For those of you familiar with bullet journaling, Beyond Bullets is in that vein. It’s excellently done.

The book itself is a full-color paperback on glossy paper so you get the full effect of every layout. I was really impressed by how great a job the author, Megan Rutell, did of drawing out the basics and helping create a framework, then adding the creative aspect on top of that foundation.

Although technically broken down into two major sections, “Organization” and “Inspiration” (with the chapters distributed among them), I prefer to think of it in terms of three basic sections, plus a chapter that’s almost an “appendix.”

If I grouped it this way, the sections would cover “information and preparation,” “basic pages,” “decorative elements,” and then an appendix of examples for inspiration. (There’s nothing wrong with the way the book is actually arranged. All of the chapters are in this order. They’re just grouped into larger sub-heads a little differently.)

Information and Preparation

The first few chapters address the basics of the basics. First we get an overview of what journaling is, different reasons people do it, and how those reasons might result in different approaches. There’s an encouraging tone here (and throughout the book), making it clear that everyone’s style is different and that’s okay.

This section also talks about supplies, discussing both those that are essential and those you might just want. Some “fan favorite” brands and types of pens, notebooks, etc. are introduced for the sake of those who are completely new.

        Random note: it introduced me to this nifty tool I’d never heard of before, that looks super-helpful!

And there’s a chapter of tips and tricks, covering a spectrum of topics, like how to get started setting up a completely new blank notebook, indexing options, and how to handle mistakes.

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Basic Pages

After all this context is in place, the author addresses the structure of the journal. This section talks about what layouts you need, and getting your book set up. It also provides some suggested planner layouts, beginning with basic “core” layouts, most of which are reasonably fast to draw. Only after the basics are in place does it show how some of the layouts can be embellished if you want something a bit prettier.

There’s a fabulous balance here of “giving you a fish” – showing actual layouts so you have a starting point – and “teaching you to fish” – explaining the pros and cons of various layouts, as well as walking you through how to determine which pages you need and which layouts will serve each page’s needs best.

I alluded to the fact that most of these layouts are fast to draw. That’s a huge factor for me! So many of the daily or weekly layouts I see online are so complex that if I tried them, I’d never actually use my journal. Who has half an hour every single day just to get the page in place to do his/her planning?! The time it takes to get a page created and functional, relative to its frequency of use, is vastly important. (Those that let you dress it up when you do have a bit of extra time, or stick with quick basics on a busier day, provide a great balance.)

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Decorative Elements

If you’re looking at this book, chances are you like the idea of at least some decorative elements in your journal. I really like the way this book treats the decorative elements like icing on the functional elements of the “cake,” so both get the proper amount of attention.

I also like that this more creative section is both simple and detailed, because I don’t have much by way of drawing skills! There are sections here on lettering, decorative boxes & banners, and doodles, three major elements of decorating a journal. And every one has some step-by-step tutorials.

First there are a few simple lettering tutorials. These show how the same set of letters can be adapted a few different ways to provide different looks. They take a little time, but they don’t take great amounts of skill, so they’re accessible for the average person.

Likewise, the step-by-step tutorials for decorative boxes & banners are mostly pretty easy. Most of them are even pretty quick – once you know what you’re doing (which is why it’s so nice to have tutorials!). I know I tend to avoid these jazzier boxes mostly because I don’t really know where to start. The tutorials here provide a great starting point.

Finally, there are some step-by-step doodles. This is probably the least helpful section of the creativity portion, for two reasons. 1) Doodles are less “all-purpose” than lettering or boxes, so the selection of images may or may not be relevant to everyone. 2) Many of them do, in my opinion, require some drawing skill.

Still, they do offer a good starting point for practice, for those of us who are currently not doodling at all. (They aren’t unhelpful, just a bit less helpful than the other two elements.)

“Extras” and My Thoughts

The very last chapter consists of examples from real journals by individuals who have a variety of styles (and purposes) for their journaling. Each is accompanied by a brief explanation of her style and/or the featured layout. These are helpful as a means of showing how some journalers’ styles are very different from and others are very similar to, the style Megan features throughout the book.

There are a plethora of examples scattered throughout the book, and you’ll find no shortage of ideas. Many are decorative, but they aren’t overly fussy or cluttered, so they’re all still functional. (Form should follow function!) Of course you can vary the decoration or branch out if something fussier is more your style, but the examples given provide an excellent foundation and plenty of inspiration.

If you’ve spent some time poking around the ‘net looking at journaling layouts, you may be wondering if you can still benefit from Beyond Bullets. Yes! I’ve spent a good bit of time seeking out layouts, tips, etc. on Pinterest and the like, and nothing else pulls things together in a systematic way like this book does. I’ve also never seen anyone else break down layouts to separate their functional foundations from their decorative faces. This is just really impressively helpful.

The Bullet Journal Method: Track the Past, Order the Present, Design the FutureBeyond Bullets: Creative Journaling Ideas to Customize Your Personal Productivity System