Feb 3, 2017

Bullet Journal Bliss

My name is Ally Blake and I'm a stationery addict.

No surprises there. I've been self-confessed for a long time.  I only mention it here as it was the jumping off point for my topic of the day - the glory of the Bullet Journal.

Heard of it?  Then you surely understand my excitement.  If not...welcome to the jungle.

I have a calendar in my phone, sure. And I use it. Religiously.  But I also buy a calendar every year (see confession above). And a planner/diary.  Or two.  (They're just so pretty - how can I not?!?!)  The calendar gets a good work out, sitting as it does on my kitchen bench.  In it I scribble birthdays, colour in school days, note any appointments or events, though its mostly for my husband's benefit as this is the kind of stuff a woman has floating in her head all the time - am I right? Though it often gets hidden beneath school notes, grocery lists, and to do lists. Oh the to do lists!!  So many scraps of paper begun in earnest and ending up covered in coffee rings, with torn corners and half-hearted ticks and crosses.  As for the planners - I'm lucky to get past February.  Why?  Because they are never quite set out just right. They simply don't suit my needs.

Still with me?

Because this is where the Bullet Journal comes in.

The Bullet Journal was a paper notebook journaling system created by a digital product designer (ironic, right) named  Ryder Carroll as a way of creating a planner that works for you. That's right.  You create the planner yourself!  From scratch!  No static, built-in days/dates/layouts but an adaptable, evolving planner that is shaped as you go.

Making it a calendar, a planner and to do list compilation all in one.   Oh my...

Basically, you begin with a notebook.  Any notebook. (I use the Leuchtturm1917 A5 dot point - in case you were wondering :) ).  Then you google - Pinterest and Instagram are your serious go to spots - to get ideas on where to go from there!

Ryder suggests creating a key at the start of your journal so as to encourage consistency - circles for tasks, squares for events, or whatever kind of bullet points you please - also drawing a calendar each month, breaking it down into weekly layouts, and including to-do-lists as you go.  But as you'll see down the page, its truly up to you.
 
I've added layouts in which to write every book I read over the course of the year.  Every movie I see.  Funny lines the kids say that I don't want to forget. This year I've made a detailed list of every section of the house as I plan to declutter the lot and watching those little circles turn into black dots as I cross things off the list is bliss!

Ryder's original Bullet journal design is very simple.  Spare.  Black and white and uber tidy.  I have friends who claim theirs look like chicken scratches.  Half the reason I adore the system is the chance to stretch my creative muscles whenever I get the chance so mine is full of doodles, pretty banners and colour.

The main point being it can look however YOU want it to look!  It can function however YOU want it to function.

But the real beauty of the thing is that if this week's layout doesn't work for you, next week you turn the page and try something different!  Use the bits that work for you, ditch the bits that don't, and add the bits that you feel are missing. Miss a week and it doesn't matter. The Bullet Journal is forgiving. It is always fresh.  And it can be whatever you want it to be!!!

As for stationery, I may only get one planner a year now but oh the pretty Post Its, and colouring pencils, and writing pens, and washi tape, and...

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Find out all about the evolution of the Bullet journal here: http://bulletjournal.com/.  and trawl through Ally's Instagram follows for lots more wonderful #bujoaddicts and inspiration on how you might set up one of your own.

19 comments:

  1. Yeh....so NOT me, Ally :-)
    But I love your beautiful organised brain :-)
    And post-it notes are my catnip!

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    1. Ha! IT is my bliss. Monday morning here and opening that fresh new week has me in rapture.

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  2. Hi Ally

    I have heard about these bullet journals but didn't really know much about them I just watched the quick video very good although I am not sure I would be that organized to keep up with it LOL I get a planner every year one that someone has usually given me start the first month of well writing things in it then after that nothing :) I find these days I am using the planner on my phone much more these days and also on out email on the PC it tends to work better for me but I do love stationary and my granddaughter could start her own stationary shop LOL

    Have Fun
    Helen

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    1. It's finding what works for you. If that's keeping it in your head. Good. In your phone great. As for your granddaughter, I love her already!

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  3. Ally, I'm a list addict, even having lists of my lists. I still love paper and writing on it with a real pen. Every book I write has a pile of notes by the time I'm done. Everyone says get Scrivener but it's already in my head and I just use my fingers to put it down - n paper.

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    1. Yay Sue! A kindred spirit! I actually love writing with pencil best. Something about the smooth transition of graphite to paper. Mmmmm...

      And yes, Scrivener does 'look' like it would work for us, but it's just no the same is it?

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  4. You know, I've been thinking of trying a bullet journal, but it always seemed a lot of work to learn how to use it. I give it a go.

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    1. Go for it! I started my first one last year. Mid-February. the beauty of it is it doesn't matter! You play as you go, and that's ok. nothing is a mistake, its all curating ideas until you find the one that works for you.

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    2. The easiest way is to find the original video on YouTube and just start simple. You can add more stuff as you figure out what works for you. Mine was nothing but blue biro and a notebook for the first year. Now that I know how I use it, I make it prettier and experiment.

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  5. I love stationary. I love lists and this sounds like heaven to me. I have heard of the bullet journey before but never quite understood it. I'm off to investigate, Ally. Thanks for the heads up!!

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    1. Pleasure! Worth doing some googling. So much pretty out there to help you get started.

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  6. Bullet journals speak to the stationery addict in me (the part that I learned through Rachel seems to be common to many writers). I guess I could say that the book journal I'm keeping this year is a bullet journal of sorts, but with more writing than drawing. (I can take some photos and share them to the LoveCats FB page when I'm not being so lazy if others are interested)
    For my day to day planning the only way that a bullet journal would work is if it was unbound and in a ring type planner (aka Kikki-K or Filofax type planner) so that I could rearrange like things with like things. From what I've seen of bullet journals on YouTube the way that people just use the next available page for the thing that are doing eg page 1 key, page 2 month layout, page 3 day, page 4 day, page 5 brainstorm, page 6 day etc just unsettles something in me.

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    1. I love that you know what 'unsettles' you, Lyn. For me the Bullet Journal is about finding your bliss. finding a system that soothes. I've definitely seen people use Filofax type set ups. Totally doable that way!

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  7. Forgot to add in my previous comments, that I love seeing the insides of other people's bullet journals but I just don't feel artistic enough to maintain one myself

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    1. I'm not artistic in that way at all. I borrow, steal, copy... One of the beauties of Bullet Journaling is the fabulously sharing community so you can always nab ideas and tweak them to suit you.

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  8. Ally, this sounds wonderfully creative as well as being incredibly adaptable and useful. What fun! I'd never heard of these before.

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    1. I've always loved having other creative outlets and this is certainly one. Colouring, crafting, saving favourite quotes using pretty fonts...its like Pinterest on paper!

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  9. I love my bullet journal. In the fourth year of having one. It's the only planner system that's ever really worked for me. I definitely still use my phone calendar as I need the little pop up reminders these days but the bullet journal has my daily to-do's and brain storming and lists and whatever else I need. Love the flexibility of it. Plus getting to play with lovely stationery :D

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    1. You were my Bullet Journal inspiration, Miss Mel, and for that I thank you with every coloured pencil I have!

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