Bullet Journal thread 3: organise your life!

[Eolian]

For newbies... Bullet Journal is a special method of setting up and using a notebook as a calendar/planner/journal/habit tracker/bunch of lists/record of your achievements/diet log/exercise plan/doodle pad/anything you fancy all in one!

It is all over Pinterest and Instagram, so there's a whole world of inspiration out there. Much of what you'll see there is full of intimidatingly beautiful calligraphy and embellishment but yours doesn't have to be!

Explanation of the set-up to follow. Or you can jump right in by checking out the instructions and video on the Bullet Journal website .

The system can seem a bit strange and complicated at first, but we're here to help. And once you've got the hang of the basics, you can customise the system any way you like.

Oh and if you love beautiful stationery, this is the perfect excuse to indulge!

I just googled custom stamps and I'm currently only in the research stage.

I love that bookshelf idea!!!

Did some collections and a calendar this weekend so I'm closing in on the end of my BuJo now!!! Hopefully I will fill it before Xmas..... leuchtturm, leuchtturm, leuchtturm time! Had this one since February I'm clearly not busy enough, people seem to whizz through them!

Iggi my bookshelf is about the only vaguely arty bit in my BuJo, but I saw it on Pinterest and I couldn't resist!

Wishing you all a lovely organised week! I've just started my Christmas page. Just a list of present ideas really, as we are not hosting this year (except for New Year).

Ooh we ARE hosting this year (first time ever) so I'm sure I can use up some pages in planning!

Ooh Captain I have a book thing too, only mine is just an untidy pile on a page. Loved doing it though.

Added a new habit tracker to this weeks spread. I'm VERY pleased to say that I ticked the 'In bed by 10.30' box tonight

My Christmas page is in progress! I was invited to my first Christmas party today.

Can I ask a question please, for those who have used more than one book?

If you have a list that you add to occasionally, such as day out suggestions, when you start a new book do you copy it over, keep using the old one for that list or split the list?

Short - my work had our Christmas do booked by the end of July. It gets earlier every year!

whoknows I have printed up my list of days out and meal planning ideas and stuck them up in the kitchen so i can put my BuJo away once it's finished. Some people scan their collections, print and put in new BuJo. Some people just keep referring back to old book. Oh and some people and a book specifically for long-term collections, I have a few lists I kept in my Filofax when I used it, I keep them in there and take that out when I want to see them.

Whoknows -some things I copy over, some things I split. It depends how lengthy they are and how often I'm likely to need to refer to them really.

Does anyone use their bullet journal for addresses and contact details? My address book is the only other notebook I have now, as everything else is happily contained in my bullet journal

I have a separate address book (one of those tiny Moleskine ones, so I can put it in my purse with my stamps).

Meant to say, it can also fit in the pocket in my BuJo so that avoids having to copy everything out again etc when to start a new BuJo.

My address book is tiny too, I hadn't thought of just putting that in my bullet journal. So obvious!

Thanks Bendy and Eolian. I'm not at the end of my first book yet, so it's hypothetical, but I think I will probably copy over when the time comes.

Zebedee - I've had a tiny WHSmith filofax type address book for 20 years, loose leaf so I can add and remove sheets, I don't see the point of changing, it lives at home in a basket with envelopes, stamps, cheque book. I don't see the point of having it in my Bujo. Most contact nowadays is electronic and I've got all that in my phone, I only really use the address book for birthday and Christmas cards.

I have been thinking of transferring addresses to my BuJo actually. Maybe not all of them, but the ones I'm most likely to need.
I've got an important work-related appointment this week that I had for some reason not put in my BuJo. I was out last night for dh's birthday and suddenly a wave of dread washed over me when I remembered the appointment but couldn't remember which day it was and thought I could have already missed it! (I haven't ).

It reminded me of how invaluable my BuJo is and how I generally don't have those "Argh!" moments any more. It also reminded me to put appointments in straight away when I make them!

I have an index box for addresses, so I can easily issue someone a new card if they dare to move!

Ok, I have a question for you all. We've just booked DD's naming ceremony. I see many, many lists and spreadsheets on the horizon. Would you put them all in the BuJo? I'm tempted to, to keep them all together, but on the other hand I wonder if a folder would be better so I can keep the readings and other paperwork in it. Decisions, decisions!

Actually, I do have my pen pals' addresses written on the back cover of my BuJo. Don't know why they get to go in there and not the address book, ha!

Hello!
Glad I found you all again. I had a bit of a MN break too for a while but carried on with my BuJo. I've even started adding a bit of colour to it. I'm not particularly arty so it's just colouring over letters but it looks quite pretty. I've also started a mood tracker (found it on Pinterest) and a simplified monthly housework tracker.
I've stopped using it for meal planning/shopping lists though as I found it quite cumbersome to carry around in tescos and it's easier to write my meals on to the planner on the fridge, then I'm less likely to forget to get the meat out of the freezer!

Welcome back Sairelou! I don't use mine for shopping lists exactly - I have a 'supermarket master list' in there though. It's a list of all the things I buy, so I have it open in front of me when I make my weekly shopping list and it reminds me of things I need and to check whether I've run out of things .

I use mine to make shopping lists but I do them on a post it note so I can stick it to my phone when I go out.

I tried to make a laminated master shopping list that I can use drywipe on to add to it or cross off items I need that week, but the drywipe obviously came off pretty quickly and I only had sticky back plastic so it wasn't very firm and got all crumpled 😂 Overall disaster but I like the idea of having one in the BuJo!

I have a separate book for shopping lists/menus. Its an A5 ring bound one, with the master list glued inside the front cover. I write out my menu plans on the second page, tear it out then use the first page to make my shopping list (this will already have anything I've run out of and added during the week and is facing the master list), tear that out and take it with me.

Anything that is High St, garden centre, retail park rather than supermarket goes on a list on my phone.