Best products from r/bujo

A couple of ideas, from one perfectionist to another:

1. I actually ditched my habit tracker for a long time. I still did my Bujo. Some “habits” became tasks I wrote down every day. For some reason that was easier to accomplish. And then the empty-ish tracker wasn’t mocking me.
   
   
2. I’m a big believer in the Zen Habits method. Changed the way I thought about my “should” guilt and helped me be effective at the things that matter. His book is here (not sponsored in any way, it’s just helped me): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019NS21MY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_5VOzDbZSCR44Q
   
   
3. Is it possible you have too many habits? Are there some you can cut down on or be a little less strict with yourself? A core element of Zen Habits is that you can really only actively improve one habit at a time.
   A personal example, I’ve stopped adding “drink x amount of water” to my habit tracker. I do carry around a water bottle, and do an ok job of drinking it, but I don’t have that empty little square mocking me if it doesn’t happen. I’d rather focus on regular exercise and taking my meds.
   
   
4. Similar to other comments here, can you allow yourself to be curious instead of self-judgey when there is a slip up? Approach it like a scientist with a new finding.
   What contributed do the slip up ? What did you learn from it as a result? What would it look like to fold that habit back into your life - or could you shelve it for an amount of time, and then put in your future log to give that habit another go in 6 months, etc.
   Then make a hypothesis and experiment to find what works. I find it I step by and try not to make it “about me” - but analyzing the elements involved - I’m less self-deprecating and more effective.
   
   
5. Incentives do wonders for me. I write them on my habit tracker. In the beginning, try small, frequent incentives. Two pieces of your favorite chocolate if you complete all habits by the end of the day, for example.
   As you build the habit, make your incentives less frequent but a bigger deal to you.
   Buying that new album you want when you make it 2 weeks on a certain habit.
   A nice experience when you have 80% of your total habit boxes checked over six weeks’ time. Etc. etc. - find out what works for you as incentive. It should feel rare, and exciting.
   
   Hope this helps! With you in solidarity - this is a struggle of mine too.

Background: My girlfriend (22F) doesn't have a lot of hobbies, but the one thing she LOVES is bullet journaling. I've seen her get so excited when she talks about about her spreads, future layouts, journaling materials, and BUJO youtubers. I (boyfriend) literally know nothing about journaling, but seeing her get so happy about it is adorable.

I already bought her a more practical and expensive Christmas present, but I wanted to get her another present that she'd really get excited about. Getting her BUJO pens would be the best since she already has a journal for the new year. My price range is under $35.

I also know that she's really specific about what she enjoys and what materials she uses for BUJO'ing. If I did research on my own or went to a store, I know I'd get something she wouldn't like. So I figured I'd ask a community that knows what they're talking about haha

Does anyone have some suggestions or links to good pens? If you recommend something in-store, like Michael's, can you post a picture of the item so I make sure I get the right one?

Maybe helpful? She was interested in this blendpen. But after she got it, she said it was 'a dud'

I've had it since late December but I STILL get a ladyboner each time I use it: the traveler's notebook from September Leather.

Mine has a sketch insert, a lined insert, & a pouch insert that can hold stickers, a ruler, tweezers, a small notebook (Apica CD 5) & a thin pad of sticky notes. It has a sweet little gold heart charm on it too.

I just replaced the lined insert yesterday. Loves me a fresh start!!!

I also love my Kokuyo Campus Smart Ring Binder, Monami Essenti-Soft highlighters & Stabillo Boss pastel highlighters.

(I have my sewing machine out-- about to make myself a pen-case so I'm sure I'll love that too.)

For what it's worth, I think the LT1917 has become a standard because the original Bullet Journal web page sells them under their brand.

As mentioned here, LT1917 is 80gsm, which is relatively thin and makes a lot of pens bleed through and ghost. For more information about bleeding, ghosting, and general comparison between notebooks I recommend watching Which Notebook is the Best for Bullet Journaling?! (skip to 11:00 to see the comparison chart). I prefer Scribbles That Matter which is thicker (100gsm) and feels smoother to write on. My next purchase will probably be a Midori with 120gsm or a Rhodia to try them out.

One of the core principals of Bullet Journalism is that there are no hard rules. While it comes with some guidelines, you are free to use it however you see fit. Which means that there are no predefined pages. So for the most part you are going to be drawing the layouts. And this is why a Dotted paper helps because you can use the dots to draw your own layouts. You can checkout Pinterest for inspiration. The community uses the term "spreads" to signify two-page layouts used for all sorts of things.

As for pens, many recommend the Sakura Pigma Micron for good reason. While I use them for more "serious" work, when it comes to EDC I would highly recommend the Muji 0.38mm Fine Point Gel Pens. Unlike the Microns, they are not felt tip (which is why I wouldn't use them for EDC) but very sharp ball point pen with great consistency. A lot of people swear by the Pilot G2 0.38mm Ultra Fine Point but personally I wasn't pleased with them.

Finally, regarding the things you want to track, as I mentioned earlier, you can simply define the layouts of each page and track whatever you wish. A lot of the spreads you see from the community are really intricate. You can find a variety of them from very crazy daily layouts to minimal ones. It's all up to you.

Having said that, if drawing your own layouts daily seems like a lot of work (a lot of people actually spend a few hours planning them beforehand), then you might want to consider a more traditional Planner instead. As mentioned ITT, the Nomadic Planner has good paper (125gsm), weekly and monthly pages as well as lined and blanks for notes and the rest.

There is a whole universe of things to consider (and I'm more than happy to geek out about it), but I'd say just start with whatever. Don't think about it too much. Most of the negatives are personal, so while LT1917 doesn't work for some, it might for you. You'll figure things out as you go.

scribbles that matter on amazon is only $20! the pages are white and 160gsm. It's the same thickness as archer and olive, but there's free shipping through prime and $10 cheaper! highly recommend, i love mine. if you get it from a different website, make sure you get the pro version, since that's the one with the thick pages

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072LL2W46/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GDetDb4Y9PQE0

amazon.com/gp/product/B07JYKYCST

I bought these before I discovered bullet journaling, but they've been awesome for it! I use the tabbed ones to mark my habit tracker, future log, and monthly spread. It comes with clear reinforcement stickers for the tabs so they don't get all messed up. I use the little colorful strips for my weekly spread because they don't get in the way as much. I love how the medium sized tabbed ones have a dot grid on them! You could also easily cut the tabs off to use them within the page.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078RVD876/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

this is A5, not A4, but I really love it (I've bought 2 so far). They lie flat, pages are sturdy, and the page count means I can fit all of my main pages, followed by a full year of my monthly and weekly pages.



This is what I used for my first bullet journal:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078RVD876/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

No real issues, but the pages are slightly smaller than the other notebook, and not as many pages. It might be a good choice for a starter one.

Don't be afraid to screw up. You can always change it up later. Treat your first bullet journal as a test run, and set it up to only last 6 months or so. Then you can take your lessons-learned and know what to migrate.

Don't feel like if you want a full year, you have to start your new one in January. My current one should run from Oct - Sept, which means I have time to get it laid out before the crazy holiday season

Dingbats-- they have a ruled version. On your list: yes, yes (unsure of the rule width), yes, yes, yes, not numbered, just one. Pages are perforated, though, and if you can get someone to send you a sheet to pen-test, that would be best (PM if you would like me to do so). I don't use pilot PBS or highlighters.

They have a bulletjournal version that's dot-grid and a yes on all the rest, but if you were willing to go for dot-grid, I would be here touting Scribbles That Matter, except, alas, no ruled.

I've liked Lamome's other products, so the ruled one should be fine too. No numbers, yes on everything else.

Also, I haven't tried the Amazon classic notebook, but I'm thinking with your pen choices, it couldn't hurt to try?

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Let me know what you end up with. The ruled + page numbered challenge must be no fun to live with.

I'd recommend this notebook from Lemome on Amazon. These go for around 11-15 bucks and have 180 pages and great quality paper along with a penloop that is way more useful than you'd think. A lot of people are recommending notebooks with really heavy paper. I don't think that's necessary - especially for the price premium - unless you watercolor or use alcohol markers in your journal. I personally burn through journals extremely fast (I started my current one in August and I'll be done with it in November or half way through December) so I may be biased.

I currently use a 6 dollar hardcover dot journal from Walmart. The paper is not as good as the one I recommended, but it has over 200 pages and fulfills the job perfectly. It would be a step down from what you're used to, however.

Excellent! Thanks 😊

Here is a link for US peeps: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076BQDD7Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Oi-ADbZRT25Z4

Thank you! Probably gonna print out the typewriter labels at the top in the future so I don’t have to spend so much time hand-lettering them. The note book is this one from amazon. It’s great IMO because it’s A5 and 120gsm paper :)

I switched to the Miliko spiral notebook this year and absolutely love it. Amazon has one with a soft leather cover that looks pretty sharp so it works well as both a personal and a work related journal.https://www.amazon.com/Leather-Softcover-Wirebound-Notebook-Journal-90/dp/B06XH4CB9M/

Hey there! It's a Minialism Art journal in yellow. I really do like it, it lays flat better than my old favorite, the Moleskine. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077Y3N8NN

Go ahead and start a new one. I would, if my old one held less-than-great associations.

I've been using these and I love them: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F43QLG4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They're relatively inexpensive, the paper quality is fantastic, and I love the pen loop on the spine. They only come in black with the blue spine, but I doll up the outside with stickers, so I'm happy. Oh, and there's only one ribbon, but you can use this tutorial to add a ribbon (or three) if you want to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8_bYNgoyCo

I would suggest you go felt tip if it is smearing that badly for you. I use the 1.0 G2 so I really have to give it time to dry but it works for me.

I got this pack of colored pens off Amazon and they are great for the price

Fineliner Color Pen Set,0.38mm Colored Fine Line Point,Assorted Colors,10-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N91KDWN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_z30NBbMNH5EBH

These two YT videos were really helpful in my decision making:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDT1A4OasJQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAxlrUf05ok

The hosts did a really good job of breaking down the assessment into requirements and showing off each type of notebook. I ended up going with a "Scribbles That Matter A5 Pro" notebook. (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GWMZZGW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

I recently bought a few different journals to compare them, and this one was the absolute winner. No bleeding, no ghosting, handy pocket, amazing binding, pen holder, and it comes in a sleeve that you can later label and archive your journal in plus costs less than similar quality notebooks.

Edit: Oh yeah and pre-numbered pages (which is what put it above the Lemome that I also bought)

Warning, they are erasable because the friction (frixion, lol) heats the ink causing it to turn clear. So be careful not to leave your journal in your car or another hot place or you might just lose all your notes.

I have this multi-color one straight from the 90's and I love it. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IPD3KEM/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_uUDUDbCZG70VB

I use [these Papermate Gel pens]( https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Mate-Retractable-Assorted-1951636/dp/B019QBOG3U/ref=sr_1_3?crid=12KDA8HXNFHPA&keywords=papermate+gel+pens+0.7&qid=1563355919&s=gateway&sprefix=paper+mate+gel+%2Caps%2C236&sr=8-3 ). They don't bleed through, they dry relatively fast, and they don't smudge when colored over with markets. Oh and they write super smooth.

Not Aussie, but a fellow bujo-er who was SICK of ghosting and bleed through. I upgraded some of my pens (micron pigment found here (https://www.amazon.com/Sakura-Pigma-30062-Micron-Blister/dp/B0008G8G8Y). I have had ZERO ghosting since this switch. Don't know if this helps or not, but I know the feeling and good luck!

I was going to buy this Minimalism Art notebook instead of buying an expensive Leuchtturm notebook for $20. thanks for the answer

I use the skinny side of a tombow brush pen for the outlines, zebra mildliners for the marker-y bits, and these for the rest:

Fineliner Color Pen Set,0.38mm Colored Fine Line Point,Assorted Colors,10-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N91KDWN?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

ETA: the light green pen is a stabilio fineliner

Recently bought a Lemome to avoid ghosting and get something a little more durable.

120gsm ivory paper, I haven’t had any sort of ghosting or bleed though. The pages are a bit wider too, helps for larger spreads!

https://www.amazon.com/Dotted-Bullet-Notebook-Journal-Hardcover/dp/B07168XGHT