Ideas For Your Bookish Bullet Journal

You’ve heard of bullet journals, those pesky diaries with the dotted pages that you have to entirely fill in yourself. Or at least that’s how I thought of them before I bought my first one and decided to give it a go.

I could never keep a diary for more than a month or so until I got bored and shoved it in the bottom of my bag, never to be seen again. And then, on a whim, I decided to try bullet journaling. For someone who found it hard to stay motivated with a regular journal, this seemed like the most un-me thing to do. Flash forward to five months later and not only am I still going strong, but I’m about to share with you some handy tips for your own (of course, completely book related!) bullet journal.

Here’s the thing about bullet journaling: your options really are unlimited. People use this type of journaling for pretty much everything, from tracking their daily expenses to laying out weekly schedules, from habit trackers to creating mini review spaces about their new favourite things.

So, here are a few different page (or ‘spread’) ideas to start off your own bookish bullet journal!

1. Trial a ‘TBR’ (to be read) page

Monthly TBRs are a great way to organise your reading and to keep you on track with your goals. If you’re someone who buys a lot of books (guilty!) then this spread is also a great visual tool to remind you of your recent purchases.

Also, this page is super handy if you love participating in read-a-thons and like to outline what books you’re going to complete! Remember: there are no limit to your layouts, so you can customise your TBR spread to match your own bookish goals.

2. Include a ‘read’ and ‘ratings’ page

There’s nothing more satisfying than ticking off or writing in a book you’ve just finished. Out of all my bookish pages in my own bullet journal, this is the one that motivates me the most. It also clearly outlines how many books have been read in each month.

I also like to take things one step further and include the format in which I consumed the book. For example: a small circled ‘A’ indicates that I listened to the audio book; a square with ‘GN’ in it means I read a graphic novel.

If you’re a lover of statistics, you might also want to include the date you started the book and when you finished it.

3. The double bookshelf spread

Not only does this double page spread make you feel super accomplished when you start to fill it in, it looks amazing too. This is where you can get super creative and include your own personal touches, like drawing in certain decorations from your own shelves (little mini pot plants and candles look super cute!).

This spread also acts as a quick over view of your yearly reading, and is usually one of the first pages in my bullet journal. I like to keep my own bookshelf spread super colourful and fun so that it urges me to flick back regularly and check in.

4. Write down your thoughts on what you’ve just read

This page comes in handy if you like to review books, or if you have some strong feelings towards certain books. I often find myself referring back to my ‘Book Thoughts’ page when I’m putting together my monthly wrap ups on either my Instagram page or my YouTube channel.

This page also helps distinguish between your current read and your last. If you’re like me and pick up a new book straight away after finishing one, writing down your thoughts before continuing on to your next read can help to separate the stories in your head.  

5. Habit trackers: they’re your friend!

Again, this is another great spread for those of us that love breaking things down into different statistics. How often do you read versus do other things in your day to day life? Incorporating a habit tracker lets you know at a quick glance what you spend your time on, and highlights the areas where you can improve or cut back.

Also, it’s visually satisfying to look back on once the month is complete!

So, there are five different ideas to start off your own bookish bullet journal. The beauty about bullet journaling is its therapeutic nature—it doesn’t matter how creative you are, the act of planning out your month in advance can help to tackle your time head on and reduce stress.

And hey, if certain pages or spreads didn’t work 100 percent in one month, revamp it and try again in the next month! There are no limits; only endless possibilities.

Do you have any other suggestions? Tell us in the comments below!