Welcome, fellow “journalers”! Or, if you’re new to journaling, and you’re thinking “um, what is this whole “bullet journal” craze everyone keeps talking about… welcome to you, too, because I’ll explain it all in just a moment. And then you’ll be like, “how did no one ever tell me about this free bullet journal?“

Because it’s pretty amazing, and it’s going to help you get super organized this year. And, even if organization is not your strong suit, that’s okay—all of the pages in this bullet journal I’m about to share with you are guided templates.

That means everything in the journal is already “ready” for you to start using—so you don’t have to do any fancy formatting. Just pick up a pen, print the journal pages, and get ready to go!

But… What Is a “Bullet Journal”?

Listen, a “bullet journal” might sound super scary and perhaps even dangerous, but no real bullets are used in the making of a “bullet journal”. Actually, it’s only called that because the journal pages are filled with bullet points, you know, like tiny little dots, all organized in a grid pattern.

The idea of a bullet journal is to just journal between the dots, using them similar to regular lines on notebook paper. The only difference is that you have some more freedom with how you write in between the dots than you would with simple notebook lines—and you have more options when it comes to organizing things because there are more grid-like designs you can create.

And, while you can make bullet journaling more complicated by paying attention to the “official rules” of the bullet journal “method”, you don’t have to. I actually find it a lot more enjoyable to use a bullet journal as you would any other journal or diary, just with a bit more creativity. For example, the official bullet journal method encourages writing in short phrases instead of full sentences, but I find it’s more my personal style to use a mix of both phrases and sentences in my journaling.

That’s why you should always stay true to what works best for you when picking up a bullet journal, even if it doesn’t seem to fit within the dots of a bullet journal—because journaling is very personal, and you’ll get the most out of it if you bend the “rules” a little bit to fit your own flow.

So, What’s Included in This Free Journal?

Okay, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of this amazing, free bullet journal I have to gift you today!

And, just so we’re all clear—there are no strings attached when you download this journal. It’s just a free PDF that anyone can download, print, and share, and you do not need to jump through any hurdles to get it. Just click, download, and save or print—it’s that easy!

Inside the journal, you’ll find 19 interactive pages (plus a pretty cover page!), including:

It’s also good to note that any and all of these pages can be printed and re-used multiple times. For example, I’d recommend printing a couple copies of our dated entry pages so that you have a lot to use from day to day.

Do I Have to Print the Journal?

Actually, you don’t have to print this journal to get the most out of it. In fact, you can totally download the PDF file, save it, and just write on it using, say, a tablet with a touchscreen pen!

Of course, everyone’s devices are different, but most devices these days have a PDF editor already built-in. That means that, once you download the journal file, you should be able to write on it digitally. It may take some time to learn (and it’s totally okay to Google, “how do I write on a PDF on my MacBook?”), but it’s very doable.

Above all, when you write in your journal digitally, always remember to hit “save” so that you don’t lose your writing!

Otherwise, if you prefer pencil-to-paper journaling, you can certainly print the pages of this journal as many times as you’d like. All of the pages are in color, but you can save on ink by printing in black and white, and everything will turn out just fine as well.

How Else Can I Get into Journaling?

If you find that bullet journaling isn’t necessarily your thing, or if you find you love it but you want to try something else as well, I got you!

I offer other journals here on my blog, including journals for readers and even for painters!

So, feel free to check out these other free journals, like:

• A 20-Page Mental Health Journal
• An Interactive Painting Journal
• This Massive 50+ Page Reading Journal

And, if you want to go deep-diving and find even more free printables and online resources (mainly for readers and writers), click here!

Now, go forth, all you writers, and make magic happen in your new, free bullet journal!

–Kari