Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Bullet Journal

967 replies

mercifulTehlu · 23/01/2016 21:18

I've just found out about this fab way of organising your life, thanks to a kind poster on the 'people who are efficient ' thread. I was wondering if any other MNers are Bullet Journalers? here is the website if anyone's interested.

It's only a couple of days since I started my journal, but I can already see that it's going to revolutionise my ability to be organised. I've tried loads of apps, lists etc in the past, but have never really hit on a system that worked for me. I have very high hopes of this one though (plus it involves pretty stationery Smile )!

OP posts:
Thread gallery
64
tuilamum · 09/02/2016 08:29

Eggsandketchup there's a decent hardback notebook in wilkos for £3 with lines in the front half and squared in the back, I've been using that so calendar stuff goes in the back half and collections go in the front
I also had an idea yesterday which was, at the end if each day I put either a smiley face or a sad face depending on whether I end the day feeling positive or negative, then at the end of the month I can look at what happened on those days and try and make future days more positive (I've struggled with depression in the past so its important for me to make be active in making myself be happy more)

bloodyteenagers · 09/02/2016 08:46

With a 28 liner, you do a 2 page spread
For the monthly log. Then the space underneath tasks or whatever. Or give yourself more space for the monthly log and tasks on a separate page. Depends how busy that month will be. Some months (December esp) I will use more pages. Whereas August I will use less.

Yup great for period trackers, when ttc, peak test flow for asthma, steps walked, daily run...everything.
When I was smoking I marked how many I was smoking and this gave me the kick to stop. And when I was stopping and the first 6 months I tracked the money saved. Which helped seeing X actually written down.

learnermummy · 09/02/2016 09:01

Oooh my new stationery is here. Almost too nervous to start though!!

Bullet Journal
BendydickCuminsnatch · 09/02/2016 09:16

Do it do it do it! Ooh you got a Leuchtturm, can you report back on the paper quality please?? :) :) I'm excited for you Grin

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 09/02/2016 09:26

Well, despite being firmly wedded to my electronic calendar, reminders and various books I have already (address book, book with essential household info in, book for recording everything to do with my DCs SENs) I do think this could fill a gap for to-do lists, household chore lists, books to read, allotment plans, holiday plans etc. Plus I love stationery Grin. So I'm off out to buy a book later. I figure that provided I always have my phone to hand when I use the book there's no reason why they can't work together.

BendydickCuminsnatch · 09/02/2016 09:28

I read a good quote which I'm going to put in my bullet journal. Many of you might be using your bullet journal in different ways to me but thought it might apply to many of us here:
'High-performing people set goals religiously and track them religiously. They obsess about whether they're hitting or missing those goals and why. If you don't set and track goals, life just passes you by'.
It's not pretty or poetic but did make me think, and made me realise that lots of people DONT make goals etc. Shock I can't imagine that.
I sometimes feel bad and non-spontaneous, like I'm missing out on 'living in the moment' by being such a planner, but that quote does make me feel better as I know, for me, if I wasn't such a planner my life would be totally different and less full.

mercifulTehlu · 09/02/2016 09:35

Envy at the Leuchtturm, Learnermummy!
tuilamum - liking the smiley / sad face idea!
I've got a lot of tasks on my list today. I'll definitely have a smiley face if I get through them all...

OP posts:
mercifulTehlu · 09/02/2016 09:43

I like this . Letting the mind run away from tedious or stressful tasks is really why I often fail to get stuff done and end up on MN instead. The BuJo helps me not to run away from stuff - partly because I actively enjoy interacting with my BuJo, and partly because if it's written down it's harder to ignore and if I do ignore it I know I'm going to have to physically write it down again tomorrow!

OP posts:
BendydickCuminsnatch · 09/02/2016 10:39

I have a question - with your collections, eg a household list of curtain sizes and lightbulb types - will you re-write this into all future bujos (or scan, print, stick in), or just refer back to old BuJo whenever you need the info?

tuilamum · 09/02/2016 10:46

I would somehow move it over to the new BuJo but that's because I know mine would get buried somewhere in a draw! Kind of defeats the point if I have to turn the whole house upside down just to find a list Grin

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 09/02/2016 11:01

I have to say, witb respect to lightbulbs, I think my existing system works better, I keep a spare of every type then when I change one I just add that type to my shopping list before I throw away the packaging (I have a rolling list of non-urgent, non-supermarket items on my phone that I check whenever I'm in town).

TeaPleaseLouise · 09/02/2016 11:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TheVeryThing · 09/02/2016 11:21

I'm so impressed that you have developed your own version of this bloody teenagers.
It has honestly never occurred to me to write down things like types of lightbulbs and curtain measurements etc., and I am 41 years of age Blush.

I have waded through the various threads on organisation and efficiency many times but felt completely overwhelmed and never knew where to start.
This feels like a revelation to me and I really hope I stick to it.

The stationery looks lovely learnermummy, - enjoy!

RainbowDashed · 09/02/2016 11:23

I've just spent a very happy half hour pimping my work journal wonderful work avoidance tactic, bujo style. I'm leaving at the end of April and I want to be able to hand everything over effectively so it's going to be hugely useful. I must admit, it was lovely only having to do a future planning page for two months Grin

I got some arrow sticky tabs from Asda at the weekend, 69p I think they were, and they are brilliant. I'll take a photo and upload as soon as there isn't anyone around. Taking photographs of one's notebook is not the done thing in these parts.

RainbowDashed · 09/02/2016 11:37

learnermummy nice haul, it's a Leuchtterm that I've asked DH to get me for my birthday (specifically purple, squared pages), what's the betting he goes to Wilko's and gets something cheaper? Hmm

TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 09/02/2016 11:42

After umming and ahhing last night I fully decided to start a bullet journal. So,being me,what did I do? I went and ordered an A4 Filofax to do it in.....Blush

Oopsies!

Ho hum. I can print out my own pages and just realised place them when needed instead of buying new notebooks,right?Grin

TripTrapTripTrapOverTheBridge · 09/02/2016 11:43

*Replace not realised!!!

CoperCabana · 09/02/2016 11:43

Well I went to Wilkos to get a cheap book, came back unimpressed and have ordered the grey version of learnermummy's book on Amazon same day. I couldn't sleep for thinking about things I want to put in it! SO excited!

Kewcumber · 09/02/2016 11:49

OK I've started.

Nothing fancy. Ordinary A5 lined exercise book from Sainsbury (3 for £5) but I likes the colours - shocking pink, black and silver. I have started with the shocking pink as I won't lose it.

Bought the erasable roller ball pack but I think they're an extravagance!

I need to be organised because I work from home in a fairly busy professional role and it's all gone to pot recently with lots of issues/meetings re DS so I need to get back on track. I even missed an appt for a hospital based medical test last week Shock I never do that.

Have decided to print out my outlook calendar at the beginning of each month A5 size and paste into my BuJo as I just have too many appts to realisitcally copy them all out again by hand.

My plan

I'm going to have a monthly task list split two halves of a page vertically home and work.

I'm going to have a client task list - so a kind of matrix management as tasks will be both by client and by month/day.

I'm going to plan the following day the night before and review the following week on a Friday.

That's the plan - no stickers or drawings or inspirational sayings for me yet !

Spot the accountant!

TheoriginalLEM · 09/02/2016 11:51

you are all quite mad!!!

i am a bit envious

nelliestar · 09/02/2016 11:58

3 days in and a convert!! Grin
Love lists and love notebooks but they are all over the place in my house so having one book for everything is very satisfying! My index is as follows...
Future log
February
Books read this year
Daily logs
Recipes - old faves and ones to try
Feb work goals
Feb memories
Kondoing tasks
Steiner study
Art class tracker
Favourite websites
Doodle page
Quotes I need to read
Places to visit in 2016
Ideas for the house
Ideas for the garden
Style/what to wear/mn swears by
School holiday ideas
To research

And adding all the time!
Mine's not too pretty but I am using highlighters in different colours for me, my dh and my ds.

This thread is so useful! Wink

BendydickCuminsnatch · 09/02/2016 12:02

Wowwww that's a big index already! Love it! I'm just mulling over what will happen to my lists once my BuJo is over if I write them all out. I don't know!

nattyknitter · 09/02/2016 12:05

In fairness I only have things like curtain measurements etc in there because I have only recently moved and am likely to buy curtains, and I want new lino in the bathroom and so on. It just means if I call into somewhere on a whim I don't have to go back once I've worked out the sizes I need. I can do it there and then.

What I like about the lightbulb list is that I have it done by room, shape, fitting and watts. So if a bulb goes and I don't have a spare, or I use the spare, I just need to remember which light is was when I go shopping, I don't have to cart the bulbs round, or take it down to see what it is first. I have really high ceilings so changing a bulb is not a straightforward task. Plus every bloody light fitting in the house is a different fitting or type.

I always have a list opening times for things in town. So places like the pool and the library. My town still has Wednesday half day closing and some take the whole day, so there is nothing more frustrating than getting there and realising the place I want to go to is closed.

I've also thrown in a local bus and train timetable.

I'm a a list person though, so probably go to town on lists that other people would find quite odd. I think moing house helped too, because I inventoried everything as I was packing.

I have a clothes list too, because that stops with the impulse purchases. I always used to bring home something that was lovely only to realise it was very similar to something I already have.

Ha ha, now just realising how odd I am.

TheVeryThing · 09/02/2016 12:07

Great lists nelliestar. I definitely need to add kondo tasks to mine.

I'm not making mine too pretty either (although I have bought eraseable red and purple pens).

I plan to use it for work as well as home and no one would take me seriously if it looked like some of the ones on pinterest/instagram (lovely as they are)

BendydickCuminsnatch · 09/02/2016 12:08

Not odd to me at all! But will you transfer all those lists over to your next BuJo or not? Or just take pics of them and have them in your phone? Think it makes more sense for me to keep lists like that on my phone as my BuJo stays at home.