Bullet Journal Supplies + Tips
Bullet journaling is something I’ve been doing for a couple years now. It serves as a great creative outlet but also helps me feel organized. I’ve been having so much fun talking about Bullet Journaling on Instagram - you can see more on my bullet journal highlight on my page here! In this blog post, I’ll give a rundown of my favorite supplies as well as ideas on spreads and layouts. Additionally, I’ll give a couple tips to help you get started. Feel free to message me on Instagram with any questions @kelseyhaverdesigns and be sure to follow me for more bullet journal content!
PS - this post does include some affiliate links, meaning that I do make a small commission if you make a purchase. Thank you for supporting me and my business!
archer + olive notebook
These notebooks are my all-time favorite for bullet journaling! They are so nice aesthetically - beautiful colors, hardcover, pretty designs on the front and they offer gilded edges on some designs!
They are as functional as they are beautiful with a strap that keeps the book closed, two ribbon bookmarks (one that has a charm of their ampersand logo), and a spot to keep a pen. The dot grid page layout is perfect for bullet journaling!
I’ve linked the website here! I primarily use the A5 size with white paper with the dot grid page setup.
pens + supplies
I use a variety of pens and markers when bullet journaling! Below are all of my favorites:
archer + olive acrylograph pens
These pens are from the same company who makes my favorite notebook for bullet journaling! They are made with water-based acrylic paint and are so pigmented. The 0.7 are my favorite pens for adding color to my journal. I’ve linked the Tropical set (shown in this photo) here!
gelly roll pens
Another one of my favorites are the Gelly Roll pens! They come in several different colors but I primarily use their black and white ones. They also have some metallic that are nice! They write pretty smooth but I don’t recommend using them to color in large areas.
Black Gelly Roll Pens are linked here!
Click here for the White Gelly Roll Pens!
The Silver Gelly Roll Pens are linked here!
Click here to shop the Gold Gelly Roll Pens!
papermate flair pens
I’ve been using these marker pens since highschool and I still love them! This 24 pack is full of beautiful colors - I’ve linked it here! I use the color pens all the time but for bullet journaling, I absolutely love using the black market pen for all of my lists and writing everything other than headlines. I’ve linked the black 4 pack here!
Want to buy in bulk? Here’s a big pack of the black color - my go to!
pencils for sketching
These pencils are perfect for sketching out a design before inking it over with markers or pens. They are linked here!
small ruler
For maintaining straight lines, I always carry this small 6 inch ruler! It’s the perfect size for carrying in my pencil pouch. I’ve linked it here!
white out
Mistakes do happen so I like having one of these white out dispensers on hand! Linked here!
pencil pouch
I’ve linked a couple cute pencil pouches here for storing all of your new bullet journal supplies!
This pink one from Sugar Paper is so cute!
tips + tricks
1) My biggest tip when it comes to bullet journaling is to allow one square in the dot grid per letter. This gives the letters even spacing and gives it that clean and organized look!
2) Another tip is to sketch out layouts before going over them in pen or marker. It can be time consuming but it’s usually worth it in the end.
3) My third tip is to use the dot grid to your advantage and count spaces to help your design be centered both vertically and horizontally.
4) Another thing I’ve learned is to figure out what is attainable for you. For me, I tried doing boxes that I filled in every day but I struggled to keep up. I’ve learned that weekly spreads and habit tracking is better in that respect. Additionally, I do well with monthly and yearly spreads and tracking!
5) Pick a theme for every month! I’ve created themes by using different colors, icons, or lettering styles. For example, one theme I did was butterflies and! My monthly spread for June featured butterflies and so did the pages throughout the month. It makes the month feel cohesive and I look forward to developing a new theme every month! I know people who do weekly themes but for me, I prefer (and can keep up with) the monthly ones!
6) Play around with different lettering styles! I use mostly all uppercase letters in my bullet journal with some script for headlines. I also play around with some funky typography and lettering for my monthly spreads! I have a $5 printable workbook that goes over some lettering basics and tips in my shop if you’re interested! It’s linked here.
ideas
Here are some ideas of things that you can include in your bullet journal:
Goals
To Do Lists
Important Dates
Books you’ve read or movies you’ve watched
Things that you are grateful for
Things that you’re proud of
Your top spotify song of the month, day, or year
New recipes you’ve tried
Scores of your favorite sports teams
Top moments of the day, week, or month
Bucket Lists
Quotes that inspire you
Ideas
Below is a list of some things that you can track! Most of these can be made for the day, week, month, or year!
Workouts
How much water you drink each day
If you did or did not eat/drink something (I used to track how many days I drank coffee)
Budgeting/Spending
Follow/Engagement Rate on different platforms (if you’re a small business, content creator, etc.)
The time you wake up or go to bed
If you posed on different social media platforms that day (again, good if you’re a business, influencer, or content creator!)
Any small task that you want to focus on for the week (an example I’ve done is spend 10 minutes a day organizing my desktop folders or 15 minutes of cleaning each day, etc.)
