When you first get into bullet journaling it can be overwhelming at times. There are so many journals to choose from, sizes, colors, and a world of supplies that you didn’t realize you wanted. But you could also be like many of us who bubble with anticipation each time we think about bullet journals and the holy grail…. OFFICE SUPPLIES!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE office supplies and are totally jealous of kids who get to do back to school shopping every year. So jealous.
TYPES OF BUJOS
So lets get into bullet journaling, also known as BUJO’s. There are a few basic types, grided dot journals, like the ever popular Leuchtturm 1917, pronounced “loi- strum.” There are also lined grid paper journals from various makers. Blank page journals, which are also very popular. PRO TIP: check out the art section for a sketch book. And lastly there are more traditional lined journals that you can find everywhere.
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THINGS TO CONSIDER
You may not realize it but there are some things to consider before jumping in. Firstly there is the size and color, will this fit in the purse or bag that you carry with you everywhere? The type of writing utensils you prefer to use or can live without. The style of journal you’re going to create, pen & ink only designs? Or collage “junk journals,” that come with even more supplies you’d need. Or a combination of the two?
Another important thing to consider that most people don’t think of is how are you going to archive your journal? Are you just going to put it on a shelf or are you going to digitize it at the end of the year? After considering your archival process, you’re going to need to think about your choice of binding and set up. With binding you have a few choices, spiral, loose leaf, or bound. For the set up of your journal you can choose the travelers notebook, the traditional singular book set up or a combination of the two, which is what I have chosen to do!
Once you have all of that figured out, you should consider how much time do you want to devote to bullet journaling each week? Will it be throughout the day? Nightly? Weekly? And how much time to you actually have? AFTER you get allllll of this figured out, you can finally get to what most consider the best part…. planning out your theme!
MY SET UP
I chose to use what I have because of minimalism, which is an ever evolving life process. On my shelf I have TON’s of blank journals (because I love office supplies!). So I picked one out, which happened to be lined, which for me is a good thing, I like to write traditional journal entries between my monthly designs like a regular journal. I’m also combining the BUJO method with the Traveler’s Notebook set up by using a beautiful leather journal cover that has pockets on the inside to slip your journal into. On one side I have a thin bark covered notebook with my everyday life trackers. On the opposite side is a think journal that will be my Lunar Bullet Journal & Spiritual BUJO, which you’ll see more of this year! I’m so excited to share it with you! I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.
The style I chose is mostly pen & ink with very sparce minimal collaging. The theme is life & spirituality with naturescapes and botanicals. As for how much time I devote to my Lunar Bullet Journal & Spiritual BUJO, it varies. I check off my trackers every morning and evening, and then fill out my pages weekly, and monthly for each lunar cycle. Since my set up is a self care and spiritual set up, I don’t use this as my daily planner.
I also chose to digitally archive my journals at the end of the year because of minimalism. First I de-spine the pages with an exacto knife, and then scan them in with my Doxie scanner (best scanner ever! its also tiny!), and finally I put all of the digital pages into a PDF and then archive my bullet journal.
FUTURE SET UP
In the future I am going to go for a bullet journal set up with heavier paper so the ink doesn’t bleed through, and loose leaf paper journals with the TUL Dotted Notebook for easy digital archiving and the ability to easily add and move around pages where I need to.
That’s everything that you need to consider when selecting your bullet journal for your Lunar & Spiritual BUJO practice! Next I’ll be sharing my favorite pens and supplies, and giving you a FULL tour of my Lunar Bullet Journal & Spiritual BUJO & Life Trackers. So stick around and subscribe so you don’t miss anything.
