A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your First Bullet Journal

Line up the washi tape at the top of the page and trim the edges. You can use a ruler and pencil in dots to make sure the tape is on straight. I just eyeballed it.

Depending on the tape and paper, you may also be able to carefully lift it up and reapply if you make a mistake! Here's what it looks like across the two-page spread.

Use a colored pen to write the date above the tape. I used the two-page spread for a week's worth of planning, but you can do a month, a day, or really whatever you'd like!

Use the ruler and pencil to start the calendar. For a week spread, I drew five lines on the first page and four on the second.

There are literally thousands of ideas for weekly spread designs on Instagram. I just started with a super basic one for my first time. In addition to the boxes for each day of the week, I also added boxes on the bottom right for mood, to-dos, and what I'm reading. I later changed mood to weather, just because I thought it'd be more helpful. But again, this your journal, so include whatever makes sense for your interests and activities, whether that's a daily food or exercise component, school assignments, or wellness tracker. And each week or month can have a different design!

For September, I used Fall colors to doodle some leaves for seasonal flair. Feel free to go as simple or artistic as you'd like!

I then used my Google calendar to fill out my schedule. I color-coded each task and appointment to make it easy to see the different categories. So red is for reading, purple is for appointments and reservations, dark blue is for work meetings, light blue is for travel, and green is for fun activities. I also added some more random doodles just to fill it out a bit. Now go forth and try bullet journaling!

Keep reading for some products to get you started!

Rifle Paper Co. Pocket Notebook S/2 ($10)

Happy Jackson A5 Crap I Gotta Get Done Notebook ($15)

Tape Single: Dots ($3)

Kids Tape Single: Colorful Border ($3)

Ruler ($8)

Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust Bold Point Pens - Meteor 6 Pack ($20)

STAEDTLER® Marker Pen, Fine Tip, 20ct - Multicolor ($25)

Kate Spade Foil Dot Pencil Pouch Set ($30)