19 Best Bullet Journal Ideas for 2025

Bullet journaling is one of those rare organization methods that is part productivity and part creativity. It’s traditionally done on paper, but as we all know, millions of students and professionals have switched to digital note-taking.

Many of the most popular digital note-taking apps (like Goodnotes, Notability, and Noteshelf) support bullet journaling, so you can seamlessly integrate it into your existing digital workflow. We have to stress that bullet journaling isn’t just for people who have an upcoming test. It’s also an excellent way to log deadlines, write minimalist diary entries, and plan for the future. 

Today, we’ll take traditional bullet journal ideas and apply them to a digital workspace. Along the way, we’ll explore how Rock Paper Pencil can smooth the transition between analog and digital bullet journaling. 

BuJo method explained 

To most, a bullet journal is just a type of planner with a repeating pattern of bullet points. For others, it’s a tried and tested organization method. 

Ryder Carroll created the Bullet Journal Method — also known as the BuJo method — during college in the late 1990s to manage his ADHD. He outlined this method in a blog post in 2013, and bullet journaling was born.  

There are three main parts to the BuJo method: 

• Rapid logging 
• Bullets 
• Daily, weekly, and monthly logs

Rapid logging is the backbone of bullet journaling. It states that you should write short, snappy pieces of information preceded by a bullet point. For example, a biology student might transform this sentence: “Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants, algae, and bacteria convert light energy into chemical energy to produce glucose and oxygen, using carbon dioxide and water as reactants” into this bullet point: 

• Photosynthesis happens when green plants use light energy to make food.

See how different that looks? It’s not only shorter, but it boils the definition down into an easily digestible chunk of information. 

Someone more concerned with day-to-day activities might transform their morning routine into a couple of simple bullet points: 

• Walked dog, tried new granola 
• Walked Hannah to school bus and waved her off 

There’s another layer to Ryder’s technique: he states that you should always precede your sentences with a dot (•). Once a task is complete, mark it with an X. If you need to push it to a different date, use a right arrow (→) to signify the change. 

These three symbols are a solid start, but the BuJo method encourages you to create your own bullets, essentially making the technique more personalized. 

The last part of the method is logging. According to Ryder, you need to create daily, weekly, and monthly logs — more on them later. 

There you have it, Ryder’s method in three easy steps. But, just to be clear, you don’t have to follow Ryder’s method. Many people use the term “bullet journal” loosely, combining standard bullet points with various organizational and note-taking methods that work for them. We recommend taking the bits that work for you and leaving the rest behind. 

Benefits of bullet journaling 

At its heart, bullet journaling is an organization method. There are plenty of bullet journal ideas out there that account for every variation imaginable, from creative journals to standard productivity trackers.

The benefits of bullet journaling are immense:

• Clear: Immediately see your tasks, goals, and progress at a glance. 
• Easily digestible: Break larger goals into manageable steps. 
• Customizable: Add your own slant for customized, personalized productivity. 

When I started using the BuJo method, I noticed a drastic decrease in anxiety. It allows me to put everything in one place, simplify overwhelming deadlines, and visualize my goals. And the digital aspect didn’t hurt, either. Doing the BuJo method in apps like Goodnotes and Notability means that I had unlimited pages, searchable text, and, most important of all, an undo button. 

Tools you’ll need 

To start your digital bullet journal journey, you need: 

• An iPad: If you’re a student, you can find out which iPad works for you in our article, Best iPads for College Students 
• An Apple Pencil: We recommend the Apple Pencil 2 or Apple Pencil Pro.

An optional extra is a matte screen protector, specifically one that has that sought-after paper-like feel. 

Rock Paper Pencil is our pick. It comes with a matte screen protector that’s easy to install, remove, and reuse. Best of all, it’s the only product of its kind that actually feels like writing on paper, so you can easily transition from analog to digital bullet journaling. 

Organization & planning 

You know the drill: fail to prepare, prepare to fail. Before we dive into more specific bullet journal ideas, you need to nail the basics. 

Daily log 

The daily log is every journaler’s bread and butter; it’s where you’ll log the minutiae of your day-to-day life. 

@thecoffeemonsterzco (pictured above) has taken a more free-flowing approach, writing and doodling however the mood takes her. Personally, I like using the BuJo method to organize my headings. I use dots for tasks, stars for events, and hearts to record the parts of my day I’ve enjoyed the most. 

Weekly planner 

Whether you’re someone who is journaling for personal reasons or a student journaling to stay on top of their college classes, you can use the weekly planner to stay on top of your obligations. 

Creating a weekly log is more complicated than making a daily log. First, you need to find a blank double-page spread in your notebook or, in our case, digital note-taking app. Write the dates and time-specific events in the top left-hand corner of the page. Next to the dates, use bullets to create a list of tasks and ideas for the week.  

You can track appointments, deadlines, and tasks in this space. 

Monthly planner 

Here’s where you put the really important stuff — all the birthdays, deadlines, and milestones that make up your month. 

A lot of people opt for a calendar view (like @beautybystarlet, pictured above), but you might want to integrate the BuJo method to make your priorities clearer. You can divide your thoughts into lists with different bullets or use visual cues such as highlighters to signify their importance. 

Future log

The future log is an excellent place to plan for the future. It acts as a visual springboard to outline your goals and identify key tasks that will contribute to your success, and you should feel free to customize it with whatever works for you. 

For me, it helps to have a mixture of bullet points and images. Since I journal on my iPad, it’s super easy to drag and drop visual elements into my journal. 

💡 Pro tip: If you want to follow the BuJo method to a T, then you should know that the future log goes at the beginning of your journal. 

Brain dump page

As much as we love the BuJo method, we know that it’s nice to have a bit of variety now and then. And there’s no better place to mix things up than the brain dump page. You can format this however you want; think doodles, graphs, visuals, highlighters, and, of course, bullet points. 

The brain dump page is perfect for those days when you don’t have the time or energy to complete your journal. It’s also great for moments when you’re too busy to fully flesh out a fleeting thought. You can jot it down in the brain dump page and organize it into the right part of your journal at a later date. 

Productivity & trackers  

In this section, we’re covering specific bullet journal ideas. 

We recommend finding something that works for you, adding personalized tweaks (like specific highlighter colors, stickers, and your preferred approach to the BuJo method), and then building from there. 

Habit tracker 

We love this type of tracker because it’s so aesthetically pleasing. The premise is that each day of the year has a square that corresponds to the habit you want to track, and at the end of the day, you color that square depending on whether you’ve achieved your goal.

📝 Good to know: Speaking of aesthetics, how good is your digital handwriting? A lot of digital notetakers struggle to write notes that they want to look at again, so we’ve compiled a bunch of tips on how to take aesthetic written and typed notes on your iPad. 

It’s a good idea to create a corresponding key to keep track of all your goals. The simplest associations are green for positive and red for negative, but feel free to switch things up. 

💡 Pro tip: 

It can take a little while to create your own habit tracker layout. So, once you’ve created a habit tracker you’re happy with, you may want to duplicate the page. 

Here’s how to do that on Goodnotes: 

1. Create a habit tracker 
2. Export your page as a flattened PDF to the Files app 
3. Go to the Goodnotes home screen > tap the gear icon > select Notebook Templates > tap + > tap import > select your PDF > give your template a name 

Now you can use this template whenever you want. 

Mood tracker

A lot of bullet journal ideas focus on deadlines and tasks, so it’s easy to get lost in the mix. We’re here to tell you to take a deep breath, grab your digital coloring pencils, and make space in your journal for a mood tracker. 

You could add a mood section to your habit tracker, or, if you’re feeling creative, you can outline something that matters to you on a different page. For some people, that’s a flower. For others, it’s a mandala. 

You could draw a new flower with seven petals for each day and color each petal according to your mood, or, like @arilee.bujo, you can outline the days of the month. 

💡 Pro tip: Goodnotes and Notability have built-in stickers, so you can add visual cues without interrupting your workflow. 

Expense tracker 

Want to get to grips with your finances? You’re in the right place! Digital journals don’t break the bank, and you can use them to create neat expense trackers, too. 

We love using our bullet journal to track expenses. It’s a great opportunity to mix practical and visual elements to create a cohesive, engaging tracker. Here are a few ideas to get you started: 

• Recreate @kslettering’s approach (pictured above) by creating a money jar and dividing it into sections. When you hit a money goal, color in that section. 
• Use a variety of bullet points from Ryder’s BuJo method to identify wants, needs, and late-night purchases that might be tipping you into the red.
• Draw a table with headings like “expenses” and “due date” and really get down to the nitty-gritty of your finances. 

Sleep tracker 

We really like visual bullet journal ideas, and sleep trackers are a great example of that. You can recreate something similar to the wheel in the picture above, but don’t forget to add a table and color-code your options. 

💡 Pro tip: 

Don’t let the artsy side of our bullet journal ideas overwhelm you. If you’re using your iPad, the sky is the limit. Most artsy and note-taking apps on iPad have a shapes tool, which allows you to create all sorts of professional-looking graphs within a few seconds. 

Study schedule/assignment tracker 

As far as bullet journal ideas go, you can’t get any more traditional than a deadline tracker. There are loads of ways to create one, but it all depends on your preferences. 

For an all-encompassing tracker, you could recreate something like the picture above. It has all the trappings of a typical weekly planner, ideal for people who want to understand their weekly obligations at a glance. 

Wellness & lifestyle   

Gratitude journal 

Ah, gratitude journals. That one journal we should all have, but conveniently forget to add alongside our deadline trackers. 

The truth is that showing gratitude for the little sparks of joy in your day can alleviate stress, boost your mood, and pinpoint problems you weren’t aware were impacting your day. 

We like @thejournalcorner’s interpretation of a bullet point gratitude journal because it allows our ideas to really run free. But if you want a bit more structure, you could: 

• Write the days of the month in the left-hand column and use the BuJo method to write short, snappy summaries about your day. 
• Use mind maps to quickly jot down everything that made you happy that day. 
• Create a heading titled “sticking points”. After a few weeks, you’ll be able to identify barriers to happiness and fix the problem. 

💡 Pro tip: Gratitude doesn’t have to be structured. In fact, this is a great opportunity to unleash your creativity. 

Meal planner 

I’ve been using a meal planner for about a million years and, let me tell you, it makes my week so much easier. It also fills me with a sense of accomplishment because I know I’m putting my best foot forward for the week ahead. 

We love @ashleyannlaz’s minimalist approach, but it’s easy to see how a digital planner could make the spread pop. With meal plans, visuals are your best friend. Not only because they help you visualize the result of your hard work, but they also might make your mouth water.  

📝 Good to know: For bullet journal ideas that require a lot of writing, you might want to check out our 8 tips on how to make handwriting better on iPads.  

Pro tip: 

It’s super easy to drag and drop pictures from the web into your bullet journal meal planner.

1. Go to your bullet journal app 
2. Press the three dots at the top of the page
3. Select Split View
4. Open the web 
5. Find a picture you like
6. Drag and drop it into your app 

Or, if you’ve already eaten the dish you want to add to your meal planner, just add it to your page. 

Here’s how to do it in Goodnotes: 

1. Select the Image Tool 
2. Open your library 
3. Tap Photos 
4. Choose the image you want to add 

There you have it! Your bullet journal idea has transformed into a vision board. 

Workout log 

The quickest, most streamlined way to create a workout log is to recreate something similar to the habit tracker we mentioned earlier. 

Personally, I love using the BuJo method for workout logs because it gives me a clear idea of my intentions, progress, and future goals. 

Here’s an example, complete with a key: 

• Intentions
• Progress
• Future goals

• I want to consistently go to the gym twice a week and develop my leg muscles. 
• I have been to the gym twice this week and incorporated leg press and leg curls into my routine. 
• Next week, I want to add squats to my routine. 

Self-care routine spread 

Self-care is for everyone. It’s there whether you want to develop a foolproof plan for a good morning or remind yourself of relaxation tips when times get tough.

Like a lot of the bullet point ideas on our list, this one is super personalizable. You can create headings for whatever you are struggling with, including things like hygiene, relaxation, and mindfulness tactics. 

💡 Pro tip: 

Why not add videos to your self-care bullet journal? iPad apps like Craft and Evernote both support videos, meaning you can get self-care advice from your favorite YouTubers or self-care gurus when you need it most. 

Unfortunately, this feature isn’t available on Goodnotes or Notability. 

Creative & aesthetic

Quote pages 

This is an exciting bullet journal idea because it proves you don’t have to be an art major to create something aesthetically pleasing — if you’re using a digital bullet journal, anyway. 

You have all the tools at your fingertips — highlighters, stickers, different types of pens… And the best bit is there’s no downside; if you mess up a line, you can use the eraser tool and start again. 

💡 Pro tip: 

@bulletjournalbychloe (pictured above) has created a spread based on a song lyric from the song Defying Gravity. If you want to replicate something like this on your iPad, you could go one step further and add an audio clip. 

Goodnotes has an audio feature that’s typically used for lectures and meetings, but there’s nothing stopping you from playing the song on your phone and recording it on your iPad. And Goodnotes will sync the audio with your written or typed notes, creating a synchronized playback experience. 

Here’s how to do it: 

1. Open a notebook on Goodnotes.
2. Tap the microphone icon to start a new recording. 
3. Write or type your notes, and Goodnotes will automatically sync whatever you write with the recording. 
4. Tap the microphone icon to stop the recording.

Doodle pages 

A doodle page is a lot like the braindump page we mentioned earlier, but it’s much more visual. It’s also really customizable, so there are no hard and fast rules. 

If we had to pick our favorite bullet journal idea for doodling, we’d have to choose @the_journal_club’s doodle a day idea. 

1. Open a double-page spread in your digital journal.
2. Decide whether you want to divide your page by days, weeks, or months. 

You may want to divide each section by the exact number of days, weeks, etc. Most people create one doodle a day and choose to highlight whatever they consider the most significant part of their day. 

At the end of the year, you’ll have a tapestry of bright doodles and be able to reminisce about everything you’ve accomplished. 

💡 Pro tip: 

Drawing on an iPad can feel strange, especially if you usually use a pencil and a piece of paper. The slippery screen might disrupt your workflow, and the extra effort needed to keep your stylus on the right track could cause wrist strain. 

A matte screen protector could solve all your problems. Rock Paper Pencil is the only matte iPad screen protector that really feels like paper, and it comes with a bunch of other unique benefits: 

• Easy to install
• Reusable
• Comes with Apple Pencil tips 

The screen protector’s nano-texture surface creates realistic friction and drag. And with Rock Paper Pencil v3.0, the tips are made out of stainless steel and are designed to minimize wear and tear. 

With Rock Paper Pencil by your side, you easily switch from analog to digital drawing and doodle to your heart’s content. 

Books to read/movies to watch

Who said bullet journals are just for productivity? Creating a must-watch/must-read page is a way to track your progress, even if it’s unrelated to school or work. It’s a good reminder that the little things matter! 

The digital version of this page is so effective because you can drag and drop the cover of the book or poster of the movie into your journal. It’s simple, fun, and visual. 

Travel journal spread 

Bullet journals are a great place to plan the trip of a lifetime or jot down fond memories. I kept a journal while I was in Japan and, although I look back at it with fond memories, I wish I would’ve been a digital convert by then. 

It’s much easier and more accessible to make a travel journal on your iPad. A quick Google search was all it took to find an outline of Japan and, had I done this at the time, I could’ve drawn my route across the country, complete with memorable, personalized doodles. 

Tips for staying consistent 

You can research all the bullet journal ideas in the world, but if you don’t consistently journal, you won’t develop a digital workflow that suits you. 

We’ve got a few tried and tested tips that help us journal daily, even after a long day at the office. 

• Start small: Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you won’t create an eye-catching bullet journal in one, either. Be kind to yourself and focus on a single page at a time. 
• Keep it simple: Some of the pictures we’ve included can feel intimidating. Look, there’s no pressure to create a work of art on your first try, so we recommend trying one of the simpler, more minimalist layouts first. 
• Use colors for organization: One of the easiest ways to make something feel less overwhelming is to break it down into smaller pieces. In the world of journaling, that means one thing: highlighters. Consistently use specific colors for things like deadlines, progress, and goals, and you’ll soon create your own bullet journal system. 
• Reuse templates: Don’t forget to duplicate a template as soon as you’ve made it — that way, you can reuse it and save yourself time in the future. 

And, if you want to bypass the drawing and start taking digital notes immediately, we’ve found the best note-taking templates for iPad users. 

Final thoughts 

In our eyes, bullet journals are the perfect blend of productivity and creativity. And the BuJo method means that you don’t have to commit to full sentences and complete grammar at the end of a long day in lectures and meetings. 

It’s an intuitive, simple approach to productivity, organization, and mindfulness. Why not give it a go? Choose one of the bullet journal ideas from the organization, productivity, wellness, and creativity sections and give it a go. 

And, if you want to make your iPad writing experience as realistic as possible, you might want to try Rock Paper Pencil. It comes with a matte screen protector and Apple Pencil replacement tips infused with minuscule nano beads that mimic the feel of a pencil and a piece of paper. 

• Nano-texture screen protector: Infused with microscopic texture, the matte screen protector mimics the friction of fine-grain paper. It uses NanoCling technology (a form of static cling) to seamlessly attach to your iPad. 
• Precision-engineered ballpoint tip: Delivers a subtle bite that replicates the feeling of using a pencil on paper. 

It’s the perfect fit for bullet journaling on the go! Rock Paper Pencil v3.0 offers even more precision, making your iPad feel like a digital notebook. And did we mention it’s reusable? Once you’re finished with journaling, just remove Rock Paper Pencil and enjoy watching movies and playing games on your sleek, glossy iPad screen.