20 Delightful Bullet Journal Theme Ideas To Organize Your Life And Mind

Bullet journals are a fun way to organize your life, especially when you make use of some of these bullet journal theme ideas!

I have such a thing for real, actual paper.

I mean, there’s no doubting the convenience of phones, e-readers, and everything electronic. I get it.

But give me a real book, with that new book smell? Or, heck, even the old musty library smell?

Or a nice journal and a high-quality pen that writes smoothly sans skips?

Oooooh baby.

I absolutely love it.

And that’s probably why bullet journals have always really appealed to me (you know, ever since I found them via Pinterest.)

Similarly, if you’ve spent any amount of time on Pinterest, you’ve probably already encountered at least the idea of bullet journals, even if you’re not totally sure what they are.

So if that’s you, you might be in search of an actual definition of what a bullet journal really is.

What is a bullet journal?

Bullet journals are basically whatever you want them to be.

I know, that’s extremely helpful.

But really, bullet journals are meant to be somewhere between a to-do list, a daily journal, and a way to organize your thoughts, plans, habits, and whatever else you feel like tracking.

They’re excellent for keeping track of your daily thoughts or for organizing your entire life – which is essential when it comes to police wife life (so if you don’t have a system yet, you may have just found one!)

It took me a while to start one, because I already have a daily journal and planner. I just wasn’t sure how I’d use one, even though I drooled over the pictures on Pinterest… and even pinned a few.

But I finally started one – mostly to track the books I’ve read, what books I’d like to read, books I’ve given up on, favorite books, etc.

Then there’s a page of my favorite sodas from the soda shop down the street, but I digress.

Why bullet journal theme ideas?

Well, again – because bullet journals are meant to be whatever you want them to be, there are unlimited ways to customize yours.

Since bullet journals are so popular, there are tons of posts that already exist for bullet journal theme ideas – which means you can copy the ideas of others and have a lot of fun with your bullet journals.

Where do I start with a bullet journal?

First, you’ll need a journal that’s conducive to writing, doodling, etc.

Fortunately, there are a lot of options around for just such a journal:

Leuchturm journals are always a popular choice. They hover around $20 each, so they’re on the pricier side. However, with that higher price tag, you’re also getting thicker paper and a built-in table of contents. I also like that they have two bookmarks, a cover page, and pockets for little odds and ends.You can get them in various sizes and in dotted or grid paper, whichever you prefer.
Minimalism Art has nice journals that come in dotted, grid, or lined paper. I got one of these a few weeks ago because I wanted to try out a new bullet journal idea (that I since gave up on, whomp whomp).In any case, I liked it overall! I certainly missed the table of contents and such, but it’s not a huge pain in the butt to DIY that part of your bullet journal if you’d prefer to save a few bucks.
This dotted faux leather cover journal has nice, thick dotted paper and high reviews. It’s a nice inexpensive alternative to Leuchturm if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option!Note that I haven’t tried this one, but again – check out the reviews on Amazon and you’ll find it’s a pretty darn solid option.

Second, you’ll need… a pen.

Shock, I know.

You can get a basic black pen, or a pack of pretty fineline or dual-tipped pens to make your bullet journal super colorful… or use a combination thereof.

Again, this is all about making your bullet journal something you enjoy writing in!

But once you’ve gotten all your supplies, you’re going to need some bullet journal theme ideas… and that’s where this post really shines.

20 Delightful Bullet Journal Theme Ideas To Organize Your Life And Mind

Mood Tracker

This is one of the most common book journal theme ideas, where you track your mood from day to day by coloring in a mandala or pixels or whatever. The idea is that it helps you see that even if you have a bad day, it only lasts for so long.

Plus, if you use

I haven’t done one of these, simply because it’d be too easy for me to become a little obsessive over it then burn out (because I know myself too well), but I love the idea of it.

Mood Tracker Bullet Journal Theme Ideas I Love:

(click on the image to go to the source :))

Inspiring quotes or verses

In my reading journal, I have a few pages set aside for quotes I love from books. They’re some of my favorite pages 🙂 I love looking back on them and being able to draw inspiration from them.

Similarly, you could have a page devoted to quotes that inspire you and encourage you when things are hard, especially ones that relate to police wife life.

I have a list to get you started here 🙂

Quote Bullet Journal Theme Ideas I love:

Goal trackers

I’m a big goal setter. I love having lists of things I want to do and getting to check things off as I accomplish them.

Whether you have a habit tracker where you check off if you’ve accomplished something daily, or one where you check in now and then to see where you are, or a “debt thermometer” to track debt payoff or savings for something like a trip, this is a great way to visually check in with where you are and how you’ve improved.

Because even when I’ve improved a lot, it’s sometimes hard to recognize because it’s happened so gradually. Tracking it like this helps me remember I have made progress.

Goal Tracker Theme Ideas I love:

Easy Meal Ideas

You know when you’ve just had one of those days that totally didn’t go as planned, then you reach 5:00 and you go – what the heck are we going to have for dinner? But you don’t necessarily want to do fast food? That’s when an “easy/fast meal list” is super useful.

I have a habit of forgetting the stuff we have in the pantry that we could totally make a great meal out of, that I just have ignored. I get kind of acclimated to it and then I don’t recognize its usefulness.

Some meals I have on my own list:

Grilled cheese and tomato soup
Tuna melts
Peanut butter and jelly
Baked potatoes with chili
Quesadillas
Spaghetti
Nachos
Brinner

Trust me – a list like this can save a lot of money and frustration.

Books to read

This is my favorite page in my reading journal currently. I’ve never had a system for tracking books that have caught my attention before. My “system” before was to either snap a photo of the cover, add the title to my phone reminders, write the title down in my daily planner, add it to my Goodreads list, or just try to remember it – which meant I could find my “list” of books I wanted to read someday scattered all over the place.

Not super useful.

Now I have one list where they all go. So if I go to the book store and find a book I’m really interested in (but can’t justify buying at the moment), I snap a picture of the cover and add it to the list when I get home.

It’s much simpler, and I don’t worry about forgetting it… or spending a bunch of money on books I don’t actually have time to read!

TV shows to watch

You know when you’ve just finished a series on Netflix and you have that feeling of being lost, like you don’t know what to do with your life anymore?

Maybe a little dramatic, but I know you’ve been there. (No? Just me? Okay.)

Regardless, just like the “books to read” list, this is a good way to keep track of all the series that have caught your eye or that have been recommended to you by friends so you have a go-to list of what to watch next.

Idea I love:

Your personal bucket list

Sometimes the cure for a lousy streak of luck is to daydream a little. That’s where a bucket list comes in.

Here’s where you’d write all the things you want to do someday: like where you’d like to vacation some day, the languages you hope to learn, if you want to go snorkeling or scuba diving or bungee jumping or skydiving, or just anything you might someday want to do.

What’s fun about this is they totally don’t have to be realistic. The best dreams/goals aren’t super realistic – that’s the fun of them, and the hope of someday reaching them is exciting.

So go a little nuts here and have fun!

Need a little more guidance here? Check out the Day Zero Project – the whole challenge is 101 goals in 1001 days. I’ve done it a few times (with about 50-60% success) and it’s been really fun!

Easy date ideas

Along the same lines as the easy meal ideas, it’s easy to get in a date rut, especially if you’re limited on time or funds.

Some ideas to get you started:

Stargazing after your husband gets home late
Breakfast together after a night shift
A picnic in the afternoon
A quick coffee date mid-shift
Movie night when he has the night off
A Harry Potter/Star Wars/Jurassic Park marathon with themed snacks

Home/car maintenance trackers

When your husband has a demanding schedule, a lot of the home/car repair stuff gets put in your lap. A tracker like this is a great way to make sure regular maintenance gets done in your house.

Some things to track:

When you last changed the smoke detector batteries
When your last oil change was
When you last changed the spark plugs
When your tires were last rotated

You may also want to keep a list of the things you’d eventually like to do, like redo the bathroom or the kitchen, repaint a particular room, or whatever.

Honestly, it’s easy for so many of these things to slip your mind, so being intentional about keeping track makes things a lot easier.

As far as bullet journal theme ideas go, this might be one of the most important on this whole post!

A list of your favorite blogs

I mean, why not, right? That way you can keep track of the ones you like to read so you don’t forget about them.

I can even start you off with a great one… you know, this one.

Or you could always do it the digital way and sign up for the newsletter, but I’m just thinking out loud here 🙂

Seriously, you can track anything in a bullet journal. They’re amazing. And these bullet journal theme ideas are a great way to start!