The core pages
The method was developed by the designer Ryder Carroll, who began sharing it online in 2013. A classic bullet journal has four building blocks, plus a key at the front explaining the symbols you use:
- Index: a list of page numbers and topics at the front.
- Future log: the months ahead, for events and deadlines.
- Monthly log: a calendar of the month and a task list.
- Daily or weekly log: tasks, events and notes as they happen.
Collections, such as reading lists, habit trackers and project plans, can go anywhere, and are added to the index.
Paper and size
- 5 mm dotsthe classic
- 6 mm dotsa little roomier
- 8 mm dotsfor large writing
Most bullet journals use 5 mm dot grid: enough structure for lines, boxes and headings without the visual noise of a full grid. A5 is the classic size; B5 gives more space for weekly spreads. If you write large, try 8 mm dots. The dot grid sizes guide compares them.
How many pages for a year?
Before you print or buy a notebook, it helps to know how many pages your setup will use. Allowing two pages for the index, four for the future log and one for the key:
| Setup | Pages for a year | A4 or Letter sheets as an A5 booklet |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly logs only | 31 | 8 |
| Monthly + weekly spreads | 135 | 34 |
| Monthly + a page a day | 396 | 99 |
Each printed sheet folded into an A5 booklet carries four pages. A page-a-day journal is a year-long book, so most people print a few months at a time and keep them in a ring binder, or switch to a weekly spread.
Printing your own journal
Instead of a bought notebook, print a stack of A5 dot grid pages as a booklet and bind them, or use a ring binder so you can add and rearrange pages. The booklet guide explains how to print folded A5 pages on A4 or Letter.
Pages you can print
- Future log: a yearly calendar on one page.
- Monthly log: a monthly calendar printed at A5, or drawn by hand on dot grid.
- Weekly spread: a weekly planner page.
- Habit tracker: a monthly habit tracker.
Printing the structured pages saves time and keeps the hand-drawn effort for the pages you enjoy designing.
Rapid logging symbols
The method’s short-form notes use a few symbols, explained in your key. The common set is:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| • | A task to do |
| × | A task done |
| > | A task migrated to a later list or month |
| ○ | An event |
| – | A note |
Making it a habit
Spend five minutes each morning writing the day’s tasks and five each evening reviewing them. At the end of the month, move unfinished tasks forward or let them go. The point is clarity, not perfection.
A first month, step by step
- Number the pages and leave two pages for the index.
- Add a future log: the next six or twelve months, with dates you already know.
- Set up the current month: a calendar on the left page and a task list on the right.
- Start your first weekly or daily log and use it for a week before adding collections.
- At the end of the month, review, migrate tasks and set up the next month.
Keep the first month simple. Add trackers and collections only when you find you need them; a journal that is quick to maintain is one you will keep using.
Printing tips
Print at 100% / Actual size on paper of at least 90–100 gsm if you use markers or fountain pens, so ink does not bleed through.
