Bullet journal - bujo

[EasterIssland]

Hi i want to start a bullet journal on 2021, so i'm after ideas
Where do you get your notebooks from? any recommendations!
Pens? Stickers? Washi tapes... what else do i need!

i'm quite bad at arts but i'd like to give it a try to this...

any ideas welcome!!

I’m not really using mine anymore, but found it very helpful in the past so may pick it up again. I found it was more helpful for habit tracking and to do lists, so I stuck with my phone calendar for keeping track of appointments and setting reminders.

I had a leuchtturm dotted A5: www.ryman.co.uk/leuchtturm1917-notebook-dotted-a5

I got mine from an independent stationery shop, but I’ve also bought one from Amazon as a gift so I think they are quite easy to find.

I’d recommend pencil to start with (for easy editing) and I kept mine fairly plain so had just a few spreads with colour - I used staedtler fineliners and colouring pencils for those. I didn’t bother with washi tape etc, though quite liked the boho berry tip to colour in a square at the edge of a page to make pages on different topics easier to find.

Hello! I can’t really advise as I’ve only had a quick trial of a bujo type book but I’m planning to start in January. I’ve been watching the odd video for ideas, but mainly I’m planning to start just tracking things rather than trying to actually organise myself IYSWIM.

One useful tip a fellow mumsnetter shared was to only do a month at a time rather than do a set up for a whole year as it means it’s easier to figure out what works for you, and change it as you go.

And yes I’m totally marking my place for more ideas :o

I put 3 years worth of calendar at the beginning of my bujo, and a birthday spread. (Examples found online, close to what I use.) I found the yearly spread much easier to use with actual dates, than the box version where you write things as they came up (as you’d then have muddled up dates as events get booked in.)
Then I work on a weekly spread, so could technically change it on a weekly basis. My most used one is a basic 8 grid for my daily to-dos. I used to use trackers, but not anymore.

Ooh, that birthday spread looks much easier to use than others I’ve seen @Times10

I'm on about my 5th year of bullet journalling. I started an ongoing series of threads on here about it a few years ago - might be worth checking out, as there were lots of ideas and hints etc.

I use a Leuchtturm 1917. I've tried others, but those are my favourite. I don't do much in the way of artsy stuff - it takes too much time and makes me less productive (which is the opposite of what I want my bullet journal to achieve!). I basically use a black gel pen, some mildliners and a bit of washi tape here and there.

I would third the Leuchtturm dotted notebooks. They’re great!

I have that and a set of coloured fine liners. The BuJo purists would say you don’t need more than that - there are lots of beautifully illustrated ones online but that’s not really the point of a BuJo. But if you have the time and inclination, why not.

I agree not to map out too many pages in advance. I tend to do a yearly spread for 2 calendar years in one go and then everything else if and when I need it. So if I’m busy then I do a weekly planner but if not I skip it. Also if I have, say, a holiday coming up I might have a dedicated page for packing and to dos beforehand. That’s the beauty of the BuJo, you just make pages as and when you need them.

There is a bujo subreddit with some lovely ideas.
I have been using one from Amazon for a couple of years which comes with a pen. Good quality paper.

smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0711H7S63/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_N1M5FbS7NMEK7?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Mine is v basic, just a £2 notebook from The Works. I tend to set up a week or fortnight on the left hand page, depending how busy I am, and lists on the right. For me I think the important thing is to JFDI and adapt as you go along. I also do all my menu planning on separate scraps of envelopes because I chuck them in a drawer to re-use. Think of it like a filing system. For me, it needs to be ridiculously simple or I simply won't stick to it.

I love the Leuchtturm but the Tiger bullet journals are also pretty good and more wallet friendly. Nice weight of paper, nice pale dots and a handy pocket at the back. They only have them in stock occasionally but well worth buying imo.

Frixion do great erasable pens and markers although they’re not cheap. And Faber Castell do a lovely set of erasable colouring pencils.

Mine started off really pretty years ago but has got less and less presentable as time went on. But it is an incredibly useful system.

My new Leuchtturm came in the post about 10 minutes ago
Now starts the annual hunt for some calendars to print out for it - wish I could remember to bookmark them!
I must be on about year 6 of doing one of these.

Place marking

I do BuJo, but I don't do all the fancy artwork as I don't have time. You really don't need all the washi tape and pens, etc.

I'd just keep it simple to start with and add the other stuff if you feel like it later.

I use Leuchtturm 1917 dotted too. 2020 didn't take up many pages!! I do 12 2-page monthly logs. 1-31 on the left hand side with birthday and big events on. Then the monthly tasks on the right hand side.

When I've got enough to do I use a double page weekly log/planner.

Then I've got lots of random lists; packing, meal plannning, Christmas presents bought,

Love the fact that it's easy to pick up and put down as needed. Def played out by the shit show that is 2020!

I have no artistic flair. So no pretty drawings from me.

I absolutely love my Nuuna journals. Lovely thick smooth paper. And very forgiving with whichever pens you choose.

I've been watching bullet journal set up videos on YouTube. They are very calming. I'm not the least bit artistic but it has given me some good ideas for layouts etc. I think you mainly need a fine tipped pen or pencil and neat writing!

One of my favourite things is a library page, where I list books I've read. Helps when looking for a good author to go back to, otherwise I instantly forget what they were called! Have ordered some fine pens, my issue is keeping them from art-obsessed ds

My nice drawing pens don’t leave my bedroom :o I do all my art in there and will keep my bujo in there too.

I’m planning to have some reading tracker pages. I want to track positive things like that to inspire me to make better use of my time (I spend so much time just mindlessly scrolling FB etc)

@Times10 your birthday schedule is great, do you have any other examples that you can share? Thanks

Place marking

Thanks all for the ideas !!

I’ll read the bujo thread (once I’m back at work and need some distraction :))

@AcanthusFlower, I don’t really, those are the only spreads I use regularly and a basic 8 grid one for weekly spread.

I need to get back into mine and set up my January spreads. I do a September to August journal because I'm a teacher, so I'm not starting a new one now.

Dd bought me some lovely washi tape for Christmas and I've been going back and prettifying some of my more boring pages. It's a great, quick way to add a bit of decoration with minimal effort and no artistic talent needed!

When I first started Bullet Journalling, I put all kinds of spreads and trackers in, but tbh I didn't really find I used most of them. If they become an added chore in themselves, there isn't much point in them.

I now do future log (year overview), then for each month a calendar page and a week-to-view journal with a meal planner and a weekly to-do list in the side bars. I also have pages for the following: a purchases wish list, a birthday presents list (bought and received), holiday planning page, new walking routes page, supermarket master list, diy jobs list, housework routine spread, Christmas presents list (bought and received), tax return page... that's about it, I think.

My most used page (apart from the weekly journal pages) is the supermarket list. My top piece of advice is to timetable a time to look at your journal each day, not just time to write in it.

Oh and a knitting log page. I don't use trackers at all any more. I just can't get on with them! For some reason they just don't motivate me, but I know a lot of people do like them.

I think the best idea is to start simple and add stuff when you're in the swing of things. I found I only ever really needed a weekly "diary" with a to do list and also a "done" list. All fitted on one double page spread. I utilised post it notes a lot so I could move things to remember or transfer a shopping list to my phone case.

Oh tell me more of supermarket master list...