Bullet journaling is like any other hobby or skill; you need to get better and practice to get to the level you want. Hobbies require you to improve your skills so that you can actually accomplish them.
To create all of those beautiful spreads you see online, there are a few things you need to do beforehand. You can get better at bullet journaling by practicing, researching, and motivating yourself.
Practice Doodling
Of course, the first thing you need to work on is your artistic abilities. Though you can bullet journal without including any doodles, most people like to have some artistic components in their journals. I like to use themes, which means that I have a different doodle or design that I change each month. For example, I have used ghosts, masquerades, books, and more as themes in the past. To be able to create these monthly themes, I needed to improve my artistic abilities.
Practicing your doodles and your art is great for improving your bullet journaling skills. To get better at bullet journaling quickly, you should start doodling whenever you can: at the side of your notes or on some loose paper you have lying around. As long as you are working on it, you should see some great improvements in your bullet journal.
Practice Calligraphy/Hand-lettering
A staple of bullet journaling is calligraphy and hand-lettering. Many of the beautiful spreads you find on the internet have this type of writing. If you want to replicate those spreads or you want to create something just as beautiful, you need to learn these important skills.
The problem is that schools don’t really teach calligraphy anymore, so a lot of you might be starting from the beginning. But that’s okay! Once you get the basics down, you’ll be able to write some wonderful titles and written sections for your spreads.
With some practice, you can create some even more amazing hand-lettering titles and subtitles! Practice makes perfect! It applies to everything you do even calligraphy and hand-lettering. You won’t regret practicing! Hand-lettering just makes a bullet journal spread look amazing!
Research Spreads and Ideas
It’s almost impossible to skip this stage. You will need to look to others for inspiration and ideas when you first start bullet journaling. It takes time to find your perfect spreads, designs, and organizational system. It’s different for everyone. However, it’s not the kind of thing you can know instantly.
Bullet journaling is relatively new compared to other hobbies. Without some research, you might not know what it is. Even if you know what bullet journaling is before you begin, what spreads are meant for you won’t be obvious. A little bit of research definitely won’t hurt you! (Just try not to copy people too much. It can be harmful to your experience in the end. Check out my article to learn more!)
Once you have some new ideas and the knowledge you need, you’ll be getting better at bullet journaling in no time!
Motivate Yourself
In my opinion, the worst━I mean the worst━thing you can do is lose your motivation when it comes to bullet journaling. I won’t lie to you. It’s hard! A lot of work goes into creating your spreads, especially when you have to do them monthly. It takes plenty of time and effort, but it is worth it in the end!
Motivate yourself however you can! I like to watch bullet journaling YouTubers and look through bullet journal spreads on Pinterest. Seeing the work other people put toward their journals inspires me to work on mine.
You can find lots of inspiration on the internet, but it might not be your method. Maybe brainstorming or doodling helps to motivate you. Whatever it is, you need to find something that motivates you! You will run into some bumps on the road, so finding your inspiration should be a priority.
Bullet journaling is one of my favourite hobbies! There are so many benefits (which you can read more about here)! But before you can reap any of the benefits, you need to improve your bullet journaling skills. To get better at journaling, you can practice doodling, practice hand-lettering, do research and motivate yourself. You will soon be a great bullet journaler! Let me know what tips and tricks you used to get better at bullet journaling in the comments!
