Bullet Journal Organisation: Tools
Are you ready for the fourth and final part of this initial Bullet Journal mini-series? Be sure to catch up on the previous three articles about monthly spreads, weekly spreads, and trackers if you’re even considering starting a bullet journal. Planning is one of my all-time favourite things.
Today however we’re talking all about the STATIONERY 😍😍
Technically, you can start bullet journaling with just any notebook and pen but that’s no fun! So, in case you want to add to your bujo tools, I’ve compiled all the things I use on a regular basis in my bullet journal. Personally I’m currently using a Leuchtturm1917 journal with the dotted grid, however, I have my eye on a lovely Archer & Olive journal for when this one is finished. They have thicker pages and should have less ghosting (ghosting is when you can see the writing on the other side of the paper) which is definitely something I want with the number of markers I personally use.
On with the tools and stationery!
3 pens you should get
My go-to pen for all the regular writing and note-taking is a Muji Gel pen 0.5mm in black. I have always been a black ink person as soon as we were allowed to move from blue pens in high school. Unfortunately, my nearest Muji is in Australia so I stock up whenever I’m over there, or whenever a friend or relative is over there. I do have other thicknesses and colours but the black 0.5 is the one I have attached to my bullet journal at all times unless writing of course.
The next pen is for all the decorating, Tombow Dual Brush pens are perfect for all sorts of decorating as they have the large brush pen on one end and a thinnish marker on the other end. I have a large rainbow of colours and this year I’ve been using them for colour scheming my months. Usually using 2-3 colours a month. A specific colour that’s always handy is the light grey N89 which is perfect for lining lists and adding fun shadows to boxes and text.
The last is the least used of the three but Staedtler triplus fineliners are the next best thing if you can’t get your hands on Muji pens. They do ghost a little more than the Muji ones but otherwise, they’re just as good. They’re what I used 95% of the time before I got hold of the Muji pen, the other 5% was probably a random ballpoint pen 😱 They have a range of colours if you want to tie your fineliner into a theme it’s perfect.
The other extras
Something I didn’t miss until I made one and now I can’t live without is a pen loop. You can buy specific Leuchtturm pen loops but I just made one from some thick black elastic to fit my Muji pen perfectly. This way I always have the pen to hand whenever I grab my bullet journal. Totally recommend, whether you buy an actual one or make one yourself.
Rulers also come in super useful if you’re wanting to make layouts more complex than just lists on a page. I currently use this cute one from Muji but any ruler will do, if you get one small enough you can actually fit it in the document folder in the back of the Leuchtturm so it’s always on hand.
Miscellaneous
This is all the fun stuff, the stationery you don’t necessarily need but add so much more to your spreads. I’m talking scrap paper, magazines, stickers, and washi tape. I have a clear file full of patterned paper and patterns and cute images ripped out of magazines if I want some extra fun all I have to do is flick through the file instead of searching through piles of magazines. I also have a box full of washi tape but to be honest with you I do find myself using the same 3 tapes over and over again, I need to challenge myself to use more variety! Similar to that I also have a big range of stickers but always forget about them when I’m making my spreads. However, when I do they look super snazzy.
As mentioned in the beginning all you need to start bullet journaling is a notebook and pen, all these extras are just that… extras. But fun and creative extras that make bullet journaling all that more exciting and motivating to actually start planning and organising your life!
Let me know if you have anything that isn’t on this list that you find essential to bullet journaling!
- Sophie
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