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!

Thank you for the thread. I found myself in tkmaxx stationary aisle yesterday and came out with two notebooks which seemed just right so I couldn't leave them there Conceptum notebook £4.99

Yesterday my left hand was splinted after I fractured it whilst super cleaning the house for a viewing We did get an offer though.

So i just followed the instructions and easy so far. The notebook I got has index pages and pockets in front and back, 2 bookmarks, pen loop, grid pages etc. I have just written out future pages, weekly schedule, September overview and tasks, weekly pages, DD2's packing list (off to college/apprenticeship on Sunday) and Christmas present page.

It's not beautiful but having spent lots of money on organisers in the past and then had whole sections I didn't use I'm looking forward to having everything all together.

Woke up this morning feeling calmer and more organised

J0kers - phew!
Chillywhippet - it's a nice feeling isn't it!

Bendy I use a black biro by Cross (bought from Staples). It was about £30 but writes smoothly and I love it.

just marking my place and saying hi, I've just started my bullet journal. I've only got as far as a yearly at the moment and I have to say I'm disappointed in my penmanship so far

oops posted to soon, anyway I'm going back to read the thread to get some inspiration

Hi all - I've just found this thread. Started in Jan and experimented in an old notebook for a few weeks before starting a lovely Rhodia dotted Webnotebook at the beginning of March. Love the paper but it is a bit big and heavy to carry around all the time and, although handy to have some of the summary info I've put in like term dates, it feels a bit unneccesary to carry about the last 4 months daily logs. I'm currently trying an a6 Moleskine cahier to see how I get on with the size - has the advantage that it just slips in the mobile phone pocket in my handbag. I'm sticking fairly close to the original idea except that I do my monthly overview as a grid instead of a list. I don't o a weekly layout as my daily logs range between 3 and 20 items!

I'm toying with the idea of getting an A6 for ease of carrying around but am not sure if it'll be too small.

I'm happy with my A5, but maybe I don't carry mine around as much as some of you. I don't take it absolutely everywhere. I only tend to take it out of the house if I'm working (not that often!) or when I'm going away to stay somewhere (also not that often), and in both of those cases I'd have a bigger bag than a handbag with me.

I am tempted to go for a Rhodia next time newlark - I love my Leuchtturm but the paper is a bit thin.

I started my bullet journal last month. This thread is proving a very useful source of ideas. I have a page in my journal for ideas of how to improve it.

I have chronic fatigue and a very woolly head so I'm hoping that having everything in one place will help me to be less forgetful and more organised.

Great idea id never heard of before I saw this thread. I'm off to buy my first bujo tomorrow. Very excited.

This is such a revelation, thank you so much for this. I love you! Yes, a bit gushy and OTT but seriously, this is (hopefully) going to transform my life!

I scratch endless notes onto scraps of paper and once in a while I gather the scraps together and write them onto new scraps... A scrap for work, a scrap for shopping, a scrap for 'things I'd like to do when I find the time/inclination'. And by 'scrap', I truly mean scrap. I'm a mess! The indexing in BuJo is going to totally work for me! Oh, and I have a stationery fetish so have a proper excuse now!

Only started last night, but I can already see how it will work so well for me. I haven't used my bestest notebook yet - I'll save that for when I've got the hang of it.

Thank you again!

I am finding it really good. There is something about writing stuff down. It's harder to ignore too- on my iPhone I just swipe tasks to snooze, which means they don't get done!!!

Hurrah! More enthusiasts! MissTeriName - you're very welcome! I felt the same when I first saw BuJo mentioned on a general 'get organised' thread on here. I went and looked at the official website, went and started my BuJo and the first of these threads.

Incredibly pleasingly, my 'Christmas Plans' page has fallen on spread 24-25.

I have found that only a steadtler 0.05 will do for writing. I bought a unipin 0.05 today but it is not as good. I have a triplus staedtler set for colour.

I am finding the habit tracker incredibly informative. I have never really analysed my own behaviour in that detail before (I am tracking how 8 daily choices impact on 2 outcomes) and I think it will really help over time.

Also, some people find the BuJo is an aid to relaxation which helps with their mental health - not just the bits of it which reduce stress by making you feel more organised, but also the soothing and pleasurable process of writing, embellishing, recording enjoyable bits of your daily life and looking back on them.

This in a bucket.

Just started in an old notebook I found in the loft. Not sure about the daily journal thing as I have this info already on a family calendar so am leaving that area alone. Love the idea of keeping all my "idea lists" in once place. Christmas presents, school
Holiday ideas, books I want to read. Might venture into the daily planning side later.

I started my 'new walks' page in my new BuJo today. We live in Cumbria and are spoilt for choice of beautiful places for dog walks, so I like to write down any new ones we go on, so I'll remember which ones to do again.
I'm not quite ready to start a Christmas planning page yet !

Hi all, I started my first bujo in February after reading a thread on here. I use a notebook (A5) that I had, I've got loads of all sizes stashed away (stationery fetish, moi?...) and use it for home and work. I work from home mostly so don't have to carry it around much, but I was very pleased when I used it in a meeting and my colleagues were all super impressed at how organised I am.

Sometimes I embellish with washi tape, coloured pens and highlighters but mostly it's utilitarian. I'm so pleased I started this, it's really helping me being more organised in my home and work life. Also I love writing lists and ticking things off, very satisfying...

I've just bought myself a very lovely new notebook from fabriziano, it's got dotted grid pages and a bright orange cover. My current one still has about 20 pages to go but I'm really itching to start the new one... Shall I?

Start the new one!

I started my new one early, in that I had some pages left in the old one. I decided that the beginning of September was a sensible time to do the changeover, plus I was desperate to start my new Leuchtturm! I say go for it!

DD has just knocked my coffee over my crappy Tesco notebook so I shall be forced to buy the softcover Leuchturm I have had my eye on...

Ooops . Better keep your lovely new Leuchtturm out of your dd's way!

So much drama on this thread! We've had lost journals, coffee spillages, ink bleeding... Whatever next?

I'm really loving the idea of a BuJo page dedicated to the next BuJo. That's my sort of planning!

I had a brainwave at 2am. I need a "school application page". We have to apply for DS this year

I really like the idea of this but worry I won't like flipping back and forth. I am a list maker. Daily chores, menu planner, shopping list (although that's on the fridge), school stuff, holiday stuff, Xmas stuff, diet stuff etc. I have a mega list for the house, one for th garden etc. I currently have a diary, a Xmas planner, my phone calendar, an a4 book for the house list, randome pages for the garden etc. I also have fairly rubbish handwriting. I do love stationery and pens though.........

I have a stash of notebooks so might hunt one out to start. I'm in midst of sorting out a desk/admin area for me so it seems like a good time.

But surely Cider, flipping backwards and forwards in one notebook is less effort than turning to lots of different, separate lists and books? Jealous of your new desk /admin area... We have a teeny study and it's really cluttered with a tatty old carpet and a horrible, badly painted-over bench/table bit. I'm thinking it needs to be turned into a BuJo haven for me nicer work space for the whole family to use!