month on the right stay visible.

A round up of BuJo Weekly Spreads

I hope this post has taught you all about bullet journal weekly spreads.

And you now have plenty of ideas for your own bullet journal!

If you enjoyed this post, check out these other bullet journal inspiration roundups:

Bullet Journal Weekly Spread ideas

How to draw a book for beginners

December 30, 2022 / By
How to draw a book for beginners featured images

Book drawings for beginners

Want to learn how to draw a book?

What about different types of books? Perhaps you want to learn how to draw a stack of books for a bullet journal book tracker?

Whether you want to create a gorgeous book spread in a journal, or you simply want to get better at doodling, this post will teach you how to draw a book (even if you’re a beginner!).

Bullet journal book ideas

Before you learn how to draw books, you might be looking for ways to add books into your bullet journal.

If so, check out these bullet journal book ideas below:

  • A book tracker. You can track books you have read on a dedicated spread in your bullet journal. You can track them each month, or create a spread to track what books you have read throughout the year.
  • A book rating spread. You can both track and review your initial thoughts on books as you finish reading them.
  • To-read list. Instead of tracking what books you are reading, you could make a list of books you would like to read some day, then tick them off as you read them.
  • A reading challenge. Instead of tracking books as you read them, or making a goal reading spread, you can set yourself a reading challenge and aim to read certain books by certain dates.
  • Books to take on holiday. If you have vacations planned, you can draw books and make notes of what books you would like to take with you on each trip.

Now you have a few ideas for doodling books in your bullet journal, let’s learn how to draw them!

Art supplies to draw a book

  • Something to draw in or on. This can be plain paper, a sketchbook, or in a bullet journal.
  • A pencil and an eraser to plan your drawings out (if need be). 
  • Pens. I recommend a fineliner. You can use any colour pen you want, but I tend to use black. 
  • Colours if you want to add colour to your book doodles. 

How to draw a book – book drawing step by step tutorial

How to draw a simple book

First we will learn how to draw a simple book.

How to draw a simple book tutorial

Step 1. Draw two straight lines across. Draw them at a slight angle sloping down, and keep them parallel.

Step 2. Add a curved line from the edge of one straight line down to the other. Repeat on the other side, and make sure the second line curves in the same direction.

Step 3. Draw two straight lines in parallel from the corners of the top line. Draw the straight lines diagonally. Join the two straight lines across at the top with a straight horizontal line, at the same angle as the spine of the book.

Step 4. Draw another straight line at the same angle off the last corner.

Now fill in the space with small lines to create pages, and you’re done!

Draw a stack of books 3D

Drawing a stack of 3D books is similar, except you add more lines initially (and eventually end with more books!).

Draw a stack of books 3D step by step

Step 1. Draw four straight lines across. The gap in between each line is a book, so this will create a stack of 3 books; if you want a taller stack, draw more horizontal lines.

Step 2. Draw curved lines at the end of each set of horizontal lines. This will create the edge of the spine for each book.

Step 3. Create diagonal lines back from the corner of the spine of each book. Make sure each line stays at the same angle.

Step 4. Draw straight lines across each line to draw the back of each book. Add in small lines from the top left corners of each book, at the same angle as each of the other lines. Create lines down at the end of each corner to create pages.

Now you have a 3D stack of books!

Exactly the same as the first book, but now multiple are stacked.

How to draw a book cover

How to draw a book cover

Step 1. Start by drawing a rectangle. Draw it at a slight angle.

Step 2. Add in two curved lines from the two left corners, and a straight line down between these two curved lines to create the spine of the book.

Step 3. Create a straight line across the top, in parallel with the top of the book. This will create the back of the book.

Step 4. Draw a wobbly line down from the back of the book to the front of the book, to create the space where the pages go in.

Lastly, add in some decoration to finish!

I added a few lines in to show the pages, and some lines and curves to the spine to make it more decorated.

I also added some scribbles on the front of the book to represent a book title.

Open book drawing step by step

Now we will learn how to draw an open book.

How to draw an open book step by step

Step 1. Draw a straight vertical line. This will be the center of the book. Then draw two vertical lines; these will form the two pages of the open book. The two outer lines should tilt inwards slightly at the top and then gradually come out at the bottom.

Step 2. Create some wavy lines coming from the center of the book outwards to the edge of the pages. Make sure the shape of the wave is the same on the top of the paper as it is on the bottom. I also recommend making the line wave up when it was closed to the center, and then dipping downwards when it reaches the edge of the page.

Also, add a little triangle at the bottom in the center of the two pages, to be the spine.

Step 3. At the bottom and on the right hand side, draw some of the same shaped lines around the open pages. These will be the more pages in the book.

Step 4. To finish, add some straight lines around the pages. This will create the hard cover of the book.

Add some text in on the open pages, and you’re done!

How to draw a stack of upright books

This is how to draw a book stack:

How to draw an open book step by step

Step 1. Draw a set of parallel, vertical lines.

Step 2. Draw downward curves between each set of lines. Draw the curved lines at different heights to make the books different sizes.

Step 3. Add in small curved lines at the bottom of each set of lines. Keep these at the same height; if the books were sitting on a shelf, the bottom of the books would be level.

Step 4. Add in some decoration onto the spine of each book, and you’re done!

How to draw a simple stack of books

Now, here is how to draw a stack of books on its side.

How to draw a simple stack of books

Step 1. Create a set of parallel lines across.

Step 2. Draw some more horizontal lines on top.

Step 3. Continue to draw horizontal lines on top to create a higher stack. Make them different heights to create books of different thicknesses.

Then add small downward lines between each set of horizontal lines, to create edges of each book.

Step 4. Add in some decoration on the spine, including titles for the books, and you’ve got a stack of books!

How to draw a notebook

Lastly, here is how do draw a cute notebook.

How to draw a notebook easy

Step 1. Draw a rectangle. Make sure it’s at a slight angle.

Step 2. Draw two curves downwards from the right and left side of the notebook. Also draw a straight line across and upwards around the bottom right corner.

Step 3. To add in spiral bounding, draw three small circles along the top of the rectangle. Then draw curves coming from inside the circles, over the back of the notebook.

Step 4. Join the curved lines and the corners to create the edges of the paper.

To finish, add in the details. I made the spiral bounding thicker, added the title “notes”, and put some lines in as sheets of paper.

How to draw a book easy: final thoughts

I hope this has shown you how to create a book doodle and other book drawings easily.

And how easy it is to draw different types of books (that look really good!).

Here are all the book drawing tutorials together:

How to draw books - book doodles

If you enjoyed this post on book drawings, check out these other drawing tutorials:

Related easy doodle tutorials

How to draw books – best book drawing tips

35 bullet journal future log ideas

March 27, 2023 / By

The best future log ideas for your bullet journal

When you start a new bullet journal for the year, one of the first spreads to create is a future log.

Because, a big reason to keep bullet journals is for planning.

And a future log is a great way to help plan things throughout the year!

If you’re new to bullet journaling however, you may not know what a bullet journal future log is.

Read on to find out all about future logs, including how to use a future log, and how to make your own!

What is a bullet journal future log?

To understand what a bujo future log is, it is helpful to know a bit more about the overall bullet journal system.

There are 3 main types of logs that are used in bullet journaling.

These are the;

  • Future Log
  • Monthly Log
  • And Daily Log

A future log is basically a calendar spread to plan for anything that is relevant in your long-term future.

It can hold important monthly or yearly tasks and events.

What is the purpose of a future log in a bullet journal?

The main reason to keep one is so that you can plan for upcoming tasks and events throughout the year.

Of course, you will have monthly and weekly spreads in your bullet journal to keep track of plans that are coming up too.

But those spreads are for events that are more immediate.

A future log allows you to plan for tasks or events that are too far in advance for you to include in your dailies, weeklies, or monthlies.

What to use your bullet journal future log for

As it is used for planning future events and tasks, you can use a bujo future log for any part of your life where you require planning of future activities.

This includes;

  • Your personal life
  • Your work or business tasks
  • Your school tasks if you are a student

You can use your future log to track for one of these aspects of your life, as some may not be applicable to you.

Or, you may find you plan for things that overlap these categories.

For example, you can keep a note of upcoming birthdays; these can be birthdays for your friends from school, family, and work buddies.

Where do you put a future log?

A future log is also typically kept at the front of a bullet journal.

Having all these tasks in one place means you can easily flip to the front of your bullet journal and see an overview of your future plans and ideas.

Plus you can check when a specific event for the year is happening.

It basically allows you to keep track of tasks that are easily forgotten, because they are so far away!

Future log bullet journal vs monthly log: what’s the difference?

Because there are multiple logs you can create for your bullet journal, it can get confusing what each one is for.

The main difference between a future log and a monthly log is the amount of time that each log covers.

A future log is an overview of the upcoming year.

Whereas a monthly log focuses on the specific month that is approaching. 

So whilst there isn’t a difference in their purposes (as both are for tracking and planning), as they cover different amounts of time, you will use both differently.

A monthly log you will use just for that particular month; once the month is over, you will not use that monthly log again because you create a new one.

But as a future spread tends to cover a whole year, it is more open ended, and you continue to update it throughout the year as different events and plans come up. 

Using a bullet journal future log and a monthly log together

As a future log typically goes near the front of the bullet journal, you would start your bullet journal by setting up a future spread at the front. 

Then, as you set up your monthly log for each month, you would refer back to the future log, and note any relevant events or plans from the future spread into the monthly. 

It’s also important to keep up with your future log every month, so you are ready for when it’s time to create each monthly log.

For example, in March you are working through your March monthly spread.

But you would also need to make sure you are completing your future spread for April, since you will be setting up an April monthly log next month and you don’t want to miss anything important out.

Creating a bullet journal future Log

So now we know all about a future log, it’s time to learn how to create one!

Starting with what to put in it.

What should I write in my future log?

It’s important to remember that your future spread will be unique because you will create a future log that suits you. 

If you are a very busy person, with multiple commitments planned months in advance, then your future log will likely cover the whole upcoming year, and it will be very full.

But if you’re not as busy, you can create a simple one, and update it throughout the year.

What to include in your future log

A future log can include anything that occurs in the future.

However, it is typically used to store items with definite dates you know are set for the upcoming year.

These include:

  • Recurring events, such as birthdays, bank holidays, and anniversaries
  • Events that are not on a set date every year, like trips and vacations, concerts, gigs or shows, appointments, parties, and more

However, you can also include things that you want to get around to at some point in the year in your future spread.

For example, you might pencil in a week in March for spring cleaning, or a week in November for Christmas present shopping.

A list of things to include in a bujo future log

Check out this full list of things you can include in your future log!

  • Birthdays
  • Anniversaries
  • Parties + celebrations
  • Gigs and shows
  • Holidays, vacations, trips + travels
  • Bank holidays, such as New Year’s Eve, Christmas Day
  • Meetings, such as business or school meetings
  • Appointments, such as doctor/ dentist appointments, vets, etc
  • Revision days
  • Exams and tests
  • Cleaning days
  • Quarterly and annual bills

How do you draw a future log?

Step #1: Pick a page to create your future log in

To start, you need to remember that your future spread will be one of the first pages in a brand new bullet journal.

This is so you can quickly access all your future plans and events for the year, and revise it as needed.

So to start, pick a page near the front of a new bullet journal.

(If you are starting a future log midway through the year however, you can just start one on a fresh page in your journal).

Step #2: decide on the number of months your future log will have

There are generally 4 different future log options that contain a different number of months;

  1. The 3 month setup
  2. The 4 month setup
  3. The 6 month setup
  4. A full future log spread with all the months (also known as a year at a glance).

It is up to you how many months your future log contains.

If you’re working in a brand new bullet journal, you may want to include all the months for convenience, and to save time creating a new one at a later date in the year.

Or, if you’re creating a future log midway through the year, you will likely want to create one with less months.

You may also want one with less months if you are new to creating a future log, and are just trying it out to see if it works for you.

Or if you have a lot of information to input into each month, and want to make sure you have enough space.

Step #3: Decide on your content

Now you need to decide what content will be included in your future log.

Remember, everyone’s future log will be different depending on their needs, and you can include as much information or keep it as minimal as you’d like.

Some things to ask yourself when you are creating a bullet journal future log is do you need:

  • A monthly calendar with all the dates? Or just blank section with the month as a header?
  • A section for colour coding/ including a key? 
  • A space to write notes?

Hopefully, answering these questions will help you realise what content needs to go into your future log.

Step #4: Start drawing!

Once you’ve decided what info you want included, it’s time to start drawing your future log!

I always find it helps to see some other future logs for inspiration before I start.

And there are plenty of examples of different future log layouts to help you further down in this post!

Tips for creating a future log

Here are some other tips for creating your future log that should be helpful;

  1. If you are including mini months, keep a calendar close by whilst you are creating see the dates. This will help prevent mistakes. You can print out a calendar, or use the calendar on your phone. 
  2. Use tools, like stencils or stamps, whenever you can to make creating a future log quicker and easier. For example, you can use dated washi tape to make vertical columns for calendar months, stamps for the dates, or even a date stencil to keep your numbers and letters in line.
  3. Remember, slow and steady wins the race! Take your time as you’re creating it. The slower you go, the less chance you have of making mistakes! And remember to take plenty of breaks. 

Bullet journal future log ideas (for 2021)

Now that you have the best tips for creating a future log, here are some bullet journal future log inspo ideas!

Vertical future log

To start, vertical future spreads are a really simple and easy layout to follow.

Check out some bujo vertical future logs below!

This spread above by soniascribbles is a excellent example of a minimal future log that runs vertically down the page.

The name and number of the month are clear at the top of the page.

Then underneath, there is plenty of room underneath to make plans and track events for that month, with every 5 days being marked clearly to help keep track of the date.

Such a simple idea, yet so effective!

This is another great example of a vertical bujo future spread.

You can see on the page on the right, the name of the month is written at the top in bubble writing.

Then there is a line for each day of the month underneath, with what day it is clearly written in the box.

You can then write what event is happening that day next to the date for that day.

I also love the hand drawn flowers at the bottom of the page – super sweet!

Vertical future log spread (with mini months)

A great way to quickly see an overview of the month is to include mini months in your future log spreads.

Now that you have seen some examples of future logs that are vertically designed, check out these vertical future log spreads with mini months!

Similar to the examples we have seen so far, the name of the month is written is gorgeous script font at the top of this future log.

But this time, instead of a line underneath dedicated for each day of that month there is a small calendar (AKA mini month).

Then underneath the calendar, the creator has written the date for that month, and then whatever is happening on that date next to it.

Only noting down dates you have events on underneath a mini calendar is a great way to save space if you want a smaller future log spread.

The only issue is you have to be content with your dates underneath possibly being out of chronological order, if you need to keep coming back as you start making plans.

I absolutely love the mini calendar months pictured in spread!

They have a super cute illustration under the name of the month, and then also a symbol to represent the day of the week the date falls on.

These are actually calendar stickers; stickers are a great way to fill your bullet journal quickly and easily, whilst making sure it looks super cute!

You can also see behind this future log is the previous one included in this list; those calendars are actually mini calendar stickers too!

But they are transparent calendar stickers.

These two images above are future logs created by Jolie.

They are another great example of using a mini month in a future spread.

They are similar to the sticker examples we saw previously, but these have been hand drawn.

So whether you want to quickly use stickers and stencils, or hand draw in your future log, either way works!

The above future log uses mini months at the top of the page, and then has plenty of space left underneath to track events and plans for that month.

By separating down the page, you create clear columns to write in for each month.

Of course, you can do this by eye, but if you’re a beginner, it may help you with spacing to see exactly the room you have to write in.

The use of colour and unique font also gives it an interesting look!

This colourful future log is super cute!

I love the animal print header for each month, as this helps to create a theme.

You can see a lot of the examples provided so far don’t use the full name for each month, but a shortened version.

This is a great way to keep your future spread neat and concise.

Vertical future log with calendex

Another great idea for a future log is using mini months with a calendex.

A Calendex is a combination of a calendar and an index.

It is a really simple way of seeing the dates for the month, and an overview of tasks and events for that month.

Check out these future logs with a calendex below!

In the example above, you can see there is a mix of a mini calendar at the top, and then also an index underneath each calendar.

Next to each event written there are also little drawings to create a key!

Such as a small present illustration to represent birthdays in that month.

This future log by Aurélia-Lynn alias Auly also features mini calendars at the top, and then an index with cute illustrations underneath each month.

The highlight behind the month header helps to give the spread some colour, but keep it minimal.

Color coded calendex

Here are some more examples, but this time using a colour coded calendex in the future log!

In this one, you can see that in the mini calendar, some days have been marked with a different colour depending on the event or task happening during that day.

This helps to make sure when you are looking at your future spread, you can not only see when things are happening throughout the month, but also get an idea what those events are at a glance.

For example, birthdays have been marked on the mini calendar as a bright orange.

So whenever they see a bright orange date in the calendar, they know there is an important birthday that day.

Here is another example of a colour coded calendex, using multiple different colours to note certain events throughout the month.

Whilst this is a great way to get a quick indication as to the type of event or task planned for that day, the only downfall is it can be tricky to mark multiple events on one day, if you have already colour coded it for something else.

To get around this, you can perhaps use a combination of colour coding and then illustrations for certain events, so you can mark multiple things on the same day in the mini calendar.

Sideways future log

Now you have seen multiple examples of vertical future logs, check out these sideways spreads!

Future log inspiration
Credit to @laurcraftstore

This travel inspired future log is awesome!

The boxes go across the page, and there is plenty of room to write your future plans for each month.

The travel theme is great for these months, as this is when people are typically going away or on their summer vacations!

Above is a great example of a sideways future log spread.

There are boxes across the two pages, and then each box has been sectioned so there are spaces to write in for each month.

This is a very minimal future log, that holds just the name of the month and notes about that month.

But the creator Jennie has included some cute doodles around the border, which help to fill up the page.

Sideways with mini calendar

The previous horizontal example did not use mini calendars at all.

If you want to try creating a horizontal future log with mini calendars, these examples are below:

This is a beautiful example of a horizontal future log that also uses mini calendars for each month.

It is a horizontal plan within a larger vertical template.

I really like the alternating layout with the title of the month and the mini calendar in each box, and the font with the black and white theme also gives it a cool newspaper vibe.

In this future log, the layout is similar to the previous design, except this time the month is consistently written on the left hand side of each box, with a mini calendar next to it, and then space for notes.

Writing the names of the months in alternating colours helps to give it a bit of a colour pop, without requiring taking lots of time to colour everything in.

Future log ideas
Credit to @pockets_bujo

This is a super cute future log spread!

The name of the month is followed by the mini calendars underneath in each box, with the days of the week at the top of the calendar.

I love the different pastel colours for each month, and the mix of the colours for the “future log” heading.

As well as helping to brighten up this log, the different colours help to differentiate between each month; when you quickly take a glance, you can easily see each box is a different month.

So when creating your own future log, you may want to assign a colour or theme to each month, so you can quickly tell which month is which.

Circle future log

If you’re looking for a unique future log layout, why not try creating a circular one?

You can check out some examples of circle future logs below:

In this example, the future log holds similar information to previous future logs we have looked at; there is a title for each month, and a mini calendar with the days of the week and their dates.

The main different is the future log title is in the middle of the page, and then each month is spread around the center.

The stars are a super cute theme, and you could even create one that is relevant to a circle, like a pizza or cake, and each month is a slice, etc.

This future log takes the circle idea, but uses only half a circle to represent half the year.

The month number starts at the center, followed by the name of the month with a mini calendar, and then plenty of space for notes.

The half circle spread is a great idea if you only need to include 6 months in your future log.

Or because this future log spread is only across 1 page, if you wanted a double page spread, you can put it across the center of the 2 pages, and make it into a full circle with all 12 months.

Grid spacing future log

As your future log tends to go at the front of your bullet journal, it can be helpful to include other important information with it.

Whilst the example above is not technically a future log, it’s a great idea for a future log spread with grid spacing.

Just have the grid spacing on one page, and then a 6 month future log on the other!

Future log in boxes

If you want to make sure you have clear space to write in for each month of your future log, it can be helpful to split your future log into boxes.

Below is an example of a future log in boxes:

The future log above has all the information for this month sectioned into different sized boxes.

Having a set section with clear borders can be really useful if you’re a beginner.

It helps to make sure your spread looks neat and tidy, and you are reminded of how much space you have as you’re filling out information for each month.

Colourful future log

If you want to add lots of colour to your future log, feel free to!

This example is full of colour and decoration, and it really helps to bring the spread to life.

But, whilst this future spread is beautifully decorated, it isn’t actually that complicated to replicate yourself!

There’s just plenty of bright colour around each month name, giving it a 3D effect, and then the same colour is used underneath for the notes section for each month.

Then there is some colour added to the star illustrations at the top, and that’s it!

So don’t think you need to do tonnes of shading to make your future log look vibrant and full of life.

Future log with notes section

It’s handy for your future log to include lots of information for the upcoming year, and one way to do this is to include a notes section.

The above future log has a whole page dedicate to notes for the 6 months it covers.

In particular, it focuses on the day and month there are upcoming appointments.

But if you’re creating your own notes section in your future log, you include whatever notes you want!

6 month future log

Now you’ve seen quite a few different future log layouts, below are some 6 month future log ideas.

In both those examples, you can see the future log has 6 months in total; 3 months on one page, and 3 on the other.

A 6 month future log is a great idea if you’re a beginner, as it means you can have a practice at creating a future log with less information.

It also means you have plenty of space to work in, compared to a full year future log.

Bullet journal year at a glance

Whilst discussing future logs, we can’t forget the year at a glance.

A year at a glance is basically what it is called; a spread that is a quick overview of your year, which you can read at a glance.

Bullet journal future log vs year at a glance – what’s the difference?

A bullet journal year at a glance is very similar to a future log, in that it can provide you with a quick overview of the months of for the year.

You can also mark the same events in both of them, such as holidays, birthdays, etc.

The main difference is that a year at a glance is created with the intention of giving you a quick overview of the whole year (hence the name).

But whilst a future log can include 12 months, you can cover less than 12 months in your future log spread if you wish; some future logs are cover half the year, some 4 months, and some even just 3.

Bullet journal year at a glance inspiration

Check out these year at a glance ideas below!:

Year at a glance with mini calendars

This year at a glance includes a lot more drawing.

You can see the whole spread, including the header, the months, and all the dates, have been drawn by hand.

But, even if you are drawing your year at a glance by hand, it doesn’t have to be complicated!

As the above example shows, sometimes simplicity and a little bit of colour here and there is all you need.

Here is another example of a year at a glance with mini months.

As this one simply has the year it is covering as the title, there is plenty of room around the heading for drawings, if you want to be a little creative with your future log.

The illustrations in this one are simple line drawings, but super cute!

Here’s another great example of a year at a glance.

You can see the mini calendar for each month is in a box, which helps it stand out against the page.

So drawing boxes in your future log can not only help you to work out how much space you have, but can also make your months stand out and change the look of your future log design.

Year at a glance with a key

If you want to mark events in your year at a glance, a good idea is using a key.

Above is a great example of a year at a glance with a key.

The key on the right covers when there are important days, so when you take a glance at the mini calendars, you can easily see what days are inset days, school holidays, and bank holidays.

Remember, your choice of colours or illustrations for your key can help to create a visual theme for your at a glance.

The shades of pink used in the example above help to give it a cute floral vibe.

Year at a glance double page spread

When creating your year at a glance, you’ll want to think about whether it spreads across 2 pages in your bullet journal, or just uses one page.

Whilst the mini months in the previous example only filled one page, the post below is a great example of a year at a glance double page spread:

I love the sweet pastel colours in this one, and the star illustrations help to give it a kawaii feel.

The 12 months being spread across the two pages means there is space under each month to include more information if needed.

And spreading the months across 2 pages means there is more room for decoration around the months, if you want to be creative!

Year at a glance with quote

Because you take quick looks at your year at a glance spread throughout the year, adding a quote in is a great way to make your spread more personal, and remind you of something each time you look at it.

Check out this great example of a year at a glance with a quote below:

The floral drawings are stunning, and the quote in the center of the flowers is a great reminder to stay positive that they will see throughout the year when they take a quick glance.

If you’re including a quote in your year at a glance, it’s up to you how you incorporate it into the design.

You can put all the months on one page, and then dedicate a whole page in the spread to a quote and illustrations, if you’re feeling creative.

Or if you want your mini months to be across a whole double page spread, you can subtly incorporate a quote somewhere in the design around them.

Remember, if you want to include a quote in your year at a glance, you don’t have to be good at drawing!

Above is a great example of a year at a glance that’s been created in a bullet journal with minimal drawing.

The mini months and month headers appear to be created using a stencil or stamp, and the quote has been included in a beautiful collage.

So if you want to use a quote in your yearly glance, but you don’t want to draw, you can try some collaging instead!

Birthdays and holidays spread

Lastly, whether you’re creating a future log or a year at a glance, a spread that’s helpful to include when it comes to tracking your year is a birthday and holiday spread.

Below are some great bullet journal birthday spread ideas:

I really like the above birthday spread; it’s super sweet, yet simple.

Similar to the previous future log spreads we’ve looked at, there is a clear space set out for each month.

However, the “Happy Birthday” title at the top makes it clear the space for each month is for tracking birthdays specifically.

The flags across the top of each box are also a cute touch, and help to add to the birthday celebration theme!

This is another great birthday spread idea if you like to have equal sized spaces to track birthdays for each month.

However, unlike the last spread where the box for each month had definite borders, this one is slightly more forgiving as there are not definite boundaries you need to keep within for each month.

Again, I like the flags used in this spread to give it a celebration theme – having the bunting go across the top and writing each letter of the header onto an individual flag is a great idea!

Above is a great birthday spread idea if you’re looking to be a little creative and use drawings.

Instead of having equal sized spaces to track the birthdays for each month with, this one has balloons to write in.

This is a great idea if you want a colourful birthday spread in your bullet journal.

Plus, having different sized balloons means you can draw balloons bigger for months you know have more birthdays you need to track, and smaller balloons if you don’t have any birthdays to note for that month.

Bullet journal future log inspiration – final thoughts

I hope this post has taught you all about future logs!

Including how to create your own future log in your bullet journal (it’s really not as hard as you’d think!).

And also provided you with some future log layout ideas.

If you enjoyed this post, check out these other bullet journal layout posts:

Bullet journal future log ideas

How to draw a dandelion step by step

December 30, 2022 / By
How to draw a dandelion featured image

How to draw a dandelion flower for beginners

Flowers make some of the prettiest drawings.

(They are also some of the easiest doodles!)

Whether you want to learn how to draw, or your looking for doodle ideas for your bullet journal, dandelions are a great flower to draw.

Read on to learn all about dandelions, and how to draw them!

What is the symbolic meaning of a dandelion?

A dandelion is a cute doodle idea for your bullet journal due to its symbolic meaning.

The dandelion is said to be a symbol of hope, happiness, joy, and love.

Many people make a wish on the seeds as they fly away into the sky, so they are also quite whimsical flowers.

Dandelion bullet journal ideas

If you are looking for bullet journal doodle ideas, a dandelion flower is a great idea!

Not only because of its symbolic meaning, but also because there are plenty of ways you can include it in your bullet journal.

Here are some great ideas for adding dandelions into your bullet journal spreads:

  • Travel and adventure spreads. As dandelion seeds travel far and wide in the wind, they are often a symbol of travel. If you have travel ideas or vacation spreads in your bullet journal, dandelion doodles are a good addition to these.
  • Spring and summer spreads. Monthly spreads often include themes for that specific month; a dandelion is often associated with spring and summer, as that’s when they bloom, so you can create a dandelion theme for a spring or summer monthly spread. 
  • Goals spread. As people often make a wish before blowing dandelions, including dandelion drawings in your goal pages is a great way to show you are wishing for your goals to be met.
  • Include in your journal with a quote about strength. Despite being considered as weeds, dandelions are perennial flowers that return every year. You can include a dandelion doodle in your bullet journal to symbolize strength.

So now you have some ideas for adding a dandelion drawing into your bullet journal, here is how to draw a dandelion.

How to draw a dandelion – easy for beginners

Dandelion drawing supplies

First, you need to make sure you have the right drawing supplies.

Check out what you need for a flower doodle below:

  1. Paper, sketchbook or a bullet journal to draw your dandelion on
  2. A Pencil
  3. An Eraser
  4. Drawing pens. You will need both a thin pen like a fineliner, and a thick nib pen in whatever colour you want your dandelion to be (I suggest black, but of course you can use other colours!)
  5. Colours (if you want to colour it in)
  6. Something circular to draw around, like a coin or tin depending on how big you want your drawing to be.

How to draw a dandelion step by step

Step 1. Take the circular object, and place it on the paper. Draw around the circular object using the pencil. Make sure to press lightly with the pencil, as we will be erasing this circle later.

How to draw a dandelion Step 1 - draw a pencil circle

Step 2. Draw a thick black dot in the center of the pencil circle using the thick pen.

Step 2 - draw a dot in the center of the circle

Step 3. Using the thick nib pen, draw a line down from the dot in the center of the circle to create a stem. Make the line slightly wavy to give the stem slight bends, or keep it straight if you want a more rigid stem for your dandelion.

How to draw a dandelion Step 3 - draw a line down from the center
Step 4. Now to add the seeds on the head of the flower, using the fine point pen, draw thin lines from the back dot in the center out towards the pencil line. Make the lines as long as you want; some can go over the pencil line, whilst others don’t have to meet it.
How to draw a dandelion Step 4 - draw lines from the center outwards
Step 5. Now it’s time to fill in the dandelion head. Draw small straight lines either side of the lines you drew in the last step in a V shape, at the very tip.
How to draw a dandelion Step 5 - Add small lines in a V shape around the end of each line
Step 6. Then add small dots at the end of each line.
Dandelion doodle step 6 - Add small dots to the end of each line
Step 7. To finish, erase the pencil circle, and add some more thickness to the dot in the center.
Step 7 - Draw the dot in the center thicker and rub out the pencil
And that’s your dandelion!

Below is how to draw a dandelion tutorial using the visuals in each step:

Dandelion step by step drawing

How to draw a blowing dandelion

To make the dandelion appear to be blowing;

  1. Follow the initial steps, but this time draw the stem so the top of the line bends at a slight angle. This will make the dandelion stem look as though it is bending in the wind. 
  2. Ddraw slightly more short lines that don’t quite reach the outer pencil circle. This will make it seem as though the dandelion has lost a lot of its seeds in the wind. 
  3. Follow the initial instructions, but to finish, draw some individual seeds in the air, blowing away from the dandelion. Make sure the seeds are to the side of the dandelion, and are coming away from the dandelion in the same direction the dandelion stem is bending. This will make it clear the seeds are blowing away in the wind in the same direction the dandelion is blowing.

Here I have followed some of the steps mentioned above, to draw a dandelion blowing in the wind:

Dandelion blowing in the wind

Dandelion drawing tutorial – final thoughts

I hope this post has shown you how easy it is to draw a dandelion doodle!

Hopefully, it will help you draw beautiful flower doodles!

Related easy doodle tutorials

If you enjoyed this post, check out these other easy drawing tutorials:

How to draw a dandelion