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Paper planner gals, have you seen Bullet Journals??


Moxie

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I'd be grateful to hear about what types and brands of notebooks people have been using, and what you think about the quality. I'm still using my original Moleskine with graph paper, but I'm not as impressed with the quality as I'd hoped to be. It's looking pretty worn, and it creaks when I open it! :lol: It's not a big deal, and I will buy Moleskine again if there's nothing better. But if there is something better, I'd love to hear about it!

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Bullet Journaling fizzled for me that last few months of last year. But that's still a resounding success compared to any other planner I've ever used. I started again in January and switched to a Midori style notebook that I made myself with some leather from a local leather shop. I cut it to use the cahier notebooks by moleskine. I completely love it and I made a smaller one for my 12 year old and she's obsessed with hers. It's almost May and I'm still using it consistently. I'm about to run out the door but if anyone's interested in more details (how to make one or how to use it) then I'll come back and explain more. :)

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I've been using mine for 10 months now. I've never had a planner for more than a few weeks, so it's been amazing for me. I use it to track appointments, homeschool planning, my own schoolwork, and household/daily tasks. I've changed it up a bit, as I use a weekly page to get an overview of what I need to do, and some tasks just live on the weekly page. The weeklies also make it very easy to review what we have done with schoolwork, both DS's and my own.

 

I use the large moleskin cahiers. I love how slim and flexible they are, they fit right in my tiny purse. I use my pen as a bookmark, since the cahier books are soft covered the pen fits perfectly.

 

I love my bullet journal because it is simple and quick and gets done. Also, I hate rewritting tasks, so I am more likely to do a chore I've been avoiding just so I don't have to write it again.

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I've been bullet journaling since January. I bought a gridded Moleskine notebook and I love it. I don't get fancy with washi tape or colored pens. Mine is very simple but it works for me. I love the fact that I can make my daily lists as long or as short as I want. I have a yearly calendar in the front, and I put future items on a sticky note.

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I still love my bullet journal, but I don't use it so much on a daily basis (I need to, though!). My favorite pages are the ones that I dedicated to the kids (each has their own page) and I write down funny things they said or milestones they've hit.

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I'm loving my bullet journal.  I've been using it a couple months and I've never had a planner I loved so much.  I've never had a planner last more than a week, actually.  It's nice to have everything that used to be in my head on paper.  I tweaked it to work the way I want it to.  I'm using a Moleskine dotted with a 4 color pen since I color code a few things.  I love how it's getting all worn looking.  It makes me happy.

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I PM'ed this to someone else, but in case anyone else is interested, here's info on making a Midori style notebook of your own. Funny, I first heard about these notebooks on this forum and I loved them right away but it was more than I wanted to spend. 

 

 

 

There are several videos on how to make your own. Midori inserts are narrower than moleskines. I wanted one that fit the cahiers, one that had room for plenty of them so mine is pretty wide. I used a leather punch and hammer to make the holes and 2mm elastic cord. I put my holes at the top and bottom of the spines side by side so that I have two elastic cords running side by side inside the book. When you choose your leather you want something that's pretty firm, not too floppy.

 

http://www.amazon.com/ELASTIC-CORD-2MM-RED-72YD-ROLL/dp/B0054G5E38/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1429928122&sr=8-8&keywords=2mm+elastic+cord

 

That's the type of elastic cord I have. If you can find a much smaller amount for cheaper, you should. That's enough elastic cord to make you 100 midoris. :p

 

As far as how I use it, I have three inserts in it currently. I could fit at least three more comfortably. First insert is monthly spreads and daily to do lists. This one fills up the fastest. Second insert is everything else you would normally throw into a bullet journal. For me, it's meal planning, garden planning, house organization plans, crafting plans, things like that. A lot of household management stuff. My third insert is all homeschooling. Next year's plans, ideas and lesson outlines for the co-op classes I teach, schedule stuff, notes on whatever educational books I read. I also have a Midori brand zipper pocket which is pretty nice.

 

Moleskine Caheirs:

http://www.amazon.com/Moleskine-Cahier-Journal-Large-Pebble/dp/8866134252/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1429928292&sr=8-16&keywords=moleskine+cahier

 

Zipper pocket:

http://www.amazon.com/Midori-Travelers-Notebook-Refill-Zipper/dp/B000ZYKFTC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1429928459&sr=8-1&keywords=midori+zipper+pocket

 

I really love it. I had another insert in there and realized I didn't like it, and it was easy to take out. I've rearranged things several times. I love how it feels and how it looks. I stuff it in my purse and it's all scratched up and worn looking. I've touched it so much that the oils from my hands have made the leather soft. :)

 

I feel like this total planner/stationary geek, but oh well. :)

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I'm still using my home-built planner on a daily basis. Clipart for the front and back covers, a Bible verse I like, laminated and spiral bound with my Cinch.

PlannerCoverMed.jpg

 

I have my name, address and some pretty clipart in my first pages:

http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/FirstPagesMed.jpg

 

An inspirational quote, my calendar's commitments, a spot on the left for menu planning and other daily chores and a moveable bookmark with post-its on the back.

http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/LeftPageMed.jpg

 

A place for short notes, priorities (with check boxes, since I decided I really liked that about bullet journals)

http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/RightPageMed.jpg

 

And in the back, standard notebook paper and a couple of small folders to hold flotsam and jetsam.

http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/ExtraPagesMed.jpg

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I'm still using my home-built planner on a daily basis. Clipart for the front and back covers, a Bible verse I like, laminated and spiral bound with my Cinch.

PlannerCoverMed.jpg

 

I have my name, address and some pretty clipart in my first pages:

http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/FirstPagesMed.jpg

 

An inspirational quote, my calendar's commitments, a spot on the left for menu planning and other daily chores and a moveable bookmark with post-its on the back.

http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/LeftPageMed.jpg

 

A place for short notes, priorities (with check boxes, since I decided I really liked that about bullet journals)

http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/RightPageMed.jpg

 

And in the back, standard notebook paper and a couple of small folders to hold flotsam and jetsam.

http://thebackgate.biz/Kansas/PlannerPics/ExtraPagesMed.jpg

I love your weekly layout :) I've been looking for something like that in the smaller planner size but don't have the funds to buy them (I've seen a few on etsy). I bought a weekly academic planner but it don't start until July for school.
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Mimm, thank you for posting the video and links! Very helpful!

 

Where did you get the leather?

 

I got mine at a local leather shop. So if you have something like that nearby, then you're in luck. If not, you'll have to buy your leather online. I've heard of people finding inexpensive leather at Michael's. I've also heard of people repurposing an old jacket or purse that they had no use for or was damaged in some way but still had usable leather.

 

I know there's a place on ebay where people frequently buy leather that's cut small and specifically for journal making but I am not finding the shop. :( Sorry.

 

Or if you are crafty, you can use cloth. I've seen some really cute ones.

 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/229520200/fauxdori-notebook-cover-passport-size?ref=sr_gallery_23&ga_search_query=fabric+travelers+notebook&ga_ref=auto1&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

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I don't know if there's a "shop" exactly, but there are several people selling leather on ebay. That's where I always buy mine...

All you really have to know is that leather is measured in ounces to mean how thick it is. Purse leather is around 4-5 oz leather, belts are more like 7-8, where a fine skirt would be around 2-3...

http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-the-Thickness-of-Leather-is-Measured-/10000000000858717/g.html

The above explains better what you're looking for.

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I don't know if there's a "shop" exactly, but there are several people selling leather on ebay. That's where I always buy mine...

All you really have to know is that leather is measured in ounces to mean how thick it is. Purse leather is around 4-5 oz leather, belts are more like 7-8, where a fine skirt would be around 2-3...

http://www.ebay.com/gds/How-the-Thickness-of-Leather-is-Measured-/10000000000858717/g.html

The above explains better what you're looking for.

 

Interesting! And what a weird system of measurement. :) For a book, you'd want something on the thicker side. Mine is definitely thicker than a coin, but not quite as thick as a belt I don't think, and it could stand to be thicker. The leather kind of bends in a bit on the spine where the elastics pull on it. It doesn't bother me but it might bother some people. :)

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Vela A3 this one was also a kick starter, and it's available on Amazon now. I ordered one, but it hasn't arrived yet.

 

Oh, hey. Got this one today. It's really good, but probably too large for a bullet journal. I know there is an executive sized one, I just ordered the wrong one.

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  • 2 months later...

Because I like the size of the composition notebook, I wondered if anyone has tried to bullet journal in a lab notebook? Lab notebook with TOC and page numbers.

 

I'll be ready for a new bullet journal at the end of the month and remembered someone mentioning using a lab notebook in this thread. Just wanted to pass along that I found this field research notebook at Amazon and think it will work nicely as a bullet journal. It doesn't have as many pages as the Leuchtturm1917 I've been using, but it has numbered pages, an index, and gridded paper.

 

I also saw this idea on Pinterest and am going to try it to (hopefully) make the plain cover look cool.

 

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My goodness, that video is impressive!  

 

Inspired by this thread, I started a bullet journal several weeks ago.  I've always been a paper planner person, but I just had too many other lists floating around, too.  This is working out just beautifully.  

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