There are few things in the world I treasure more than my college bullet journal. Well, bullet journals. I filled up a couple during my time in school, and at the time, they were an invaluable tool for keeping myself on track.
In high school, I got pretty good grades… but I was a scatterbrain. I constantly turned in assignments late and finished forgotten projects at the last minute. During my senior year calc class, we were asked to make “goal cards” on the very first day. On the last day of class, my teacher handed back our goal cards, and announced to the room “Everyone, Megan’s goal was to turn in all her homework on time!” There was a lot of laughter – I was notorious for being clever, but disorganized and forgetful.
But with my college bullet journal, I was able to pull off a 3.95 GPA and graduate summa cum laude with departmental distinction and two minors. I never had to request and extension on an assignment, and I never forgot a major project. I’m not saying all this to brag – I just want you to know how powerful of a tool my college bullet journal was. It literally changed my life, and it can do the same for you.
A new school year is the perfect time to start a bullet journal, and the bujo is especially well suited for college. It’s more flexible than most planners, and because you make each spread yourself, every week is customized to your needs. The bullet journal is perfect for helping you balance college classes, extracurriculars, and side hustles.
Is the Bullet Journal Right for You?
I preach the bullet journal like a gospel, but I know it’s not a perfect fit for everyone. Before you get too far, you should decide whether the bullet journal is right for you.
Bullet journals are often associated with “Type A” personalities. Type A people are typically very driven, often competitive, and tend to be very organized, meticulous, and detail oriented. Understandably, that makes the bullet journal a great tool for them! That said, I’m more of a “Type B” personality. Type B people tend to be less goal- and detail-oriented, focusing on the big picture and valuing creativity and collaboration. Whether you’re Type A, Type B, or somewhere in the middle, a bullet journal can still be a valuable tool!
You’d likely benefit from using a bullet journal if:
- You often find pre-designed planners don’t meet your needs
- You sometimes struggle with actually completing to-do lists
- You find yourself forgetting small tasks or upcoming events
- You lose track of to-dos and schedule items across multiple platforms
- You enjoy taking the time to be creative
You don’t have to identify with all of that, but if any of the above points sound familiar, a bullet journal could be helpful for you!
What You Need to Start a College Bullet Journal
As I’ve said before, when I started my first bullet journal, I just used a cheap notebook from Walmart and a dying Bic pen. There was nothing fancy about it. So I maintain that the best supplies to start your bullet journal are the ones you have on-hand. If you find that your bujo is useful, you can always upgrade to something nicer!
That said, I know it’s easier to commit to a new habit if you treat yourself to some new supplies first. So here are my recommendations for starting supplies! Oh, and some of the links below may be affiliate links, meaning I’ll share the profit if you make a purchase – it’s no cost to you!
Notebooks
Like I said, don’t be afraid to start in whatever notebook you have lying around! The pressure of using a “new” or “fancy” notebook can be super intimidating. I’m always terrified to put pen to paper, because what if my writing ~isn’t worthy~ of this nice new journal? It’s a silly fear, but it’s real! Confront it if you feel it!
If you’re looking for a new notebook, I’ve written an entire post on the best bullet journal notebooks. Don’t have time to read the whole thing? TL;DR: I’m a huge fan of Baron Fig Confidant journals! They’ve got great dot-grid paper and nice dimensions. If you’re into free two-day shipping, though, these Amazon picks are all journals I’ve tested and liked over the years:
Pens
I’ll say it again: it’s easiest and, in my humble opinion, best to start with whatever you have on hand already. You probably have a million pens, so find one that writes easily and doesn’t bleed or ghost through paper too much. If you’re going to be doing bullet journal spreads, you don’t want to see remnants of the previous page on each new one!
A few months ago, I treated myself to some new work pens. And by “treated myself” I mean spent less than $6. These fineliners have bold, rich colors, last a long time, and don’t bleed too badly through most types of paper. They’re a great “starter” pen for your new bullet journal!
Extras
Bullet journals are sort of famous for all their extra bits – the washi tape, the collage elements, the fancy highlighters. I would say your most important tool (outside of a notebook and pen, of course), is a straightedge. A decent metal ruler tends to be a cheap and durable addition to your kit, but in the meantime, use whatever you have lying around! I lost my ruler for a few weeks my junior year of college and did all my bullet journal spreads with a hardcover textbook. No shame.
Planning Your College Bullet Journal
Like most things in life, your college bullet journal will probably turn out a lot smoother if you go in with a plan. Every bullet journal has a few key elements that you should think about before you get started.
Index
Your bullet journal’s index is just like the index of a book. You’ll use it to track where important spreads are in your journal, for easy reference later. The index can be a tricky part of your bujo, though, so let me give you a little advice:
Give yourself a few blank pages. You never know what you’ll end up adding to your bullet journal later. And I, for one, would rather have a blank page at the beginning of my journal than run out of space for my index. Leave space for your index to grow.
Don’t stress. The index of your bujo is often the starting point for a new notebook. This can be kind of stressful. What if your index ends up being ugly? What if it doesn’t match the rest of your journal? Mitigate your anxiety however you can. Don’t be afraid to look up inspo online and use those index designs for yourself. Or, kick anxiety in the teeth and just start writing. It’s up to you.
You index can wait. I know I just said not to worry about your index too much. But as long as you have space reserved for it, you can probably just move on. In the beginning, your bullet journal will only have a few pages, so finding things won’t be difficult. If you wait on your index, you’ll be a little more confident about it.
Collections and Trackers
These spreads aren’t focused on small chunks of time, but rather projects or long term goals. I’ll be honest – I didn’t use a lot of collections or trackers, and the ones I did make were very simple, straightforward, and minimalist. However, they were incredibly useful! Especially in a college bullet journal, collections and trackers can be a valuable tool.
You might have a collection of semester goals or books to read. You could also track your progress in completing assignments throughout a class, or working on a semester-long final project. When you start your bullet journal, sit down with each class syllabus and decide if a collection or tracker could be useful!
There are two trackers I think every college bullet journal should have.
The first is a degree requirements tracker. This tracker will likely move through multiple journals with you as you complete your degree. Write down every class you need to take, every advising appointment you need to schedule, and every other requirement you need to meet. A tracker like this can keep you on-track long term, and help you graduate on time… Or even early.
The second is a semester calendar. Your semester calendar should, at the very least, include your major test dates, major assignment due dates, breaks, major events, and any travel you have scheduled. You can add more detail if you find it helpful! But having this information available at a glance will help you anticipate busy weeks and plan around them more successfully.
Some people like to start adding collections and trackers to the back of their journal, so they never interrupt their regular spreads. This is nice, but can make indexing difficult. Other people just add collections and trackers as they need them, and rely on their index to keep things sorted. Both of these are perfectly valid, just decide which will work better for you!
Weekly Spreads
Designing your weekly spread can be the more daunting part of keeping a bullet journal. But it’s easier when you start thinking about how your spread should work, rather than how it should look.
Start by considering the “areas” of your life. For me, it was school, work, home, and blog. For you, it may be split across your two majors! Or maybe each course is its own area of focus. Maybe it’s as simple as class and work. Whatever these areas of your life are, consider giving them separate areas within your bullet journal spread, to keep yourself organized.
You should always know what you need to do, and when you need to do it. This is why creating a full week’s spread in advance is so popular. If you go day-by-day, it’s difficult to ensure that you always know your due dates. When creating a weekly spread, make sure these due dates are clear. For a while, I broke my ‘class’ spreads into Monday/Wednesday/Friday classes and Tuesday/Thursday classes… but it just made things confusing. Was the reading I wrote down due on Wednesday, or Friday? I didn’t know, and that was a problem.
Experiment with different layouts as needed. You may take inspo from a spread on the internet, but don’t expect it to work for you perfectly! Even spreads you design yourself need to be tested and refined. If you find a design a little cumbersome or confusing, change it the next week. If the design is really effecting your organization, scrap it and start over, even if it’s the middle of the week. No fear, no shame!
Remember the importance of function. If your bullet journal isn’t actually helping you stay organized and finish your to-do lists, it’s basically just an art project. I have nothing against art projects, but I also don’t think that’s why you’re here.
Sticking With Your College Bullet Journal
Dedication is one of the biggest road blocks in the bullet journal community. Tons of people start journals, but how many of them are still using their bujos a month later? Three months? Six months? I don’t actually know what the dropoff rate is, but I’m willing to guess it’s high.
Here are some tips for staying dedicated to your bullet journal long-term.
Carry your journal with you. Seriously. This is why I advocate using your bullet journal to brain dump. Let’s say you’re walking between classes and remember a task you need to complete that evening, like finishing your registration for your school’s insurance. If you don’t have your bullet journal on-hand, you’ll have to remember this until you get home. What are the odds you forget? Long story short, keep it in your backpack or purse at all times.
Social support can move mountains. Bullet journals get a lot of press on places like Instagram and Pinterest, but the actual community of people using bujos is pretty close-knit and friendly. If you see someone using a bullet journal on campus, strike up a conversation! You can also convince your friends to start college bullet journals of their own. And if all in-person attempts fail, there are always bullet journal Facebook groups to try!
Hold yourself accountable. Forming a new habit is hard, so give yourself as much help as possible. Consider scheduling reminders in your phone to add to your bujo in the morning or evening. Write a note on your hand so you get in the habit of adding new to-dos in the last few minutes of each class. And consider rewarding yourself for progress! Maybe a week with no migrated to-dos means you take yourself out for a nice dinner. I used to reward myself for bujo accomplishments with… stationery. If I had a particularly good week, I’d order some new pens, washi tapes, or even a new notebook. Do what works for you!
Go public. I would be surprised if you heard about the bullet journal somewhere other than the internet. And for good reason! There are a ton of bujo-related social media accounts. Part of the appeal of a bujo Instagram, Tumblr, or Pinterest is the accountability. If you promise to show your progress on social media, you’ll be more motivated to keep going! Just remember to use a photo editing app like Snapseed to remove any sensitive personal info before you post.
Why You Should Have A Bullet Journal In College
Without a doubt, you should 100% have some sort of planning system in college. I happen to think bullet journals are a perfect fit for many people!
The flexibility really can’t be beat, and it’s essential in college. Since your schedule will look different semester to semester – or even week to week! – a bullet journal lets you roll with the punches and plan for your week.
The customization is another key factor. Instead of trying to fit your life into someone else’s categories, a bullet journal lets you group tasks and notes according to your classes, activities, or side jobs. Nothing else will ever be quite so tailored to what you do.
Last but not least, I often found the creative outlet of a bullet journal essential. College can be stressful and draining. There’s an element of self-care in taking some time out of your week to make something personal, beautiful, and functional.
While sticking with a bullet journal in college may be tough at first, I have full confidence that you can make it part of your routine. And when you do, it’ll help you accomplish more this year than you ever would have without it!
