Minimalist Beginner Friendly Bullet Journal Setup

[@rebeccaw9656]

Coming into my fourth year of bullet journaling, this video is perfect for beginners. I started and stopped 3 times in my first year, because I’d made it too complicated for myself. You just want to be able to pick up your journal every morning to plan your day (brain dump), and to be the place to make notes throughout the day. Biggest mistake I see, is people trying to preplan their journaling spaces. You need it as free-form as possible. Some days you may only write half a page for your day, other days you may write 3 pages (notes from a class/meeting/appointment/event or emotions you may have to get off your chest. You may just want to start a list for an idea that pops into your head). I’d even go so far as to suggest, for those who want to get artistic, start minimally as Matt suggested first, to form that habit first, learn what you’re doing... then start inserting craft. And finally, be prepared for your first BJ to be to be your messiest😂 It’s going to take lots of experimenting (for me, minimising) to get it right for you and your lifestyle. It was my second book, that I’d settled into a system that worked for me. Like anything, you learn by doing.

[@Laurelin70]

Sometimes you have to preplan the day: in my case I have fixed hourly appointments every day and for each of them I have to organize an activity (I'm a teacher), then I also have fixed weekly appointments with random appointments intermixed. So I HAVE to have a daily hourly planning and I can't doing it bullet-journal-style, because I HAVE to know WHEN exactly I have to do a certain thing, and to put the appointments in the right order, to know when exactly I have a free time slot, and the weekly spread is not enough for that. In this sense I always wonder if my system can be called "bullet journal", since the daily log is so much more structured than the "real" bullet journal, I call it more like a self-made planner (self-made because I never found a planner with exactly all the characteristics I wanted).

[@nicelann2606]

on point..❤

[@RaquelHernandez-ol8tv]

For us who work for an employer, do you recommend one notebook for work and one for home/family related stuff?

[@rebeccaw9656]

@@RaquelHernandez-ol8tv In the past, I have struggled with seperate journals, that tended to have much cross-over of information, and I ended up only wanting to look in one book for my tasks and appointments for all areas. And yet, my husband, needs to seperate his work needs from his personal tasks - so he prefers seperate notebooks😂. I guess what I’m saying is, it’s a personal decision to make, based on your own circumstances. You could always try one way for fit... and modify if you have to, or not.

[@RaquelHernandez-ol8tv]

@@rebeccaw9656 thanks for sharing your experience.

[@MattRagland]

*5 Bullet Journal Beginner Tips* (1) Start with daily logging (2) Set weekly goals (3) Move to monthly (4) Tracking is fun! (5) Consistency builds confidence - just keep going!

[@lisaflood6193]

I just found you on KZbin and this is the first video I've watched. I'm curious about bullet journaling and its benefits and as the year starts I have all kinds of ideas in my head to make this a better year! I also have one big goal for the year, so I feel that a minimal approach to bujo is the right start for me. Thank you for guide to starting simply!

[@sandraatueyi81]

I am a bullet journal beginner.

[@missfarie4453]

You’re very right, many times I’ve tried to start a bullet journal but because mine never looked so Pinterest worthy, I found it difficult to keep up with it. This is a breath of fresh air.

[@TheStrayLibrarian]

"I'm not going link to washi tape and binder clips". Made me smile!! Keep it simple!

[@AmyTV]

You gave me a few ideas for how I can approach my 5th bullet journal a little bit better with the knowledge I now have. Amazing video thank you!

[@SpeakingJake]

Hi Matt. I just wanted to thank you for this, as I struggle heavily with organization and task management. My therapist recommended bullet journaling, and actually recommended you specifically to help start this as part of ADHD treatment. Only on day 6, but it's already had a positive effect with my daily tasks for work and my personal life.

[@cferracini]

The best advice ever got for starting new things was: start now. There is no reason to waste days, weeks, or, worse, months to start that new habit you want to start building. And if you fail, just try again with no pressure to do it perfecly

[@Mockduck2020]

I used to do that...then the Internet happened.

[@demonheart13]

@@Mockduck2020 yeah, the start now do it now mindset get derailed when your working and a side quest pops up. Instead of thinking, I can look this up later, your brain is wired to do it now and run headfirst down the rabbit hole until your not sure where you started

[@no_peace]

I have to remind myself those illustrated journals are literally artists' journals, for artists to do art in. They're like sketchbooks with appointments in them. That's not what I'm doing

[@hea1655]

Love the 'Consistency is Confidence', I really needed this. Thanks!

[@bethandbeyond1]

While I have gone the more artsy route (pandemic time on my hands), I certainly could have benefited from this advice when I first started. Easing into method first is definitely the way to go.

[@toxicmaguire]

i've been bullet journaling consistently for two years now and this is the advice i wish i had when i was a beginner. when you're first starting out, i feel it's easy to get caught up in the aesthetic possibilities and lose sight of what bujo is all about-keeping your life organised. i love the artistry of this community, but i did feel pressure for my journal to look the same, so my first mostly consists of spreads that i never used because, while beautiful, they didn't help me. focusing on the core aspects of bullet journalling did. i thought about making a practical video to bujo myself, since i've found a lot of resources online are very overwhelming and focus too much on visual appeal, rather than its intended function-but now i don't have to. matt, you've managed to take all my thoughts on journalling and put it into a nice, succinct video. you've done a great job with this one!

[@MattRagland]

Thanks Stephanie! I really appreciate that - great advice from you too!

[@markyourpages]

Great video man! What an awesome way to introduce the system in a really easy to digest way.

[@OscarDelgadilloAntar]

I love your methodology, it kind of mirrors how I got started and the pitfalls I experienced! I started with the yearly, monthly, weekly etc breakdown and it just took too long for how much I ended up using. I went through a couple of weekly and daily layouts until I found the one that I like the best. This has kept me consistent for about 4 months now! Also what really helped was being gentle with myself and not considering forgetting to bujo or not doing it on the Sunday, exactly, as failures and to just roll with the mistakes.

[@tejaswisaich]

Alright, I was a bit late to the BuJo party. So far, apart from the original one, this was the only video which seemed practical, to me. I don't have the talent, or the time to go all artsy. The artsy ones look LOVELY. But I didn't want to learn to draw and suddenly become an artist to start my bullet journal. I really appreciate that you didn't go all ✨aesthetic✨ just for the sake of the video. Not that it's bad, everyone loves aesthetics. This BuJo just feels grounded, real and practical. Sorry for the ramble.

[@melimoo6656]

Hi Matt - Just subcribed to the podcast...looking forward to it...over the last year you've helped me overcome my BuJo Fomo and actually use my bullet journal to help manage this crazy year!!! I'm starting to be a bit more creative without making it a work of art. THNX!!! Love the channel and you're gutsy decision to make this full-time!! Happy holidays to you and your family from Australia. :)

[@RunningM4m]

Great summary. I currently no longer use a weekly because of the "lockdown" here, only monthly and daily. It's great how flexible everything is.

[@katsmith8263]

The easiest is the original one.

[@iRon.x]

Im looking for beginners bujo as all the super creativity I see on peoples channels is giving me anxiety 😥

[@katsmith8263]

@@iRon.x see the "Bullet journal" channel with the original Carroll content

[@iRon.x]

@@katsmith8263 thanks Kat

[@widdasiddiq8810]

@@iRon.x As Kat suggested, look up Ryder Carroll. He's the creator of the original BuJo. His version is so simple, even his tutorial video is under 5 minutes.

[@iRon.x]

@@widdasiddiq8810 thank you so much. That’s exactly what I was looking for ☺️

[@bottlesofchris]

great vid. I've been a planner for a while but never felt creative enough to bullet journal. I'm still not there (I cannot fathom creating my own layout and I hate my own handwriting lol) but I love to change up my planning style and this video kinda makes it a possibility. Your podcast sounds cool. I'll check it out

[@debthomas1293]

Some of this goes against the actual Bullet Journal method. I understand, everyone should make it their own, but for those with unorganized minds, this could be too much. I stick with the idea of just getting the thoughts and tasks out on paper quickly. I don’t migrate tasks from day to day. If they aren’t crossed out, they are still open. There is no need to migrate them within the same spread. My advice to someone starting out is to learn Ryder’s method and LATER adapt other methods that work for you.

[@Somebodyelse141]

Ryder's method does migrate tasks from day-to-day

[@eclecticsunrise]

Yeah. I don't like migrating. I will check daily and by the end of week maybe migrate to next week but I am not about to migrate tasks every day.

[@samikshamehra3676]

😊😊0😊😊😊😊❤

[@garimasinha4216]

Going back inspired. Most videos often scare me because they are so aesthetic or complex. Starting today with my daily log and will go slow to build consistency. Thank you

[@MattRagland]

You got this!

[@thomaslally4453]

Quick prayers and God's answer to them are helpful also

[@humanfirst11]

Hi Matt! Great video, thanks. Could you please tell me what's the *pen* in the thumbnail?

[@EvaNichols28]

Thanks for this advice- just what I needed to set my first bullet journal up!

[@suzannerhebergen]

Great insights. Will definitely recommend this vid. I never gave BuJo my attention as the artistic BuJo put me off. Luckily I did give it a second chance and it is definitely a life saver. Thanks for this breakdown ❤️

[@sumandkk]

Thank you so much for these suggestions. This is very productivity focused and simple to follow. I have kept a log of daily To do list for last couple years but I want to track my productivity now rather than just going through a long list everyday. Being a working mom with online school, time management is crucial now. Thank you again !

[@yogidevendrabiriyani1777]

Why good energy during moving out of the pandemic lol

[@xylindria9077]

There is beauty in simplicity. 😊

[@vickigsolomon1241]

When I started, I took the pocket notebook that I already kept in my purse, and started daily logging. That worked great! For a couple of years. I'm ready for a bit more now. Maybe the weekly!

[@MaryChrapliwy]

excellent video. Some people are discouraging with all the trappings of more of an art notebook vs bullet journal, making newbies feel like failure right away. A true bullet journal is exactly the way you have been presenting it. Thanks for this video.

[@auroraaurora4927]

Just wanted to tell you I have struggled to make this a habit. So far this week, I feel like I can do this because of the ideas in your video. 😄. Thank you!

[@StarlasAiko]

Drawing out the layout of the journal is something I find tedious and off putting. But I sometimes enjoy book binding. I have a set of bullet journal page template created and sorted onto a registry spread. One A4 sheet gives me a registry of 8 pages (4 A6 sheets), which means, each A4 sheet contains one week. Am revising the spread to not have the habit trackers and mood trackers and so on separated off onto their own section but integrated into their days, which would mean a double page, or maybe even three/four pages, per day.

[@Joshua-sd1cb]

This is amazing content! Thank you. I just bought a bullet Jornal! ❤️

[@nataliescott9119]

Thank you so much for this! Thinking it has to be this masterpiece stops me doing it all together so thankyou for opening my eyes to stripping it back x

[@DavidLindes]

Random observation (noticed a bit before 7:19) - I notice you use R for Thursday, which is something I'm used to... and yet, you don't do the other piece of that that I'm used to, namely using U for Sunday! This is curious to me, because I'm a fan of disambiguation for things, and having 7 unique letters appeals to me here. Whether or not you care isn't particularly important to me, just... interesting! And in case anyone sees this, wondering about the R and/or the double-S thing, well, here's a suggestion: use both R and U to avoid double-T and double-S. :)

[@denisewenke8323]

R for Thursday, A for Saturday also works. Thanks for the reminder

[@DavidLindes]

@@denisewenke8323 Oh, interesting! Indeed it would. I've not seen that before, but fair!

[@MsHappy]

Awesome, thank you. Love the simplicity and can really relate to just starting off step by step. This is my first video of yours I've watched as I've only just heard about bullet journaling.

[@iraistorres2115]

Thank you, it is so refreshing your perspective for bujo, I have watched tons of videos that was terrible complicated, totally artistic but OMG I'm not an artist I just need something that must be funtional, practic and abel to form consistence. Thank you!! I am going to follow your advices and give it a try to bujo again.

[@MattRagland]

Glad it was helpful! New video coming out tomorrow too!

[@miilion6360]

I've watched a billion bullet journal videos and tried to start my own journal several times but I could'nt stick to it. Your advise is the best I ever had and now I really feel like I can finally do it. Thank you so much!

[@karenmyrick8360]

Matt from Podia!! So cool to see you here talking about bullet journals! I just got one today for my birthday and I’m so excited to start using it! I love what you said about mindfulness and thinking about the type of people we want to be in the world. I couldn’t agree more. I’m going to go check out your podcast right now :-)

[@rileyorourke262]

I'm excited to start my first bullet journal. I am reading Ryder Carroll's book and am not the most artistically talented. Definitely appreciate an easy and minimalist approach to this method. Thank you.

[@Iza_con]

I love that you don't put down artistic bujos! I personally could never do them and suspect that they may not always represent someone's real, main planner but, ultimately, they're just people having fun.... like some people get real weird in their advocacy for minimalist bujos and it's all so unnecessary.

[@tom5256]

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

[@ajt0319]

Matt, you said your Dad’s birthday is January 18, but when I googled Jim Carrey it said his birthday is January 17th! Well you do remind me of him but only in the best of ways. Thanks for all of your great videos and ways of making this system of journaling so attainable.

[@mphillips6138]

Whoo! Happy Birthday Matt's dad! My dad's birthday is January 18th as well! :)

[@MattRagland]

Cool!

[@jasonhill6462]

Great share, Matt. Just discovered your channel. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[@NickyG8128]

Holy crap. Old school Chronicles of Narnia! I had that same box set as a kid!

[@ShivCreates]

nice tips!!! I tried bullet journaling in my latest video and.... um. check it out for yourself lol.

[@groovysecondhalf]

Going to check out your podcast - it sounds interesting. I plan to research planners and habit tracker apps because I lead a paperless nomadic lifestyle. I may return to an actual simple journal like you demonstrated because I can definitely see the value. I already track my fitness activity by logging it into the phone calendar - activity and mileage (if applicable).

[@RoundSeal]

This is a perfect guide for new bullet-journallers. It's been so long for me that I don't even remember my first bullet journal, but these tips are always important to refresh from time to time! I try to keep it minimalist as well (to make it more mental-health friendly for me) and my biggest rule is 'you can add more energy to artsy it up if you want, but you can never take back energy doing something you haven't really enjoyed'. It's been super fun and surprisingly introspective finding a really simple, streamlined 'base' set-up for myself over the years, that still allows room for extra stuff if I ever feel like doodling or going nuts with washi tape.

[@MattRagland]

Great advice Selkie!

[@t0dd000]

Great video. Folks need really great core bullet journeying videos like this one. And great insight coming from experience. The big beautiful journaling spreads you see on the internet are not produced by people using the journal for productivity. And they are so distracting you folks trying to use a bullet journal as a tool. Those are folks are people who journal as a hobby. They spring from the world of scrapbooking. I do monthly and daily only. If I still worked in the corporate world, I'd do weekly and bi-weekly as well.

[@sbh196]

Absolutely unreal video Matt!!!!!! Those tips were so helpful. Definitely going to use the master task list and migrate to daily and also the habit tracker too!!! Can't wait to finally get my hectic life organised, these will help so much and they are so minimalist too which I love. Also, going to check out the podcast too, thanks Matt great work!

[@marilenafurtado662]

Thank you so much. You made it sound so simple

[@sheauwei3230]

Thanks matt, i m going to try with daily as u said so. Actually i had bought my journal since January 2022, but still i haven't start my bullet journal+ing due to the "planning for how to start it". And now is already April 2022...

[@wrongturn_w]

Going from daily to monthly is the best tip for beginners I saw on youtube. Thank you. I'm going to start in December and the plan is to do two weeks only daily then two weeks with weekly planning and start the new year with monthly spreads.

[@blackgothgoddess3164]

Anyone ever tell you that you look like Jim Carrey and Mark Wahlberg mixed together? I know that the comment was irrelevant, have issues focusing. Now to actually watch the video

[@AroundtheworldwithGenSolo]

I shared video with some friends considering bullet journaling and I subscribed to the podcast. Thanks for sharing!

[@kestorr]

Hi Matt, do you create some form of tracker for a list of items you are ‘waiting on’ for someone to complete/delegated tasks?

[@victoriapalmer5146]

I've been doing some research on bullet journals and I'm watching your video I am old school and you are making it so much more complicated get a little notebook write a list of things you need to get done as you finish them cross them off the list the next morning pick up the notebook look at your list maybe add to your list repeat every day of the week hopefully by the end of the week you will look at your list and see that everything's been crossed out it's as simple as that. Get a calendar for the year each month write anything major that is going on in the proper date do it for each month at the beginning of the year and during the year it's as simple as that one small dollar notebook And1 inexpensive calendar the hangs on your wall or fits as a Blocker on your desk. People these days are making too much out of these things called bullet journals but still a few more hundred trees so that we can have these fancy notebooks LOL😂😂😂 why make things so complicated keep it simple I mean keeping track of your schedule and your to-do list is pretty basic 101 note-taking

[@jaeggirl]

This is such an easy to follow, easy to understand beginner tutorial. Huge thanks to you Matt!

[@vickigsolomon1241]

Will your podcast be edited? Most podcasts just waste my time with blab. I think the podcaster has fun, but I don't.

[@MattRagland]

I do some editing but everyone has their own definition of “enough editing”. Give it a listen and let me know!

[@ravent3016]

Thanks for the tips. You are correct in that artistic journalling isn't for everyone, and it's a hobby in itself. Keeping the bujo simple for a beginner means one is more likely to stick with it.

[@CarisaSanchez]

I like these tips I just feel like starting with the daily log wont work for me since I always plan things out weekly not daily. All my todos are daily and I focus on my schedule per week.

[@matgonzalez6272]

So excited about the Podcast!! Glad you’ve been able to turn this year into something positive Matt. it’s inspiring :)

[@xiomarareyes2364]

Great video. I wish I would've watched this before I spent a little over an a hour watching all the weekly layout videos 😅

[@magicalhazzard6672]

this is the best video i found out on yt, you became my inspiratoin to bullet journal in 2021, i started it earlier last year, but i wasnt able to be consistent, i really winder if i owuld have found this video earlier

[@kerribeth]

I almost started my first journal creating habit tracker on the daily. This separate tracker chart is much better to keep clean and be able to glance back as a whole. Thank you for this vid to just chill out and start, and let the flow create itself.

[@ingrid2543]

Thanks for this easy way to begin a bullet journal. I bought and started one two years ago but it came so overwhelming and time consuming I never really got started.

[@ErikLiberty]

Would have been a better video if you flipped through all the sections of the journal instead of just one section at a time so I can see how it all comes together. Good tips though!

[@JoeLopez]

This is the video that helped put the pieces together for me. The key was my carrying over multiple tasks to multiple days. Thank you!

[@justalurkr]

Having to migrate a task more than once was a source of shame that put a stop to my first bullet journals. Trying this

[@dannygriffith9841]

What interested me most was goals setting can you do a breakdown video of goal setting from year to month to week to day of how you do it then show other versions of the same concept it would help me understand the process better so I can decide to wether to add it to my bujo.

[@4kassis]

when I see color coded bookshelves I think "form over function"...

[@katecole6237]

This is great. I'm going to go back to basics for December to be ready for the new year

[@ilustrado7291]

Thank you Matt Ragland / Jim Carrey / Ryan Reynolds.

[@Svaren]

I'm happy to see that I'm not the only one that grew a beard in 2020!

[@Mockduck2020]

What a lovely, encouraging video!

[@Star-cm8wv]

Please the list of tools, pen,marker , journal, stickers

[@keither_1976]

Good content. Sweet Narnia softcover ! 👍🏻👊🏻

[@mimilaplusbelle7667]

thank you so much matt this video was pretty helpfull

[@lyciajontal]

Mine will be master task weekend because those are my days off.

[@kolabindupavani]

I think master task list will click its awesome, I'll try to do. 😇👍🏻

[@DivyanshSharma882]

My dad's birthday is also on January 18th😀

[@ThekocholateJournalist]

Great video Matt!

[@Hestia.hereinafter]

Thanks for keeping it simple. :)

[@anjudimpu468]

thanks for the informative video

[@latadhana8383]

Thank you Matt! great video

[@chadiibrahim3318]

What music is that in the background?

[@erikacornet9594]

I was doing daily and weekly all wrong....

[@TheBigB4000]

I follow the KISS philosophy.

[@nicelann2606]

this is very timely for me.. all simplified.. thanks edit: it will be my first time bullet journaling for 2021, and i'm a little overwhelmed with how to set it up to make it as very functional as possible. and i believe your the tips are so far the best to "warm up" before i actually start it for the year.. definitely trying the daily log this week.. today..

[@thetenderheartedjournaler7438]

yessss, it's been two weeks, how is it going?

[@nicelann2606]

@@thetenderheartedjournaler7438 it's been pretty cool tracking your progress on developing habits, which is what my main goal is for now.. then perhaps after a month, I'm gonna add some habits or hobbies to my main tasks or habits to develop.. I'm a spontaneous type but i figured i wanted to set goals, hoping it'll make a better me.. so far it, I'm getting the hang of it. it's great 😊

[@thetenderheartedjournaler7438]

@@nicelann2606 Sounds awesome! I also really like this approach of adding things slowly and trying things one at a time. The most important thing is that it sticks, right? So happy to hear it's going well!

[@nicelann2606]

@@thetenderheartedjournaler7438 true.. master one to two habits at a time...👍👍👍 I'm still trying to keep up with the momentum for some habits.. i guess it still boils down to how persistent you are to keep the habits..😁 how about you?

[@thetenderheartedjournaler7438]

@@nicelann2606 My bullet journal works a bit differently for me as I struggle with depression and anxiety and am a highly sensitive person. For me I am mostly recording what I am doing. No dailies and no to-do-lists as they overwhelm me. I have been working on my bujo(s) for about 2 years now and found a way it works. right now, who knows when that will change again?

[@RLDSTUDIO]

Great video. Been watching so many videos preparing to start trying a bullet journal and was getting totally overwhelmed. Thanks for this.

[@elainep459]

A daily log, what we use to call a to do list lol

[@GaminHasard]

This does not come naturally to me

[@mickaelpigne5107]

I think you are one of the most intelligent youtuber i follow :) thanks for the tips

[@MattRagland]

Thank you 🙏

[@rvrtrsprt3231]

woahhhhh you remind me of jim carrey

[@drummermomcjs]

Great information Matt. I only recently was first exposed to bullet journals and your tips are most useful to me. I need something simple, that I can work, and will work for me that won't get me bogged down in a lot of prep only to overwhelm me into quitting quickly. The tips you shared are just the thing I needed to get me started and will allow me to establish the habit of bullet journalling knowing that being faithful with little will enable me to be faithful with more. I really like your approach and it goes well with the track that my life is taking and the other productivity hacks that I am learning. Thank you Matt and I look forward to more of your videos. (this was the first of your videos that I have seen)

[@lightaway16]

What is the difference between writing a weekly objectives list with sub-tasks vs a weekly master task list? - wouldn't I be writing everything twice? Or is there something I'm missing? Just trying to understand this clearly. Also, would the layout/plan be: 1. Weekly Objectives with sub-tasks 2. Weekly master task list 3. Daily logs 4. Move to monthly layout and 5. Habit tracking? Thanks in advance!

[@ladyinblack1964]

Hi! Thanks for making bujo less intimidating. I'm a newbie, and I'm wondering which of your videos you'd recommend for me. Also can you tell me which one addresses indexing and how it works. Thanks!

[@soriano3361]

No longer one line day journaling?

[@Talhaguy]

Such useful advice! It's January 23 and I still haven't done my Monthly/Habit/Weekly pages for January b/c I've been putting it off -_-. Definitely need to scale back my process a bit.

[@d4ncruz]

I've been looking for a simple and efficient bullet journal for a long time. I'm a very anxious and moody person, but I always need routine and organization to function. And I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect that I ended up not keeping the bullet journal. And when I found your examples it was what worked best for me and made me really confident. Thanks, Matt.