Grace Xu

Grace Xu serves as the writing coach of the HiLite, but in her spare time, she bullet journals extensively and even ran her own journaling Instagram account at one point. In conjunction with the cover story for this issue about the rise in bullet journaling due to the social isolation characteristic of the COVID-19 pandemic,  she created a series of “printables” related to bullet journaling as well as some tips on starting to bullet journal.

PRINTABLES

Xu said these printables are a way for people aspiring to start their own bullet journal to get a feel for the process of using one. To use these printables, a person simply has to print them out and then use them in whatever way best works for them.

We hope you enjoy using these! You can click on any image to open a PDF.

FRUIT-THEMED MEMOS

You can print out this cute collection of memos. Before you tape each one into your bullet journal, you can cut out each individual memo and write down your thoughts or to-do list for the day. It’s a fun way to make your spreads even cuter !

WEEKLY/MONTHLY OVERVIEWS

You can click the picture to be directed to a Google Folder with many PDFs of various monthly and weekly template spreads. Attach them into your bullet journal as you wish or simply copy the layout. These templates give you lots of room for personalization without the hassle of actually making the tables!

ADVICE

As there are many sources out there about how to start a bullet journal (for example, check out this lovely photo illustration from the cover story [link] or the og “How to Bullet Journal” video), I won’t go too in-depth of the various aspects of bullet journaling. Rather, I’ve tried to compile some tips that might not be as common, on top of designing printables for your personal use!

1. Miscellaneous Papers (Receipts, tickets, candy wrappers, logos, clothing tags, origami paper, etc.)
   1. When I first started bullet journaling, I would see Instagram posts or Youtube videos of these journal spreads filled with fancy stickers and memos, and felt very sad I did not have fun stuff to decorate my journal with.  Let me tell you how wrong I was: one of my favorite ways to decorate my journal now is with receipts or tickets. They’re a great way to document memories and receipts go well with any theme you might be decorating with (unless you somehow have an extremely colorful receipt, which also sounds like quite the aesthetic). Materials like candy wrappers as well can be cute (one time I even cleaned a Chobani yogurt lid and used that in my spread). Don’t be afraid to get creative!
2. Make your own materials
   1. Going off of the theme of not having the “ideal” (note the quotation marks) bullet journaling accessories, I often find it more fun to DIY the materials you need. (As mentioned earlier: free printables).
      1. Stickers: A very simple way to make your own stickers is with some packing tape and a laser printer. You simply print out whatever you want to make into a sticker with said-laser printer, put that onto the packing tape, soak in water, and peel off the paper. It’s like using a temporary tattoo, except the packing tape ends up with a permanent tattoo and is now a sticker.
      2. Memos: As you can imagine, you can simply print them out yourself. (Also, did I mention, you can use these free printables?)
      3. Watercolor: Using a marker and some plastic (this can range anywhere from a laminated sheet of paper to a random plastic wrapper), you can create a watercolor effect. Simply color onto the plastic with your marker (you can mix colors as well, or try to create gradients), then place the colored plastic onto your journal spread. Peel off the plastic, and voila!
3. Experiment
   1. Bullet journaling is all about finding a system that works for you.

Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions or want more advice about bullet journaling.