New Year, new Bullet Journal! Setting up my new Bullet Journal is one of my favourite New Year’s activities. Here’s what my 2024 minimalist Bullet Journal looks like.
What is a Bullet Journal?
But first, what is a Bullet Journal?
A digital product designer, Ryder Carroll, developed the Bullet Journal, a customisable and versatile organisation system that combines elements of a to-do list, planner, and diary.
The core elements of the Bullet Journal are:
- Index: The Bullet Journal has numbered pages; an index at the front helps you find what you need.
- Logs: The original Bullet Journal contained a monthly calendar, task list, and daily calendar. Today, many users add a future log to have an overview of the year and a weekly log.
- Rapid logging: Rapid logging is part of the daily logging system in which you take quick notes.
- Collections: A collection is a group, such as related tasks, a project, or a list of books you want to read.
- Migration: Migration involves moving one day’s uncompleted tasks to another to remain visible.
Carroll’s original system is simple, but one of the key features of the Bullet Journal is its flexibility. Users can design layouts, add various modules, and adapt the system to suit their needs. This adaptability has contributed to the widespread adoption of Bullet Journaling as a creative and effective method for staying organised, tracking progress, and maintaining a record of important information.
If you google it, you’ll see many examples of artsy journals. Unfortunately, the Bullet Journal aesthetic sometimes overwhelms and discourages people from trying the system. That’s why I would like to share my Bullet Journal. My approach is close to the original, which has become known as a minimalist style.
A new notebook
I adopted the Bullet Journal in 2015 and kept it simple, but it has become leaner over the years.
From 2015 to 2021, I used a Moleskine journal and went from the softcover grid to the hardcover dot. In 2022, I bought the black Bullet Journal Edition 2, a collaboration between Ryder Carroll and Leuchtturm1917. I repurchased it for my 2023 journal.
For 2024, I decided not to buy a new journal. I chose a Moon notebook by the German company nuuna from my stack of beautiful, unused journals.
Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2 vs Moon by nuuna
The Moleskine and Leuchtturm1917 notebooks are comparable, but using the nuuna notebook is a new experience. They are different sizes and shapes and made of different materials.
Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2
- Booktype: Hardcover
- Size: A5
- Pages: 206
- Paper: 120g/m²
- Grid: 5 mm dotted grid
- Booktype: Flexcover (soft and flexible), recycled leather with a metallic silk-screen finish
- Size: 21 × 165 × 220 mm
- Pages: 256
- Paper: 120g/m²
- Grid: 3.5 mm dotted grid
Both journals have numbered pages, but the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2 has several features that the nuuna notebook doesn’t: a grid guide, a pocket guide to Bullet Journaling, page dividers, a sticker set, an index, a Future Log, and three bookmarks.
I love the look, feel, and silvery moon on the front and back of the nuuna graphic notebook. I also like how the moon graphic wraps around the notebook on the edges of the pages. The beautiful lunar theme is my favourite feature of the nuuna notebook and inspired me to buy some matching washi tape. I also prefer the blank, stark white pages of the nunna; the first 11 pages of Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2 are titled (I covered the page titles with washi tape).
The nuuna notebook is noticeably larger than the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2. Its smaller grid size, 3.5mm versus 5 mm, means I’ve struggled to divide the grid equally on one page. It also means I have to write smaller (or ignore the grid), and more information fits on one page. What I miss the most in the nuuna are the three ribbon bookmarks in the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2.
My 2024 minimalist Bullet Journal setup
Many people begin their Bullet Journals with a key. The first spread of the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2 is the Key and Intentions. I no longer use the original key. After all these years, I’ve developed my system based on the original. For example, I prefer checkboxes over bullet points for tasks and bullet points over dashes for notes. This is second nature to me, and I don’t need to write it down. I didn’t need the Intentions page either, but I used it last year for some quotes and goals.
The Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2 spoiled me with its grid guide. So, in the first spread of my nuuna Moon notebook, I created a grid guide and added a little journal blessing and some quotes. There is still a lot of room on the page, so I may add more quotes or my 2024 goals.
The next spread is the Index. The Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2 has two spreads for the Index, but I only need one (I covered the page titles with washi tape and repurposed the pages).
Some collections follow the Index: Important Info, Emergency Contacts, and Important Dates. This is essential information at a glance. It’s primarily dates, such as when my IUD was inserted, my last cervical cancer screen, and my COVID-19 vaccines. Some of this information is captured elsewhere, such as My Health Record, Australia’s national digital health records platform, but flipping to this page is quick and easy.
In 2023, I used a spread for Purchases Waiting On, online purchases, particularly those that will take weeks and months (and even years, as with some Kickstarters). Because the nuuna Moon notebook is larger and has a smaller grid size than the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2, one page will suffice. I’m using the other page to list big projects that don’t have a specific start or end date.
I’m using the next spread for my Goddess Mandala. In short, my Goddess Mandala is the pantheon of 13 goddesses I am devoted to and work with throughout the year. Associated with different months, directions, and other correspondences, they maintain a flow or current of energy, which I wanted to refer to quickly. So, I added it to my Bullet Journal for the first time. I am still determining what I’ll do with the second page of this spread.
The next spread is my future log. I’ve tried vertical future logs and horizontal ones, and none. I rely heavily on my Google Calendar, which changes frequently. Rather than having a granular calendar in my Bullet Journal, I use the future log to get an overview of the year, highlight significant events, and track the moon and my menstrual cycle.
The future log took up the entire page in the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2, but it takes up about 2/3 of the page in the nuuna Moon. And here, you can see that my monthly boxes are uneven. This would have bothered me a lot in the past–it still does a little–but I am trying to be less of a perfectionist.
My next spread is the month of January. My reliance on my Google Calendar means I only need a little calendar space in my Bullet Journal. The month’s list of days and numbers takes up the entire page in the Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2, but very little space in the nuuna Moon notebook. That leaves more room for my lists of to-do items, ideas, and gratitudes.
The pages after my Monthly Log for January are empty. Here starts the daily notes, rapid logging, and more. These pages will be a haphazard blend of my daily tasks, meeting notes, brainstorming, planning, and other activities.
What's not in my Bullet Journal
Many common Bullet Journal collections don’t make it into mine. These primarily include collections that I’ve opted to store elsewhere. For instance, I track my books on Goodreads and heavily rely on Notion for work. The weekly log comes and goes as needed.
Spiritual content is limited in my Bullet Journal since it’s stored elsewhere. For instance, my Book of Shadows is a physical book I created after my initiation into Georgian Wicca. Other materials are documented and stored digitally. I don’t include lists of correspondences in my Bullet Journal because I know them, refer to specific books, or use online resources.
My Bullet Journal is a temporary tool for current productivity. Except for a few collections, I don’t use the Bullet Journal for information I’ll need beyond the current year.
What about pens and accessories?
The pen I use the most is the inexpensive Artline 200 Fine 0.4 in black. However, the Pigma Micron 01 is excellent for writing small.
The Leuchtturm1917 Bullet Journal Edition 2 has rose gold accents, but the nuuna Moon notebook is black and white. I decided to go with blue and purple as accent colours. I’m using Faber-Castell Textliners in blue and purple in addition to a light grey Staedtler Textsurfer Classic highlighter.
Other supplies I rely on are:
- a Staedtler Mars Micro 775 Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm
- a Staedtler eraser
- correction tape
- a white gel pen for corrections
- a 15-cm clear plastic ruler
- assorted black and white washi tape
I use these tools mainly for setting up the monthly log and as needed. As you can see in the photos above, my Bullet Journal is not artsy.
That’s it! That’s my 2024 minimalist Bullet Journal setup.
