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!

Pamish, our kitchen calendar is still The Calendar - the final word if there's a question about when something is happening. So I've stopped doing the future log and month page of dates in my BuJo.

But I do have a month's worth of weekly pages at the start of each month - with the day and date written down the middle, timed appointments on the left and things that really need to be done a particular day (like, make a phone call, put the bins out) on the right. I do this partly to keep track of things that need to be done a particular day and partly to spot when I'll have time to crack on with other jobs from my month's To Do List.

Sadly, the To Do List always needs at least a double page spread of its own ...

BuJo still going strong here in spite of dropping off the thread for a while. It makes me very happy that my BuJo seems to have become such an ingrained habit now that I genuinely no longer worry that I'll lapse like I have done with all my other vain attempts at organising my life! 10 months in and I'm still loving it!

I've name changed since I started in February.
I agree Eolian, its become that automatic thing that I've been looking for for years. I have achieved so much more this yr than in the 5 previous yrs combined. Friends now perceive me to be organised and reliable, double checking things with me rather than previously seeing me as scatty and reminding me of things. Even those that laughed when I first started it. My stress levels have dropped right down. I use one for work too.

The one downside to this is Christmas planning. The DC's check the bujo regularly and as a result I haven't been able to put their present lists in it. It would be so much easier if I had a safe place in my bujo to write ideas and keep track of what I've ordered online or bought. But I'm flicking between emails and scraps of paper hidden in my handbag. It just proves to me how effective the system is!

I have a separate Christmas notebook that I've been using since about 2007. It means I'm less likely to buy the same stocking fillers all the time!

I think I've got my day to day one working for me. I have the front of the book as my diary and then work from the back for notes and lists etc.

Anyone else setting up their 2017 BuJo?

I've ordered a Leuchtturm1917 in berry for 2017 - I used a moleskine this year. It won't be delivered for a few days so taking the time to think through what worked this year and what didn't, and tweaking accordingly.

So far, I know I want to include:

• 2017 calendar on one page
• 2017 spread over three pages (to note birthdays, holidays, etc) - planning to use something like the calendex method that bohoberry uses
• goals for 2017 - 2016 has been a challenging year for me and I have taken a lot of time reflecting on what I want out of life and how we've fallen into patterns of behaviour that either aren't helping or actively working against getting where we want to be, so trying to focus and articulate what I want from the year but be realistic
• then I want a page per goal to set out how I am going to achieve it
• a page per kid for key dates e.g. School mufti days, trips, etc - link to calendex
• Book group page

Then into monthly overview and goals then week by week spread.

One of the things I have struggled with this year is letting negativity overshadow the good things in my life so I want to do a memories/ achievements/ things I am grateful for page at the end of each months as a visual way of taking stock of the good things in my life!

I am meandering though Pinterest etc for other thoughts for 2017 and wondered what you are all doing!

So what are you including and what are you ditching?

No one?

Oops turns out I have two diff accounts on diff devices! Who knew?!

Place marking as going to try this

Will change your life gislotsmum

I find it gives me a sense of
Calm as all answers are in the BuJo.

No chance that it's scribbled on another scrap of paper lurking at the bottom of your bag!

Think it will take a while to get my head round and I probably need the notebook in front of me to visualise it properly :)

Hey!
I was on the first BUJO page at the start of 2016 and I managed to keep my bullet journal for the whole year! There were one or two periods where I got lax with it for a couple of weeks, and when I was a disorganised mess because of this again, I had to get it out of the drawer and use it to sort shit out. It's honestly made me so productive and helped me not forget things.

This year I've got married and I planned the wedding single handedly in three months with my bujo. I run my own business too and it's been so helpful for that. Also keeping kids appointments, school lists, shopping lists, chore lists, budgets, etc etc!

I used a yellow leuchtruum dotted notebook, but I need a new one for the new year. Does anyone have the bullet journal official leuchtruum one? It's £20! But if it's worth it I might get it.

I didn't make mine pretty with washi tape or colours or calligraphy because I didn't have time. I do love looking at the nice pretty ones on Pinterest though.

Hi, I am new to this but am really considering starting a BuJo for 2017. Lots of people seem to use the Leuchtrumm notebook, is there a reason for this or is a cheaper notebook from somewhere like homesense just as good? Thanks

The notebook is hardback so withstands more but the best bit for me is that the page numbers are already there - you really need that, or of course you could sit and number them all yourself but you'd have to do that in advance.
I've got a new notebook for Christmas so I think I'll start no.2 for the new year, though of course you don't need a new book really till the old one is full.

Part of the fun for me is the page numbering.

Anyway - I started a new job on Dec 1st so I started a new BuJo then. So will wait til my current one is done before starting a new one. I am using the Moleskin square paper softback journals that you get in 3s for this next back of BuJos.

I have also started a new weekly spread. Left hand side is 5 vertical columns on the left hand side of the page, and lots of rows. So that columns and rows are all two squares deep. Head each column with the days so M-T-W-T-F. In the rows, I list all the things that I have to do and then I can add in any detail [eg how long it took] as I do it back into the day that I did the task. I trialled it the week before christmas as I was pretty much the only person working and had a load of things to do.

The rigth hand side of the double pager is the days of each week, on the left hand side, spaced out for diarised events and things to remember. I have also added in things that I sow for gardening and my monthly page also includes the seeds that I want to sow each month.

My future log is working better than I had hoped. Will make it a double pager next time as they did overlap when I had more things to do in each month than I had space for.

Any chance of a photo of new spreads???

Hello everyone and I have found my people

I can't believe I have missed this thread (!!!) I have just set up my first bullet journal. It will be for work only, I have so many things to keep track of, it will be ideal. I'm not back at work until next week, but I've already starting making notes. Having tasks written down rather than going around in my head makes me feel more grounded already.

@HeytotheHo - yes no problem.

The colours on the diary page are the moon sowing days - so green for leaf, orange for root, yellow for flower and red for fruit. if I can, I try and sow my seeds and replant my plants on days that correspond to moon days, as when I trialled it, I got a 35% increase in yield as opposed on the crops nurtured on the correct moon days. I've not put next week's sowing details in yet - so only work appointments went in when I put the plan together. Excuse the smearings, it's from removing identifying appointments for here. The blue tag on the diary page is what I do to identify the 'current month' so this is set up for going back to work for January.

I have just bought myself a bag for this year, I got a very reasonably priced Moleskin Reporter's bag in the sales. I have been sans bag for years but with increased new trips to London Village and a new job, and not gardening every day and having to look smart, as opposed to looking like worzel gummidge with everything stashed in my gardening apron, I decided to get a bag. I just wanted to report back that the Moleskin Reporter's bag, is marvellous. £76 at Bureau Direct. I got the last one in their sale. I had real issues not adding in a job lot of other stationery into the order. But I got through it.

Ordered Tuesday, delivered the minute they said they would yesterday.

Ok I need to do this because a) I need to be more organised b) I have a shiny new book to do it with.
But NO CLUE where to start.

I think I need to organise:
Appointments (though I tend to use my phone calendar)
Keeping a record of exercise (I have a significant birthday this year and I'm aiming to do 50 bike rides and 50 swims this year)
Craft projects
Guide stuff
Daily to do lists e.g. what needs doing at the weekend/day off.
Probably more than that!

I'm not very arty, and I am fine using just ore colour (i got a Leuchtrum book with dots and a pen holder and I like my disposable fountain pens- doesn't matter if I lose them, and they run out before the nib goes).

So please a beginner's guide, I'm afraid of starting wrong-

drspouse

Go to bulletjournal.com and you can do a basic tutorial of the system and then decide how to make it best work for you.

Thanks, I've had a look and made a start!
I'm not that clear on the to do/scheduling things, especially where something's not happening today or tomorrow.
But I've made myself a fill in wheel for my yearly exercise goals. Go me!

I''m carrying on with my existing one. I must admit apart from the Christmas shopping page I barely looked at it through December but I will be restarting it properly next week. I don't really do future planning in mine as all long term stuff is in my phne calendar, it's just a weekly to do list plus lots of other lists. I still keep quite a few other separate books for specific purposes (address book, Christmas / birthday gifts received / cards sent book, book of useful bits of household information that lives by the computer etc, book for everything to do with the DCs SENs) because they have worked well for many years, the BuJo plugs all the gaps between them.

I'm carrying on with my current book too. I've only got halfway through so it seems wasteful to start a new one. I like that there's no break between one year & the next - that always annoyed me with diaries, particularly when I'd get to December & wanted to plan things for next year but had nowhere to write them.

I don't number all my pages in advance. I'll start using a page, assign it a number & fill in the index page. Just one of my random little rituals that makes me happy.

I was an intermittent BuJoer last year, but have bought a beautiful new royal blue Leuchtturm which I have been setting up over the last few days.
I am much more productive when I use it. It has been very satisfying crossing off completed tasks today.

I've not finished mine but would definitely need a new one in a month or two so would rather just put all my new calendars into a new book. Which I need to get my finger out and start!
Happy new bujo year to you all

How did I not know about this thread sooner?!

I have been doing a BuJo for about six months now and love it but I'm always looking for new spreads and ideas!