Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

Anyone still using a Bullet Journal?

100 replies

Fairislefandango · 03/04/2022 17:49

It was such a big thing a few years back! I'm still loving mine (I think I'm on my 8th annual one now!), and I like to start a thread on here once in a while to see if anyone's got any great new ideas or systems, or if there's anyone keen to start using one. I've just kind of changed the way I do mine, and it's definitely better.

OP posts:
jinglejanglemorning · 01/09/2022 08:14

@tiredmum83 thanks for the link! Gosh that looks complicated. But then again I'm a sucker for nice stationery...I'm going to explore this further, thanks!

AlisonDonut · 01/09/2022 08:18

This video shows at just before 4 mins, how she uses it for her lesson planning.

deflatedbirthday · 01/09/2022 09:01

I've never heard of Bullet Journals until I read this thread but it sound very me!

Is there a specific journal to buy? Or do you create your own from a nice notebook? I haven't had time to read through the whole thread and link but will do this evening

HillsBesideTheSea · 01/09/2022 09:22

I just use a nice notebook. I use a dot grid because it suits me. Dot grids work well for arty bujos. Lined was the original method, and i have seen bullet journals in square paper note books. You don't actually need a fancy note book. the original method you could actually just do it in a note book like you would use in school. But honestly we all like some nice stationery.

Which is why i do use sitckers in my bujo. I find if it is pretty i am more likely to use it so a little washy tape, a couple of stickers and some scraps of paper are quick to throw together to make it pretty. I have no artistic skill. So it works for me. But totally not needed either.

tribpot · 01/09/2022 13:46

A nice notebook and a pen is all you need. I use a dot grid one (and A5 one of these) but you can start with whatever you've got lying around.

I use stickers occasionally, to decorate important days. But mine is really only functional, there is no artistic flair to it at all.

UrgentScurryfunge · 01/09/2022 16:21

I started one and it basically evolved into my running/ fitness log. One moleskein did 2017-2020 and I started a new one in 2021 as there weren't the spare pages to get through the year.

I have a second one intended for more householdy stuff and that's the neglected one 😂
It's good to have the space to keep themed records/ notes together.

It's not particularly bu-jo-y in layout (keeping calendars/ to do on my phone works far better for me) but it is a flexible organising method for me.

Bugeyedowl · 01/09/2022 16:27

Is there a way of having a Bullet journal without having to draw out the calendars yourself? I had one a couple of years ago but I got sick of having to create them. This year I'm using a Hobonichi, which I like, but I haven't used as much as I thought I would. I want just a monthly calendar layout in the front, and then just empty pages for long-form journaling. But I don't want to do any layouts myself cause I always make such a mess of it!

Original poster
Fairislefandango · 01/09/2022 16:46

You could print them and stick them in, @Bugeyedowl . I tried a Hobonichi and didn't get on with it at all. And they are soooo expensive!

OP posts:
tribpot · 01/09/2022 16:47

Yes - there are also pre-formatted journals (have a look on Etsy, and there is also an official one) but it might be overkill compared to just printing out the layout you want. There are tons of stickers on Etsy as well for exactly this kind of thing - you want a layout but don't want to draw it.

CaptainCallisto · 01/09/2022 19:41

I've just sat and done my September set up because this thread made me remember how much I miss it. So thank you. Hopefully I'll stick with it this time; the five years I did it were much more organised, and my mental health was considerably better. Fingers crossed 🤞

tribpot · 01/09/2022 21:37

Yay @CaptainCallisto hope you find it useful. Remember it's as little or as much as you need.

deflatedbirthday · 02/09/2022 23:00

Could anyone recommend some stencils or stickers please? I've gone a bit journal blind on Amazon.

I start uni again in Oct so I was planning to buy an academic diary to organise work, family and uni but perhaps a bullet journal would be more flexible.

I do a lot of work that varies day to day and I need a way to record my earnings daily to keep myself on track for the month.

I'd also like to be more structured in housework now I'll be busier with work and uni.

Basically I need an organisational miracle!!

83DanishMum · 03/09/2022 08:30

@deflatedbirthday look on Etsy

timoteigirl · 08/09/2022 20:55

@deflatedbirthday I love Note & Wish. Their website has free printables and their shop has adorable washi tapes etc. Or I have used Carpe diem series. Erin Condren dot com is also giving me inspiration. At the moment Home Bargains has some really cheap but lovely washi tapes.

timoteigirl · 08/09/2022 21:16

Does anybody keep a separate smaller bujo / notebook for the repeated stuff like passwords / shopping lists / cleaning list / packing lists / books to read, movies to watch etc?

I had not heard of Alistair method before. I tend to do the weekly view currently relatively small for each days but then a longer vertical to do list. What I have done this year and found really useful is to do a two page spread of summer months so I can see with one glance what is planned for when. Thinking of doing the same for autumn and have already done a two page brain dump regarding Christmas prep.

@deflatedbirthday you can buy a bullet journal fr a fiver from Flying Tiger, for example.

@UrgentScurryfunge it's good you have your priorities sorted :)

Remember if it becomes a chore, then simplify. It is supposed to make your life easier.

HillsBesideTheSea · 10/09/2022 18:11

I do not keep a seperate journal for that kind of information. But i do have:
Household folder - containing birthdays/anniversaries/important dates, key phone no#s for work people / emergency nos for electric gas etc, cleaning schedules master sheets - which can be copied and distributed for delegation as needed, building work plans and schedules etc

Packing lists, TBR and crafting stuff etc are in my main bujo. They wouldn't get used if they weren't.

Original poster
Fairislefandango · 11/09/2022 22:29

No I've never kept separate smaller ones for different things. For me the idea of everything being in the same place was a major part of the appeal of it. Although now I'm using a teacher's planner, a teacher diary and a Bujo, so I guess the 'all in one place' thing has gone out of the window a bit!

OP posts:
vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 11/09/2022 23:14

I can see how this would help my busy ADHD brain. But, how do you REMEMBER to fill it out?

If I can do that bit it might really help...

EmmaH2022 · 11/09/2022 23:19

This does seem like something that might help my ADHD brain

but then I'd have to remember to write stuff down.

also, does a version exist with a day to page calendar at the front?!

HillsBesideTheSea · 12/09/2022 07:16

@vivariumvivariumsvivaria
Habits and rituals.
I have a 2 touch minimum system. So with my coffee in the morning i touch it and in the evening when i have eaten I touch it. I also tend to have it somewhere I can see it. And in my bag when i go out. If i get information it goes straight in it.
but lets be honest I haven't touched it at all this last week as i have been running a massive to do list on a bit of paper because that was what my brain needed this week. And that is ok. Especially as plans have been complicated and changing daily!

@EmmaH2022 yes it can literally be what ever you want it to be. So one month i might have a page per day, another i might have a 1 page summary for the week and a running to do list/Alastair method list. It is a flexible system

vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 12/09/2022 13:12

Habits and rituals.

Ah, witchcraft? I'd add a third myth to that - "routine".

I have been trying to establish a routine since the birth of my first child. She is about to graduate...

Maybe it is possible to get a routine in my middle age. Given that my kids would benefit, I'm a stereotype of "late diagnosed ADHD woman who started looking into neurodiversity because of concerns about her children"

It'll be a herculean effort, but, I KNOW that establishing habits and rituals will make my teenagers' lives easier. Perhaps it's possible.

I need a coach or a cheerleader or a shitty stick to nudged me along...

vivariumvivariumsvivaria · 12/09/2022 13:15

That is a good idea about taking it with you. One book that is big enough to note things in but small enough for a bag.

It's STARTING to make sense.

I need to find something to help. I'm totally overwhelmed - I'm senior in my role and it's about to ramp up; teens are great but need parenting; parents are ageing; my health is needing attention; the house is revolting; my marriage is limping a bit.

It's a big ask for a notebook! I CAN do it, I just need to do it all little and often and reduce the dropped balls.

EmmaH2022 · 12/09/2022 14:17

Hills I meant, does a pre printed version exist

but I looked at Alistair method and will try that, that looks good.

viva do you use Outlook at work? I keep meeting papers and related emails and docs within the Outlook entry for the meeting. Really helps.

I'd love a cheerleader! It's the flat that defeats me. I find mum's house so much easier to run as there's actually space for things. I need to look for something meditative in restoring the flat to order on a daily basis.

EmmaH2022 · 12/09/2022 14:24

To clarify, I'm wondering if a diary with lots and lots of dotted pages exists.

HillsBesideTheSea · 14/09/2022 12:19

Honestly @EmmaH2022 i do not know. Bullet journals are really designed so that they are NOT pre-printed. But i do like this youtuber as she does a lot of reviews of different types of planners. you might find something in her reviews. She is good with her reviews and will distinguish clearly between personal preferences, accessibility (especially for visual issues) etc and have covered a very large range of styles and price ranges.

link to her planner play list