BuJo Wankers 2 - declutter your mind!

[mercifulTehlu]

Woo hoo! It's the second Bullet Journal thread! For the benefit of newbies - Bullet Journal is a brilliant way to organise your whole life in a lovely notebook. Perfect for anyone who has tried every app and every scheduling system but just can't seem to get on top of things. Also perfect for lovers of beautiful stationery and especially for people who like lists!

Sooo - get out your fineliners and your washi tape! Stroke your Leuchtturms! And get all that stuff that's whizzing round in your head out onto paper instead!

website here

I think you have to take the Kondo approach to this problem Bellatrix. Your pink moleskine has performed the valuable function of teaching you what you do not want in a notebook - squares. For that it should be thanked and then either passed onto another member of the family (a child say) for them to use (with the used pages taken out perhaps), or recycled if that is not an option.

Then it is not wasted and you can free yourself up to buy a new notebook or use one of your stock of pretty ones.

That is what I would do anyway.

Thanks Frozen.
I think as pretty as some people's BuJos are, I just have to accept that mine is useful not pretty and get over it! You're right! Thanks!

Bellatrix I also agree with what Frozen said.

I also dabble in the Kult of Kondo - do not hold onto something that does not give you joy to see or use; it will make you feel bad every time you see it. You have learnt that that style of book doesn't work for you and actually holds you back. Send it on its way and I doubt very much you will regret it, or even think about the book again!

thanks for your comment Greymalkin. I googled konmari and I totally understand why I felt bad. So, I'm ripping out the few pages I did have completed in there and giving it to my DS to doodle in. Because I'm a Notebookaholic I have many to choose from so I can take my time and set a new one up in the style of the other two which were basic but totally functional. I'm quite sad as I'm even starting to get excited about it now!!

Have ordered a cover for my bujo Will report back when it arrives to say if it's any good

Not sad at all, Bellatrix! I think the reason I like Kondo and BuJo is that they both encourage actual enjoyment of both the process and the results of being organised and tidy - embracing the pleasure that comes from both the mind-freeing lack of stress and clutter and from the loveliness of a nice notebook and a nice-looking environment. Approaching tidying or organisation as a dreary chore is never going to motivate me!

I agree - the journal is what you want it to be and that is the beauty of it. The only "fixed" thing really is the index as that is what makes it work. What goes in the book beyond that and what it looks like is up to you.

I'm still setting my system up so that it works for me - I'm somewhat paralysed by the horror of writing in the book and it being wrong but what I have done so far is working for me.

Bellatrix, I'm very much in the functional camp when it comes to the BuJo, looking up ideas on Pinterest is my idea of hell. And for me the cheaper the notebook the better - using highlighters and post-it notes is my limit when it comes to decoration.

For me the bits that really work are the index and the task migration system. When I've finished a daily/weekly task list I put a big cross through the whole list but I can't do that if the list has something on it that I've got to migrate to the next day/week. So it makes me actually get on and do things to earn that satisfying big cross. (God I'm so sad....)

I like the way I can adjust the BuJo to work for me. I am on my second fridge/freezer page layout and my third daily to do list.

I get a lot of enjoyment out of updating my BuJo. I asked 7yo DS to fetch me my purple book on the hall shelves.
He said oh, your happy book. He calls it that because if the happiness quote I put on the front cover and because I smile when I read it.

TheCat

Aaww bless her, your Happy Book

What I like about my BuJo that it suits my needs.
It isn't just a task list, it is also a journal so leaving it for a few days because nothing remarkable happened or needed doing is just fine. When the going gets tough I use it more.

When we are extremely busy on a given weekend or a holiday is jam packed I have to do an A3 sheet of paper and stick it on the wall for all to see anyway. BuJo is no good when I need a detailed planner "as a family" as opposed "my stuff" .
But that is totally fine with me. BuJo is a not a needy child, it's a butler

Bellatrix

If that makes you feel better my BuJo is not pretty either. I have no interest in elaborate drawings and a "banners" page (wtf?) Ain't nobody got time for that girl!
Some people do and enjoy it - happy for them. But there's no point feeling bad or jealous about others' calligraphy skills! It's YOUR BuJo, not theirs. Be free from comparing yourself.

Here's how I set up month planner for April. Pretty simple, just how I like it

Thanks everyone. I feel much better now. I'm going to pick a notebook from my collection tomorrow and jump right in. BuJo is not about keeping up with the Jones' - its about getting stuff done and having it all in one place. Thanks again! Stepping away from Pinterest now!!

I am trying out a different layout for school holidays and have new pages for potential holiday days out and potential school holiday days out.

Ah! I've just spent an hour reading all the wonderful posts. I have a B5 pretty notebook and a pen ready to go tomorrow...

Any hints and tips?

Hello, so happy I found this thread. I ve never successfully kept a diary, planner or journa before but Bujo is really working for me and I love it :)

WHSmiths. It's called a B5 perfect bound. A4 looked too big and A5 too small. I've modified the inside cover to have a pocket in it for keeping letters I need to post handy.

Been working on it all morning and I can feel my brain starting to relax already!

I've spent the day lusting over Pinterest about bujo's - can I ask which notebook do you all use ?

Whoops

Leuchtturm 1917 with a dot grid is quite popular. that's what I have, in white , with a red penloop. It's lovely and versatile.

So. After playing today and reading lots of stuff and ignoring the children I think I'm catching on. Couple of questions.

1/ in a daily log, do you put things you want to do or things you have done? Or doesn't it matter? Today I put a load of stuff in first thing that I wanted to get done today. Then stuff got added as the day went on, some retrospectively and some as I thought of it. Some won't get done and will have to be carried forward. But then what about stuff that is on the monthly task list? Do you transfer it to the daily log as you plan to do it or as you have done it? I can see me running out of space very quickly! Is this why some people seem to do a weekly log?

1. My calendar page is completely full already for this month! How am I going to cope when I get the school newsletter on Tuesday?!?

Socks

I do the same. It's a journal so adding stuff that have been done is perfectly fine.
The other day DD's book got ripped. I put it on the kitchen counter and was just about to say "I'll do it later" when I realised the sellotape was right next to the book.
So instead of getting my BuJo and scribbling "fix book" I just fixed the book. It was the quicker solution (and DD happier!) and I felt super efficient.
I did make a note of it after, but it was so nice not having to write, cross out, re-write this task 5 times!

If you run out of space for week or month just set up a new page or double page when you need it, INDEX it and it's done. Maybe title it "school summer term planner"

my "Things I want to knit" page is already full . With 6 things noted "W" as in work in progress. How can I have 6 knitting projects on the go at once?!? Hopefully I might finish some before I start others now...

Socks I'm amazed you only have 6 WIPs!
I have 3 big patchwork quilt projects that "I'm in the middle of" and 5 crochet blankets of various sizes and 1 bag. Also a crochet hat & blanket that needs peskies done, I need to sew a ballet bag for DD and currently trying out crochet patterns for a shawl and another 2 blankets.
And I'm not even counting the Little Hugs & Billie Blankets I'm aiming to make this summer and all the mending, alteration and labelling jobs in a big heap that needed doing weeks ago!
And the 2 scarves for friends and 2 minion hats and DH's scarf I'm pausing til Sept!
I know I'm forgetting something though....

Hello everyone! This thread dropped off my Threads I'm On. Just checking in! I'm trying to work out a Save Your Way To 5k page but the maths is beyond me and I can't work out whether to do it constrained to 1 year or just work out a random amount of months that will allow me to save steadily!