7 Clever Ways To Use Bullet Journal Icons
Hello Planning Mashers!
Bullet Journal icons are super cute and extremely easy to draw, but often it’s a bit unclear how to actually use them in your notebook to get the most out of them.
I’ve been using icons in my Bullet Journal for a while, so I’m here to share my tips and techniques on how you can use icons to be more productive and get more out of your BuJo.
Plus, as I’ve been doing lately, I also made a tutorial video with 35 simple icons you can draw yourself.
Visual content is always much easier to comprehend. According to this research, we process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Plus, unlike text, visuals go straight to our long-term memory.
What does that mean for your Bullet Journal? It means that by adding visuals you don’t just make it prettier and flashier, you also make it sure you remember things better.
It sounds scary to some because there is this big concept that drawing and doodling are super hard and only allowed if you have mad skills and artistic talent. It’s a total misconception though, anyone can learn how to doodle, it just takes time and practice.
Here, however, I want to give you a much simpler alternative – use icons! Icons are extremely easy to draw and take almost no time.
I encourage you to create your own icons, but if you’re still undecided, or you are in a hurry, or just don’t feel like drawing, consider visiting the Resources Vault. I have included there a free printable sheet of icons for you. Head there right now, or sign up at the end of the post.
Moreover, there is a doodling video at the end with 35 ideas for easy-to-draw icons; scroll down to give it a look!
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What Are Icons?
An Icon is a simplified graphic or picture that can be easily recognized and ultimately replace the text. A great example of this can be found on your own smartphone. Go to the home screen once, and you’ll see many icons for different apps.
Icons are the best way you can add visuals to your Bullet Journal because they are purposefully simplified, and they are widely recognizable.
There are many different ways you can use their features. And if you decide to use them, be sure to add them to your key page.
In The Future Log and Monthly Log
While planning your year or your month, try to use symbols to signify the most important events. That will make sure you are more likely to remember them even if you don’t check on your Bullet Journal.
If you’re a student, you might want to have a special deadline icon. If you’re a mom, you might want to have a special one for your kid’s karate class (I’ve been binge-watching Cobra Kai -which I TOTALLY recommend!- and now everything in my life is about karate!)
Personally, I use little icons to mark birthdays and my YouTube and email schedule.
Once you add those symbols to your future log or monthly, it becomes so much easier to visually remember what your responsibilities are.
In Your Task List
Use visual cues to remind yourself about the most important tasks on your to-do list.
You can add a little icon next to your task, or you can do like me and add an icon in your daily box to symbolize your focus for the day.
Try not to overuse it; if you add an icon to everything, you’re more likely to just skip it altogether. Use them wisely to bring your attention to crucial tasks.
In Your Daily Boxes
Are you tracking something in your daily boxes? Using icons is a great choice. You won’t just make it easier to visually see the patterns, but the icons themselves also look so fantastic!
In Your Habit Tracker
Icons in your habit tracker aren’t just cute – they also allow you to save space and try different layouts!
For example, I really love the vertical format for my trackers, and it looks so much better and cleaner if you use icons instead of words.
In Your Monthly Review
You can use icons to do different types of journaling and reflections. Just check out this amazing spread below.
Add a simple icon each day in your monthly log to symbolize an event that happened or maybe just your mood.
It’ll be a great reminder and a starting point if you want to do more detailed reviews in the future.
Speaking of review, be sure to check my post How To Create A Monthly Review Spread.
In Your Goals Pages
I’m all for making the goals pages more visual, and icons are a great way to do that. Add icons to divide areas of your goals (such as health, work, and family). Or use icons to highlight your most important items.
Icons will help you to get the whole picture more easily and understand in which direction you should move in one glance.
In Notes Pages
I bet that even if you’re no longer a student, you’re still taking some online classes or webinars. Thanks to platforms like SkillShare, studying online is easier than ever, and you can find classes on any topic you’re interested in.
Try adding icons to your notes. This will bring attention to the most important points, and it’ll make it easier to review later.
And even better – take sketchnotes! Icons will be very useful and you’ll remember your information that much better.
How To Doodle Billet Journal Icons
To show you how easy it is to draw icons and give you some ideas of what icons you can use, here is a “Doodle With Me” video with 35 icons for your Bullet Journal.
Do you use icons in your Bullet Journal? Which ones? Let us know in the comments!
Free Printables
I really hope I convinced you to use icons in your Bullet Journal. As I said, in case you don’t really feel like drawing them yourself, I got you covered – you can find a free printable sheet of icon stickers in my Resources Vault!
The file name is “Planner Stickers”, and if you download it, you can print the stickers out over and over again. I also have there a Bullet Journal icon workbook with 40 hand-drawn icons and a page for you to create the icons you need in your BuJo.
If you’re not yet a member of Planning Mashers, just sign up in the form below and get access to all the free goodies I have there for you!
To print them out, I would recommend using some sticker paper or label paper. Print them, cut them out, and they are ready to use!
I hope this list was helpful; if you find it so, please share!
And remember: Keep Bullet Journaling, and Don’t Be A Blob.
