Featured Image Credit: kalynbrookeco
Excited to create a Bullet Journal and want to keep it organized at the same time? Bullet Journal Index is your way to go. It is one of the first pages of your Bullet Journal and acts as a table of contents. This is the page where you list what material is located on which pages throughout the bullet journal. It adds an extra organizing step to your Bullet Journal to make it a beneficial tool. It not only organizes your current bullet journal but also helps you go through the old ones without any trouble.
Looking for inspiration to start a bullet journal? Check out our complete guide to bullet journaling.
Table of Contents
With your Bujo Index in place, you simply have to scan through it to find what you are looking for at a quick glance!
Tips on regularly updating your Bullet Journal Index
If you are new to bullet journaling and wonder whether you will be able to maintain a bullet journal index or not, here are some quick tips to help you get started.
- Let the first page of your journal after index be your unique bullet journal key.
- List monthly collections and logs to the index.
- You can choose not to update your journal index with daily records.
- As soon as you create a new collection, update your index simultaneously.
- The bullet journal index meant to be chronological, so keep logging as you write through your journal.
- Be specific while filling in your index. Instead of writing, “Online Course,” write the name of the course you took, for instance “Basics of Calligraphy.”
- If your index page is full, simply flip to the next empty page or continue the index on the last page of your Bullet Journal.
- If you like getting creative with your bujo, you can also choose to decorate your bullet journal index with doodles and illustrations. (I’ve created a special step-by-step doodling e-book to help you with that.)
Bujo Index Ideas to Inspire You
Now you know how adding an index can make your journaling experience way more organized and convenient. You can also choose to customize your bullet journal index in any format, design, layout, color, or style. We have found some creative yet unique Bullet Journal Index ideas to inspire you into making one today.
1. The Traditional Bullet Journal Index
This is a perfect example of a traditional journal index by kalynbrookeco. If you are making an index for the first time, I highly suggest you go for a similar style as above. Simply create a layout of whichever month/week is going on and list the things you added to your Bujo for that month/week. Create new pages for each month/week and update your index accordingly. This helps you to keep a quick check on the things that have happened or the goals you have achieved in a particular month/week.
2. The Two-Column Index
Another exciting way of creating your Bullet Journal Index while saving a lot of space is by splitting your index page into two columns. These columns can also be categorized to add logs related to that particular category. This index layout by bulletjournalnoob is a great way to organize your index and add a uniform and neat look to it.
3. The Detailed Bujo Index
If you like to know what each page holds in your Bujo, this index idea is perfect for you. You simply have to list each page number on your index page and write the headings/keywords defining what each page is about. This is a great way of updating the Bullet Journal Index regularly and getting a detailed insight into your Bullet Journal.
4. The Color-Coded Index Idea
You might ask that making a bujo index requires having numbered pages? What if your Bujo does not have numbered pages? Don’t worry, this colorful idea by plannerjules solves your problem. Instead of numbering your pages, you can color-code each section and list the same against the chosen color in the index. It saves you from numbering hundreds of Bullet Journal pages and adds a colorful visual appeal as well. However, you can continue to list the page numbers along with specific colors.
5. The Monthly Bullet Journal Index
Here is another idea if you are a beginner. All you have to do is categorize your Bullet Journal entries monthly and build your Bujo index alongside. You can use different fonts/sizes for your month and entry headings. In this way, you can also skip numbering pages if you don’t have a numbered journal as the month categories would help you navigate the Bullet Journal.
6. The Basic Bujo Index
We know putting in so much effort on the index page(s) would seem like a lot of work. Hence, this simple index by tina.stepanova is a quick way to create one. All you have to do is list down your daily writings in this index and the page numbers (No need for special categories like monthly/weekly). Design the page to suit your style or simply make a box as above for a neat look.
7. The Color-Pop Index
Here’s an idea to make the dull index page way note appealing. Write ‘Index’ in a bold creative font and add a pop of color. I really like the color scheme used by bujo.and.me as these colors have added a twist to the regular black and white theme of the page. You can play around with some of your favorite colors in the Bullet Journal Index to make it super cute and personalized.
8. The Highlighted Bullet Journal Index
Using highlighters can give a unique creative touch to your index page! You probably didn’t think of that, but this idea by bujos.inspirations will surely get you inspired. You can use the highlighters to mark the beginning of the new month or to highlight any particular entry that is important for you. You can even use the highlighter to categorize the pages.
9. The Calligraphy Index Idea
Fonts are an attractive and creative way of adding a quirky touch to your bujo index. You can choose from tons of existing font styles or create your own style for writing your heading and logs. Try adding a personal touch to the font style to match the theme of your journal.
For some unique Bullet Journal font ideas, you can refer to our post on 20 Best Bullet Jornal Fonts For Your Bujo Pages
10. The Elaborate Bujo Index
This creative and elaborate idea by saricastudio is an excellent way of creating your own index. It can be personalized according to your convenience by using small boxes, color-coded categories, tiny doodles, or icons. The Bujo Index can be as elaborate as you wish, spread it out to two-three pages. However, don’t forget to keep it neat and easy to read.
11. The All-In-One Index
This idea incorporates all categories: yearly, monthly as well as weekly. It is a great way to design the journal index if you regularly do bullet journaling and have weekly updates. To create a similar one, divide your journal entries into yearly headings followed by monthly subheadings. This is further followed by weekly sub-subheadings. This way helps you regularly track short periods of your bullet journal with a lot of detail.
12. The Tabular Bullet Journal Index
As the name suggests, this idea is all about small sections and tiny tables. It is a super cute way of organizing your index and making it uniform. Create different columned tables for main headings like months or years and others for the remaining entries. This idea helps you begin with an overview of your journal (through the headings table) followed by the details in other tables. Switch up the colors, or table styles according to your comfort.
13. The Artsy Journal Index
This idea is a great way to show your creativity on the opening pages of your Bullet Journal. You can draw different floral prints, colorful designs, doodles, or something related to your journal’s theme. You can sketch, paint, color, or outline any patterns that you draw. This makes your index very appealing and would instantly lift your mood when you view your creative potential every day.
14. The Cut and Paste Index
If you feel like hand-drawn art is not something you can do, this idea is perfect for you. All you have to do is find some images or cut-outs that you think inspire you or suit your Bujo and stick them to your journal index. You can add these cut-outs as collages, or as a border to the page, or in a random manner across the index page(s). It is simple, quick, and makes your bullet journal very inspiring.
15. The Digital Bujo Index
Bullet Journals can also be created digitally, and so can your Bujo Index. You can also have a handwritten bullet journal with a digitally made index page(s). There are different websites and templates available online to create your desired index. You can easily customize the style, colors, and fonts on the index and add it to your digital journal or print it out for your handmade Bujo.
16. The Section-Oriented Index
Why create one extended index, when you can create various small ones for each category? Start by adding an index page at the beginning of each new category (for e.g., new month, new work, new year, or new milestone) in your bullet journal. The above is an index for the year 2017. Similarly, you create one for the next year and so on. It is a great way of adding a section break to your bullet journal and giving an overview of the following section.
17. The Mix & Match Bullet Journal Index
Yet another Index idea to show your creativity is this one by nowherepaperco. Even though it is black and white, the calligraphic font is written vertically, and the serial numbers add a unique touch to the index. Along with enhancing the appeal of your index, it splits the page into two columns. It gives you increased space for logging your index entries.
The Index is the backbone of your journal and should be given the same effort and thought as the entire bullet journal. We hope these ideas and tips motivated you to create your own journal index. It’s super easy and helps you organize your bujo while adding a hint of uniqueness and creativity. However, make sure the index is a reflection of you and is created to inspire you!
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