7 Creative DIY Bullet Journal Ideas for School, Work, and Life!

We’re almost one month into the new year, and many of us are probably thinking about starting a journal or some type of planner. Having a physical tracker and diary of your day-to-day life is a great way to stay organized and keep tabs on your progress. And if you want a creative one and YOU, you’re in luck. Here’s our list of DIY bullet journal ideas you can easily do yourself with just a piece of notebook and a few simple supplies!

#1 Have a Colorful Month-at-a-View Calendar

Journal ideas

Journal ideas

There are a lot of fantastic journal ideas that you can do or follow to organize your schedule!

One of the primary purposes of having a journal is to keep track of your schedule and remember important dates–like when bills are due, birthdays, and work meetings. And with a month-at-a-view calendar layout, you can make sure you remember all of these with a glance! 

You can search or make your monthly calendar template for this journal idea and print it out. You may opt for those without dates and just write them in yourself to get a more personalized look.

If you want to be more creative, one of the journal ideas you can do is to draw your own and make it colorful with the help of highlighters, gel pens, stickers, and whatever other fun stuff you got! 

#2 Journal Ideas: Compartmentalize Your Notes!

Work-life balance is a thing. And organizing your journal this way is the perfect solution if you’re having trouble figuring out what things to prioritize and when!

For this journal idea, create different sections in your notebook using sticky page markers so you can easily find what you need! You may want to have one section for school/work and another for errands. Or maybe even some fun stuff on the side? As long as it works best for you, go ahead and try it out!

#3 Make Space for a Sticky Note Pad

Of course, you won’t be writing all your stuff in the journal alone. Sometimes you need to jot down your ideas and plans on a separate piece of paper (or sticky note!) before putting it in your journal. So to make sure you can do that without any trouble–you may opt for adding a sticky note pad!

In fact, you can find notebooks that already have it built-in. However, if you want to make one yourself, all you need is a pad of sticky notes in your favorite color and double-sided tape. Using the adhesive, you can paste the pad right on the back of the cover or the first page!

#4 Have An Envelope Pocket

This journal idea is perfect if you need a lot of space for things other than writing in your journal. You can use it to keep coupons, receipts, notes from friends and family, and tickets you want to save as mementos. All you’ll need is a piece of envelope you can paste on the back cover and some stickers or washi tape to decorate!

#5 Allot Some Pages for Your Interests As Well!

Of course, our journal ideas aren’t all about work and errands. You can also make some space for journaling about your interests like the latest K-drama you’re watching, favorite music artists, or anything else that makes you smile!

You may want to think of this concept as journal prompts in disguise. You can have pages allotted for your list of movies to watch, fashion looks to try, or recipes you want to cook up. Actually, keeping track of these things in one journal is a great way to get inspired and be creative!

#6 Color Code Your To-Do Lists & Future Events

Journal Ideas

Journal Ideas

This journal idea is perhaps a no-brainer. Sometimes journaling about important dates and reminders is so much better than keeping it on your phone or planner alone. However, just making your journal colorful isn’t enough–you may want to color-code everything for an even more organized look!

This journal idea can be tricky at first, but you will definitely get the hang of it if you try. For example, in your month-at-a-view calendar, you may want to write dates related to work in one color, school in another, and personal events in yet another. You can also do the same for your sticky notes, page markers, and washi tapes that you’ll be using throughout your journal.

#7 Journal Ideas: Map Out Your Future Goals!

Everyone has their own bucket list of things they want to do in the future. And this journal idea is perfect for those who want to make sure they don’t forget about it!

Just like journaling about past and current events, you can utilize your journal’s month-at-a-view layout to map out all the things you want to do in the future. Be creative with how you want to lay it out–you can have pages for each year, every season, every month, or every week!

You may also allot pages for your lists of goals for the next two years, the next semester, or even for each month! This will allow you to enjoy journaling about your past and present while still being super organized about what you want to accomplish in the future.

Ready To Make Your Own? Here Are Some Quick Tips!

As you may have noticed, journaling is not just about writing your thoughts alone. This practice can help boost self-esteem and improve mental health. Plus it will definitely be a big help when it comes to planning for the future! But before you follow any of these journal ideas and create your own, here are some quick tips to keep in mind:

Know & Set Your Priorities

Starting a journal can feel like painting on a blank canvas–you’ve got all this journaling to do, but not really any guidelines or direction. This can be a little overwhelming.

Hence, before you actually fill your journal, know what your priorities are. Will your journal be mainly about your future goals? Will you be journaling about work and errands only? Are you journaling to keep track of things, or are you journaling mainly for self-care and mental wellness?

Don’t Overthink It!

Think of journaling as a personal space. It’s not about perfection or following certain rules—it’s about journaling for yourself. The journal ideas above can all help you journal more creatively, but they can also be modified to suit your needs.

Your journal is a space that’s all about you, so feel free to journal however you want and do what works for you! For example, if you want a journal that’s solely for planning and documenting past events, then go ahead! Or if you don’t want to color-code anything because it stresses you out, then skip it! Your journal is a space that’s all about you, so feel free to journal however you want and do what works for you! 

Journal Ideas: Make It You!

This journal should be your personal one, after all. So make sure its look and feel reflect who you are. You can use stickers, stamps, and washi tapes that represent your interests and passions! You can also decorate your journal with photos or magazine cut-outs.

In short, have fun journaling about what you love and what matters most to you. Because journaling shouldn’t be a chore—it should be an experience that brings out the best in you!

Where To Get the Best Materials?

Can’t wait to start your journal? Make sure you get only the best materials for all those journal ideas. Shop at our store for a wide range of notebooks, envelopes, and many other supplies you’ll need! We’ve also got super printing services for your colorful images, calendar templates, and more!

Just contact us or swing by our San Antonio branch and our staff will be more than happy to assist you!

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