We're all looking for ways to be more organized and productive in our daily lives, especially in the new year. While some people have benefited from mapping out their daily tasks in a planner, others have found a more personalized approach that works better.
Bullet journaling has made waves on the internet over the last few years — you've likely scrolled past a few artfully-designed schedules or custom goal maps, without ever realizing what it was. Shelby Abrahamsen, a bullet journaler who runs the lifestyle blog Little Coffee Fox, said she had been using regular planners for years with little success when she realized she needed a more stimulating and exciting planning method — and bullet journaling provided just that.
"This system is completely flexible to my ever-changing needs and I can go wild making it messy, colorful and beautiful," Abrahamsen said. "Because of this, the bullet journal can hold my attention and keep me on task. Most of the time, at least."
What is a bullet journal? | Bullet journals to shop | Meet the expert | How we chose
What is a bullet journal?
Bullet journaling, otherwise known as "BuJo," is a "mindfulness practice disguised as a productivity system," according to the official Bullet Journal website. The method, created by Ryder Carroll, a digital product designer, is a way to streamline the process of planning, journaling, ideating and more by creating one space to do it all.
According to Abrahamsen, the basic elements of a bullet journal include a monthly or yearly spread, where you can plan for the future, a section for more pressing plans such as daily to-do lists or weekly overviews and a section for collections, which can be anything from a grocery list to a project brainstorm.
"Once you have your blank journal, you can fill in these elements in whatever order you like," she said. "You can keep things very precise and neat, or you can have each new page be something completely different. As long as it works for you, you’re doing it right."
As you get more comfortable, you may want to test your creativity and experiment with stencils or colorful designs. But for beginners, the first step is finding a good journal. Below, we're sharing expert, editor and shopper-loved options that will help you kick off the process.
Bullet journals you can shop right now
Paperage Dotted Journal Bullet Notebook
Colors: 25 | Pages: 160 | Style: Hardcover | Paper type: Choice of lined, blank, grid, dotted
An affordable option, this notebook has a flat-lay design, which will make it easier to map out your days. It has a sturdy water-resistant vegan leather cover that will keep the contents within safe. The dotted page journal comes in 11 color options like burgundy, navy and white.
Minimalism Art Premium Hardcover Notebook Journal
Colors: 8 | Pages: 122 | Style: Hardcover | Paper type: Choice of lined, blank, grid, dotted
With an impressive near five-star average, this bullet journal comes in nine different colors and has 122 numbered pages. It even has a Table of Contents that you can fill in to help you easily find what you're looking for. "I 100% recommend this for those who are on a tighter budget but wants quality notebook for their journal/bullet journal," one shopper shared.
Modern One Line a Day: A Five-Year Memory Book
Colors: 1 | Pages: 372 | Style: Hardcover | Paper type: Choice of lined
"I’ve been using this journal for over a year and a half and writing in it each night is one of my favorite parts of my day. Just having to write one line a day takes any pressure off from thinking you have to fill pages and pages with your thoughts," says senior social media editor Kate McCarthy. "It’s been fun this year to look back and see what I was doing on the same days last year, and it makes me laugh to see how I summed up each day in a sentence or two. This journal is made to last for 5 years, but even so, it’s pretty compact, which makes it easy to throw in a bag and travel with."
Dingbats Wildlife Dotted Hardcover Notebook
Colors: 14 | Pages: 192 | Style: Hardcover or softcover | Paper type: Choice of lined, blank, grid, dotted
The dotted version of this notebook is available in nine colors, each featuring a different animal print on the cover. It's the perfect notebook for the person who's always on-the-go with an inner pocket, a pen holder, a bookmark and an elastic closure to keep everything together.
LEUCHTTURM1917 Medium A5 Dotted Hardcover Notebook
Colors: 25 | Pages: 187 or 123 | Style: Hardcover or softcover | Paper type: Choice of lined, blank, grid, dotted
If you're feeling ready to jump in, this notebook comes highly recommended by Abrahamsen. "This journal has excellent details like numbered pages, a pre-printed index, two bookmarks and an accordion pocket in the back that make it an amazing bullet journal," she said "Plus, the paper can take a remarkable amount of abuse, which I love as an artist."
Video producer Anita Chomenko says she's a fan of the dotted version for bullet journaling, too. "The dots help me when I’m making boxes, graphs or charts and give me the confidence to make them without grabbing a ruler for every line. I’ve bought this numerous times and it’s still my go-to when I’m looking to customize my journaling experience," she says.
Moleskine Classic Notebook
Colors: 7 | Pages: 240 | Style: Hardcover | Paper type: Dotted
Moleskine is one of the most well-known notebook brands, and while their journals tend to be more expensive, they're super high-quality. You can grab one of their dotted notebooks in a range of colors, or if you're feeling up to the challenge, opt for one that's completely blank. It has inner storage folders where you can keep memorabilia and an elastic closure that holds everything in place.
Papier Colorblock Dotted Notebook
Colors: 10 | Pages: 96 | Style: Hardcover | Paper type: Choice of lined, bullet, blank
Opt for a splash of color to help you get excited about using your new bullet journal. This notebook from Papier comes in seven different colorways in paperback and hardcover options. It also has a bookmark attached to the top so you’ll always know where to pick up the next day.
Feela Dotted Bullet Journal Kit
Colors: 12 | Pages: 224 | Style: Hardcover | Paper type: Dotted
This kit gives you everything you need to create Instagram-worthy designs and layouts in your bullet journal. Along with a dotted notebook, it comes with reusable stencils, 15 colorful pens, sticker sheets and six rolls of washi tape, so you can turn every page into a masterpiece.
Scribbles That Matter A5 Dotted Journal
Colors: 23 | Pages: 150 | Style: Hardcover | Paper type: Dotted
Plan out your day or create lists in this well-designed journal. It includes a key page, which is helpful if you're using certain symbols or colors to denote specific tasks or events. The pages are numbered and it has an index at the front, so you can easily flip to the page you're looking for.
Meet the expert
- Shelby Abrahamsen is a bullet journal expert and Head Content Creator and Writer of the lifestyle blog Little Coffee Fox.
How we chose
The Shop TODAY editors and writers search the internet to find the best products out there. We interview expert sources, comb through customer reviews and even use our own personal experiences to make shopping easier for our readers.
To find bullet journals, we researched products from top brands and retailers that our readers and staffers love. We included a mix of top-rated items from verified shoppers, editor-loved finds and more.
