Bullet Journals: 2017

[AMJ]

I don't keep a bj, just a quadruled notepad (& as I confessed in another thread, sticky notes everywhere) 

 

For pens though - I got dd as a gift last year the Staedtler Trilplus Fineliners (for mindmapping & fancy note taking like all the cool kids on studyblr) and they are LOVELY. 

 

 

 

 

Back when Palm Pilots were all the rage I was working a user support job and our boss got all of us Palms and wanted us to use them.  While the Palms were nice for gathering a lot of stuff together in a small, portable device, I discovered that trying to write quickly on the thing in the special Graffiti was something of a trial.  Instead of asking users who called me for help to hold on while I made notes in the Palm regarding their needs I would instead write stuff down in a notebook, and then after the call ended I would write the pertinent details into the Palm.  If I was pressed for time I would jot the Palm details onto a sticky note instead and slap the note inside the cover of my Palm until I had time to enter it.

 

I used the spare minutes before group meetings to do things like that, since I was sitting and waiting on others to finish gathering, anyway.  My boss saw me at it once, and exclaimed in some surprise and dismay that the sticky notes rather defeated the purpose of the Palms.  I explained to him, and to everyone else there, about the need to concentrate on the customer calling for help instead of on how to write on the Palm, and my usage of sticky notes as a temporary means of holding pertinent details until I had the time to enter them.

 

At the next meeting I saw others with sticky notes tucked into their Palm cases.

 

Sticky notes rock!

 

 

 

(Booya/h!)

Edited December 8, 2016 by AMJ

[xixstar]

I found a compromise - I printed some dot paper to add to my calendar.

 

It's not as convenient as being able to carry it around but it's t no extra cost to try it out. Starting with mostly a break dump of the endless to dos that have been running around in my head.

 

Hope to add some trackers too.

[Slache]

Okay. Y'all are inspiring. I started my very first bullet journal. :)

 

Are there any old threads on here or links you would suggest to help me integrate some of my homeschool stuff into it besides the link Slache posted above? I'm a disaster with planners because they're never quite right. I think this is something I might actually stick with and if I can have everything in one place all the better. I'm tracking for three kids. Any blogs, youtubes, or pics most appreciated. I'm spatially challenged so something with lots of pictures or videos is easier for me to take in when it comes to this stuff!

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/537080-bullet-journals-for-2015/

 

This chick only has a kindergartener but I like some of her ideas: http://www.passionthemedlife.com/2016/03/17/the-bullet-journal-for-planning-your-home-school/

 

Steal ideas from this sample: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1935495933/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1481218402&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=ultimate+homeschool+planner&dpPl=1&dpID=51Y75GW10EL&ref=plSrch

[Slache]

http://www.tinyrayofsunshine.com/blog/bullet-journal-addiction

[swellmomma]

haha one of my childcare boys noticed my bullet journal at work yesterday so he asked to look in it.  I let him.  When done he goes "that is your whole life in that little book.  It's kind of creepy. I know everything about you now" haha. Not quite kiddo but certainly it is my brain in a bound format lol

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

http://www.tinyrayofsunshine.com/blog/bullet-journal-addiction

 

I'm enjoying this thread.  Regarding the article above, I gave up in stage 6 in Feb of this year... but I'm ready to now give it another try!

[Slache]

I'm enjoying this thread. Regarding the article above, I gave up in stage 6 in Feb of this year... but I'm ready to now give it another try!

That's what happened to me in the beginning. Now I use it as a planner in the beginning and a collection of lists in the back and it works perfectly.

[Noreen Claire]

Oh, dear. I should not have opened this thread. I know what I will be obsessing about for the rest of the week now...  :lol:

[vonfirmath]

Back when Palm Pilots were all the rage I was working a user support job and our boss got all of us Palms and wanted us to use them.  While the Palms were nice for gathering a lot of stuff together in a small, portable device, I discovered that trying to write quickly on the thing in the special Graffiti was something of a trial.  Instead of asking users who called me for help to hold on while I made notes in the Palm regarding their needs I would instead write stuff down in a notebook, and then after the call ended I would write the pertinent details into the Palm.  If I was pressed for time I would jot the Palm details onto a sticky note instead and slap the note inside the cover of my Palm until I had time to enter it.

 

I used the spare minutes before group meetings to do things like that, since I was sitting and waiting on others to finish gathering, anyway.  My boss saw me at it once, and exclaimed in some surprise and dismay that the sticky notes rather defeated the purpose of the Palms.  I explained to him, and to everyone else there, about the need to concentrate on the customer calling for help instead of on how to write on the Palm, and my usage of sticky notes as a temporary means of holding pertinent details until I had the time to enter them.

 

At the next meeting I saw others with sticky notes tucked into their Palm cases.

 

Sticky notes rock!

 

I loved my Palm and the original Graffiti to write in it. I got very fast! I was never able to learn the new way of writing when they were forced to change :(

 

[AMJ]

Have you seen a spiraldex template, Slache? I'm not sure I can freehand one.

 

I use Staedtler triplus fineliners--I have the set in the color way you posted, Slache, and I bought a 4pac of black ones.  Each of my children has an assigned color (their towels, water bottles, etc. are all also the same color) and it's a good visual way for me to see what's going on as they all get older and have their own activities.

 

I have three planners in my life: 1 is my school master plan, 1 is a traditional Erin Condren style planner, and my third is a 4x6 bullet journal that is my brain overflow for things that don't fit into my traditional planner.  My third planner tucks into the back of my traditional planner and they both go with me everywhere.  If I tried to consolidate them all into one planner, it would be a ton of work, so I like my hybrid system.

 

 

I am a multi-calendar person, too.

 

I have a year-at-a-glance calendar (wet erase) in our downstairs hallway on which I try to note down anything firm or planned, like birthdays, DH's work holidays and vacation days, home school breaks, doctor appts, etc.  I TRY to get the family to consult this calendar (with limited success).  Still, we need something the whole family has access to.

 

I have a calendar app on my phone that synchronizes with DH's.  I enter appointments here when I am out and about and setting up new appointments.  I also use it when away from home to answer questions about our schedule.  I try to mark down in this anything that gets set when I'm away from my phone, and I try to mark the wall calendar with anything I set in my app calendar (as soon as I am home).  As the kids get older I will set them up with calendar apps on their devices and teach them how to use them, and I will sync them with DH's and mine.

 

I have a Teacher's Planner in which I have worked out the general course of our home school year.  I need this dedicated space in which to work out the plans.  This takes me days, sometimes weeks of work to accomplish, and I don't need anything getting in the way or distracting me.  I do, however, first write in all of the known calendar events that I will want to plan around.

 

I have another weekly/monthly planner in which I record what we actually DO during our home school year, because life never goes according to plan.  This way I have a record of what got accomplished before a vacation or other lengthy interruption, and I know where to actually pick up again when we return.  I also have the basis from which to rework the overall plan if needed (as it was this school year).

 

When I was working for a paycheck away from home and the kids were in brick & mortar schools the number of calendars with which I had to contend was astronomical.  In the Time Management classes at work they had some single, no-kids young adult trying to convince us that one-person-one-calendar was the way to go.  Nice idea, but it doesn't match my reality, dear.

 

My calendars and planners as I have them now work quite well for where I am at now.  I even have the kids using a planner each in which to write down their own independent work assignments & due dates and anything else they deem noteworthy.

 

But now health matters dictate I keep a daily log of other stuff, too, and there is no book or app out there that really matches what I need to record and how.  Therefore it is time to return to something akin to a bullet journal.  I need a self-designed planner/log book/notebook/what-have-you.  I am now perusing stuff online and playing with what is left of an earlier attempt this year to journal -- I am figuring out HOW and what to keep track of, so I can start the new year off with a fresh, new book.  It will also contain calendars with the same info as on the other calendars, so I have that info handy when I am noting down health info and I can therefore spot trends and causes.

 

My journal will also be a general place in which I can write anything, brain-dump when needed, or just play.  It will not be pretty, but it will be useful, and just right for me.

[AMJ]

Okay. Y'all are inspiring. I started my very first bullet journal. :)

 

Are there any old threads on here or links you would suggest to help me integrate some of my homeschool stuff into it besides the link Slache posted above? I'm a disaster with planners because they're never quite right. I think this is something I might actually stick with and if I can have everything in one place all the better. I'm tracking for three kids. Any blogs, youtubes, or pics most appreciated. I'm spatially challenged so something with lots of pictures or videos is easier for me to take in when it comes to this stuff! 

 

 

Just remember this:  It's okay for the journal to change over time.  You will try some things that won't work out -- it's okay to stop doing those.  You will find out later about some things you wish you had been doing all along -- it's okay to simply start them whenever.  You aren't locked into any specific format or time frame or anything -- it's all entirely up to you.  Have patience with yourself as you discover what does and does not work for you.

[Guest]

Just remember this: It's okay for the journal to change over time. You will try some things that won't work out -- it's okay to stop doing those. You will find out later about some things you wish you had been doing all along -- it's okay to simply start them whenever. You aren't locked into any specific format or time frame or anything -- it's all entirely up to you. Have patience with yourself as you discover what does and does not work for you.

Thank you for saying this. I keep wanting to check that I'm "doing it right". I need to get past that feeling! When I worked I was glued to my Dayrunner and have missed having something that worked as well as that did but for home/kids. Hoping this finally fits the bill.

[Slache]

Thank you for saying this. I keep wanting to check that I'm "doing it right". I need to get past that feeling! When I worked I was glued to my Dayrunner and have missed having something that worked as well as that did but for home/kids. Hoping this finally fits the bill.

There is no right. I do it all wrong, stop using it at times, rip pages out for the kids at the doctor's office. I like to plan; it relaxes me. I'll plan out a 12 year school plan that I know will never happen, but I'm stressed and need something to do, so I'll have 4 pages of school laid out with the intention of never looking at it again. I do whatever I want because I can. So there. :P

[lanalouwho]

I've had my bullet journal for a week now. I messed it up yesterday and I'm trying to convince myself that it doesn't matter.

 

I love the homeschool bullet journals though. It would be so cool to actually have a record of all the things we learned about and did. I want to have one for every 'grade'. And record details like discussion notes and rabbit trails and random thoughts that the kids might think.

 

Sent from my HTCD160LVW using Tapatalk

[AMJ]

bluepapertrail.com is one blog I have found enlightening.

[GailV]

Just remember this:  It's okay for the journal to change over time.  You will try some things that won't work out -- it's okay to stop doing those.  You will find out later about some things you wish you had been doing all along -- it's okay to simply start them whenever.  You aren't locked into any specific format or time frame or anything -- it's all entirely up to you.  Have patience with yourself as you discover what does and does not work for you.

 

Finally realizing this was what freed me up to start using one.  I laid out a few pages for December, secure in the knowledge that I would probably want to do January totally differently.  And, yes, after about 10 days I can see that I want it to be different.

 

One thing that won't change -- how much I'm enjoying the Triplus Fineliners I just got.  My one big splurge for now, and totally worth it.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

haha one of my childcare boys noticed my bullet journal at work yesterday so he asked to look in it.  I let him.  When done he goes "that is your whole life in that little book.  It's kind of creepy. I know everything about you now" haha. Not quite kiddo but certainly it is my brain in a bound format lol

 

It's so true. It's one of the things that kind of dances around at the back of my mind, but what can you do? The benefits outweigh whatever vanishingly small risks there are! I do sort of like the "instant diary" aspect of it, personally. 

 

Oh, dear. I should not have opened this thread. I know what I will be obsessing about for the rest of the week now...  :lol:

 

Yep. It's terrible, and these people are the worst enablers :lol: 

 

Just remember this:  It's okay for the journal to change over time.  You will try some things that won't work out -- it's okay to stop doing those.  You will find out later about some things you wish you had been doing all along -- it's okay to simply start them whenever.  You aren't locked into any specific format or time frame or anything -- it's all entirely up to you.  Have patience with yourself as you discover what does and does not work for you.

 

texasmom, I was going to say something similar to what AMJ said. Like you, I have a strong need to feel like I'm "doing it right," and I really struggled initially because of that. I watched a million videos and read a million blogs and was so inspired by all the beautiful bits and pieces and designs and doodles, and I really wanted to do that. Ultimately, though, I'm SO not creative at all, and spending time doodling in it just left me feeling depressed because my doodles and designs weren't pretty (I'm not at all artistic!) and then I'd wasted all this time trying to pretty up this thing that was supposed to be saving me time and helping me feel streamlined! I finally had to come to terms with the fact that mine just will never look like those really pretty ones, and that's ok, because now it is streamlined, and it works really well for me. 

 

Here are a couple of really useful things I've come across that have actually stuck with my system.

 

First, my daily calendar of events is a Google calendar. That whole system works too well for me to abandon it, and I really needed my bullet journal to be a place where I can brain dump and organize my to-dos on a daily or weekly basis. As a result, I don't write in it any further than the current day/week. However, I occasionally have something coming up for which I need to keep more notes, and sometimes that's further in the future than I can allot space to just yet. For example, I had a kidney stone removal procedure earlier this year, and I had a bunch of instructions, phone numbers, etc. tied to that day, but when I first started gathering notes and instructions, the procedure day was over a month away. In a thread here, someone suggested using full-sized Post-it notes to keep all that info together. So now I keep 2 little stacks of Post-its--one full-sized, one medium-sized--stuck inside the cover of my journal, and when notes for a future event come up, I write them all on a Post-it and stick it on my current day page. Then I keep advancing it forward until the related day or week finally arrives. That has been super helpful.

 

Second, (and this is not proper bullet journal protocol at all :tongue_smilie:), but it turned out that I need to keep my bullet journal in a week and day format. Most of the time I have a million things to do that are not day-specific but just need to get done "sometime soon." After I vented a bunch of frustration about the system not working for me here, someone gave me "permission" to just go ahead and do what works for me! So now when I start a new week, I make the left hand page a running To Do list for the whole week, and then I started my Day sections on the right. Each day I assign myself things off the weekly list to get done (along with the things I need to actually do that specific day), and I cross them off my weekly list as I clear them. I use a medium-sized post it note as my tab for the current week and then just flip as needed until I get to the day I'm currently in. Each week I just start a new section. 

 

I also love the idea of using a folded, adhesive-backed something to make permanent tabs. I need to look into that, hmmm...

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

http://www.tinyrayofsunshine.com/blog/bullet-journal-addiction

 

Frighteningly accurate!!!

[happi duck]

I like the original video by the Bullet Journal guy...nothing fancy, straightforward.

 

I get overwhelmed by the "pretty" and the customized.

 

I really like just opening to the next page.

[Carol in Cal.]

What I want:

I want everything about a bullet journal except I don't want to have to do the calendar pages myself.

So basically I want a lot of blank pages but also monthly and weekly spreads pre-made.

Does this exist?

 

Passion Planner is the closest to it that I know of, but it doesn't have enough blank pages, AND I hate that it says 'Passion Planner' in front.  Nothing screams 'unprofessional' or maybe even 'RISQUE!' like a label like that.

Edited December 9, 2016 by Carol in Cal.

[xixstar]

What I want:

I want everything about a bullet journal except I don't want to have to do the calendar pages myself.

So basically I want a lot of blank pages but also monthly and weekly spreads pre-made.

Does this exist?

 

Passion Planner is the closest to it that I know of, but it doesn't have enough blank pages, AND I hate that it says 'Passion Planner' in front. Nothing screams 'unprofessional' or maybe even 'RISQUE!' like a label like that.

You could buy stickers that have the monthly and weekly speeds made for you and just add them as needed for the journal. I am sure there are both premade and printable ones on etsy if not free elsewhere.

[Closeacademy]

There are tons of calendars out there that you can download and print for free. Since I use the grid paper, it's easy for me to just outline 4 by 4 or 3 by 3 squares of squares to make days for my monthly calendar.  And I use the grids again to make timers for my days.

 

 

[MamaSprout]

What I want:

I want everything about a bullet journal except I don't want to have to do the calendar pages myself.

So basically I want a lot of blank pages but also monthly and weekly spreads pre-made.

Does this exist?

 

Passion Planner is the closest to it that I know of, but it doesn't have enough blank pages, AND I hate that it says 'Passion Planner' in front.  Nothing screams 'unprofessional' or maybe even 'RISQUE!' like a label like that.

 

I print out my google calendar. Not only are the calendar pages pre-done, they have my events on them because I put everything on my phone.  At the beginning of each semester I make sure I have everything I know on the calendar (work, games, 4H stuff, etc), then I print out the semester's worth of months and add them as a sort of flap book to the inside front cover of my bj. This was inspired by a mochi-things calendar I saw.

 

Each week I print out the week on Sunday, write my menu on it, then copy it as a 4x6. The full size goes on the fridge and the 4 x 6 in my journal.

 

ETA- my weekly set up takes 20 minutes, tops, unless I'm piddling around with the menu. I carry forward everything from the previous week, move my "important but not urgent sticky note", update my index and move my "this week" sticky tab. Done. Washi tape optional.

 

I usually do dd's school planner at the same time because I've pasted copies of her weekly subject spread sheets in the back of my bj. That usually takes another 15 minutes or so.

Edited December 9, 2016 by elladarcy

[AMJ]

What I want:

I want everything about a bullet journal except I don't want to have to do the calendar pages myself.

So basically I want a lot of blank pages but also monthly and weekly spreads pre-made.

Does this exist?

 

Passion Planner is the closest to it that I know of, but it doesn't have enough blank pages, AND I hate that it says 'Passion Planner' in front.  Nothing screams 'unprofessional' or maybe even 'RISQUE!' like a label like that.

 

 

When I first started a bullet journal (and what I'll do again when I relaunch myself on this in January) I used a Word template to create monthly calendars to print out that were just the size to cover a 2-page spread in my particular journal.  I initially planned to glue them down securely, but I found it easier and more useful to just tape in one edge, letting me get to the back side of the printout.  I wouldn't put these in the pages of my journal right away -- I folded them in half and kept them in the pocket in the back.  These were my "future log" -- I could take them out and write things on them as things were scheduled, and once I wound up one month and was ready to start the next I would attach that month's calendar grid to the next page.

 

 

Moleskine and other makers of journals also make planners, in which you have a calendar page on the left and a page for notes on the right.  Some people use these for their main calendars and use the journal for the dailies and notes.

[swellmomma]

You could buy stickers that have the monthly and weekly speeds made for you and just add them as needed for the journal. I am sure there are both premade and printable ones on etsy if not free elsewhere.

 

Look up Happy planner (I think that is what it is called), it is more like a small binder and they sell all sorts of different pages to insert so you can pick and choose what you want, and how much of a type of page you want etc.  They also sell tabs, stickers etc.  Basically like a scrapbook company but specifically for doing bullet journals/planners.

[Slache]

 

Happy birthday to me! Leuchtturm Master, pen loop and 12 Staedtlers! 

[Noreen Claire]

 

Happy birthday to me! Leuchtturm Master, pen loop and 12 Staedtlers! 

 

I ordered the same! (Well, no pen loop.) Happy birthday!

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I'm so curious to know how the pen loop works out! I have a Leuchtturm journal, but I bought a different brand pen loop with it. The pen loop didn't fit in quite right, so it always made the back cover lift off a little oddly, and then about 6 weeks later it just popped off :( The adhesive was pretty much useless after that, so I just tossed it. Do people have experience with the branded one working well? 

[Noreen Claire]

It's here! It's here! My Leuchtturm and my pens are here! Woohoo!

[JudoMom]

I'm so curious to know how the pen loop works out! I have a Leuchtturm journal, but I bought a different brand pen loop with it. The pen loop didn't fit in quite right, so it always made the back cover lift off a little oddly, and then about 6 weeks later it just popped off :( The adhesive was pretty much useless after that, so I just tossed it. Do people have experience with the branded one working well?

I've had the branded one on my L1917 sincr April and it's worked extremely well.