Last week I asked if I should start bullet journaling.  Well, the truth of matter is, I was already stalking bujo (the in-the-know- way of saying bullet journal) sites and videos before I asked the question.  I was poking around because a friend and I were wondering where we should go now that we have decided that our traditional planners just aren’t cutting the mustard.  I’m thinking I need more space in my planner for ideas and schemes, and maybe a little less structured scheduling.  It looks like a bullet journal might be the answer.  I’ve not quite dived in, but maybe waded in.  I’m up to my knees, and rubbing the cold lake water on my arms to get acclimated.

My guess is, if you are anything like me, you have stacks of unused notebooks on your bookshelves because they are just too beautiful to use.  For goodness sake, I MAKE notebooks and rarely use them because they are too cool to “wreck”.   It’s time to use some of these for something, anything.

I am lucky to have this gorgeous notebook with quilted cover made and gifted to me by a (different and equally as lovely) friend.   For years, it has been front and center on my book shelf so I could admire (okay, stroke it lovingly) it from time to time, but I never dared mark it up.  Not sure what made me reach for it this time, but I’m glad I did.  The cover hides a perfectly suitable notebook of one sided lined paper, that is working just fine for me to figure out how bullet journaling might work for me.

To get started with all this craziness, I’m happily copying the ideas of Boho Berry, or Kara Benz.  She makes this all very understandable and fun!  You can find her all over the Interwebs: Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, etc.  Check her out, she will lead you to all sorts of information, ideas, and inspiration!

So, here are the required images of my new bullet journal.  A few daily spreads, an exercise spread, and my future log.

Here are the photos of a prototype Traveler’s Notebook (just one of a multitude of styles of journals that lend themselves to bullet journaling) insert that I made to see what it would be like.  I’ve made a second one, and sent it off to the first, instigator friend to test for me. I wonder what she’ll think?  What makes this notebook so special?  The paper is a printed dot grid instead of lines or a graph.  I found this video on YouTube and used it to teach myself how to make my own dot grid template. Dot grid facilitates all the designing and listing that takes place in your bullet journal. I’ve used some nice, thick copier paper; I’m curious to see if there is bleed through or ghosting (the bane of the bullet journaler’s existence) with this weight paper.  Of course, per the beginning of this post, I haven’t had the courage to use it, yet!

I’m wondering if there might be a market in my neck of the woods for TN inserts, or specialized bullet journals.  Whether there is or not, I know this project will keep my friend and I entertained, for a while, anyway.