How to choose the perfect bullet journal for you
Bullet Journaling in it's core is a simple organisational system in a notebook, where you basically create your own planning layout and inserts according to your needs. And that is the beauty of it - everything is created by you and therefore is unique!
And even though it is true that, in order to start bullet journaling you only need a notebook and a pen, I do believe that there isn't one notebook that is perfect for everyone. Each one of us, depending on how we're using our bullet journal, has different needs. Some people like to doodle and draw, others use watercolours and fountain pens, and others like to simply write their day-to-day tasks. So, choosing the right journal is very important in order to have an enjoyable experience with it.
Bullet Journaling in it's core is a simple organisational system in a notebook, where you basically create your own planning layout and inserts according to your needs. And that is the beauty of it - everything is created by you and therefore is unique!
And even though it is true that, in order to start bullet journaling you only need a notebook and a pen, I do believe that there isn't one notebook that is perfect for everyone. Each one of us, depending on how we're using our bullet journal, has different needs. Some people like to doodle and draw, others use watercolours and fountain pens, and others like to simply write their day-to-day tasks. So, choosing the right journal is very important in order to have an enjoyable experience with it.
When choosing your journal you'll have to think about:
The Size:
How big you want your journal to be?
The most common size is an A5 for a lot of bullet journalists. However, you might need more space to write things down, so an A4 might be a better size for you. On the other hand, if you're planning to take your bullet journal with you in your bag every day, then a small pocket-sized notebook would be ideal for you, and therefore maybe an A6 is the size you need.
Design:
You might prefer beautifully designed notebooks.
Leather-bound journals or nicely decorated ones might be what inspires you. For example, the original Bullet Journal used to come out only in black and that was a no-no for me. I love my notebooks to be colourful, and therefore I chose a bright orange Leuchtturm1917. Others might want intricate designs on the cover of their bullet journal, and therefore a Nuuna notebook might appeal to them more. You also have to consider if you prefer the cover to be hard or soft.
No. of Pages:
The number of the pages is another thing to consider, since the more pages a notebook has, the longer it will last. When starting a bullet journal, a lot of people are concerned that they will fill in their notebook before the end of the year. And even though it's very common to have 2 (or even more) bullet journals per year, I have to admit that starting over a new notebook is not that easy, especially if you need to migrate some of the spreads you've already created in your first journal.
Type:
You can choose dotted, lined, squared or plain - it's really up to you and what you prefer.
Another thing to consider would be how dark the lines (squares or dots) are, and how big is the space between them. Generally Moleskine notebooks have lighter lines, if that's what you prefer. And about the spacing, there are bullet journals where the dots are 5mm apart (like the Leuchtturm1917), 4mm apart (like the Fabriano), or 3.5mm apart (like the Nuuna).
Quality of Paper:
The thickness and smoothness of the paper will definitely affect the way you write. You might be fine with any kind of paper, or you may prefer a better quality one. A better quality paper will have a smooth finish, high opacity (so when you write on one side, it's not visible on the other side) and minimal to no feathering (the ink doesn't spread out on to the page).
One way to measure the quality of the paper is to check the g/sqm. Grams per Square Meter is a basic measurement that shows the weight of the paper. In practical terms it is used to describe and understand the heaviness of the paper.
* I'd like to state here that this is not the only way to measure the quality of a paper. Other things that should be taken under consideration are the finish, the texture, the brightness and the opacity. However, my intentions for this post, are not to get too technical, so we're going to take into consideration the g/sqm only.
Another thing that you should consider when choosing the quality of paper you prefer, is what writing instruments are you going to use. For example, you can't use a nice fountain pen on a low quality notebook, because the results will be disappointing!
Type of Binding:
Do you prefer case bound or spiral bound notebooks? Do you like them to be tread-stitched or glued? Do you like the notebook to lie flat open or not? Do you mind having spirals or coils in-between the pages? Do you prefer an ARC customisable notebook system like Jane's Agenda, the Happy Planner or the William Hannah one? Lots of choices there!
Now let's take a look at the most popular notebooks used for bullet journalin:
1. The Original Bullet Journal
A5 Dotted notebook. Comes in black and emerald with hard cover
80g/sqm ink proof paper
expansive cover pocket, elastic band and 3 coloured ribbon book marks
index page, bullet key page, 249 pre-numbered pages
|Find on Bullet Journal Website|
2. Leuchtturm1917
A5 Dotted notebook with colourful hard cover
80g/sqm ink proof paper
expansive cover pocket, elastic band and 2 coloured ribbon book marks
index page, 249 pre-numbered pages
3. Moleskine
Dotted notebook with soft or hard cover
Dimensions: 5" x 8-1/4"
70g/sqm acid free paper
expansive cover pocket, elastic band and 1 ribbon book mark
192 pages
4. Rhodia
Dotted notebook leatherette soft cover
Dimensions: 6" x 8.25"
90g/sqm smooth finish paper
expansive cover pocket, elastic band and 1 ribbon book mark
80 pages
5. Nuuna
Dotted notebook with smooth bonded leather cover
Dimensions: 10.8 x 15 cm
120g/sqm Munken paper
176 pages
6. Scribbles That Matter
A5 Dotted notebook with synthetic leather cover
100g/sqm ivory paper
pen holder, expansive cover pocket, elastic band and 2 coloured ribbon book marks
index page, key code page, 185 pre-numbered pages and a pen test page
Me personally, I've used the Leuchtturm1917 notebooks, the Moleskine Notebooks (I have a Moleskine bullet journal specifically for my work) and the Fabriano dotted notepad. I’ve also used the Scribbles That Matter and my favourite one is the Dingbats Notebooks.
If you want to see what I think, check out the following blog posts:
What attributes are you looking for when choosing a notebook? Is it the quality of the pages, or the design and the cover are equally important to you? What type of bullet journal do you currently have (lot's of questions there!!!)
Review: William Hannah Notebook
In September I was lucky enough to be sent the William Hannah Notebook for review, and I have to tell you... it was love at first sight - literally! I love my bullet journal and I'm a big fan of the Leuchtturm1917 notebooks. However, since seeing Nicole's and Cristina's disc binding journals, I really wanted to give that type of notebook a try. So, when David from William Hannah approached me, I was over the moon!
I was able to choose any combination I wanted, so even though my favourite colour is blue, I went for the Bordeaux & Fuchsia Notebook. The William Hannah is an A5 size notebook that comes in 15 amazing colour combinations. I have to say that all the notebooks look amazing and I had a difficult time deciding on which combination to go for. I must have spend at least an hour on their website deciding on the colours.
When the postman delivered the box, it felt like Christmas came early! The packaging was fantastic. It comes all wrapped up in a black box with the WH initials.
The notebook itself is absolutely amazing and of high quality. The cover is made of leather that is so incredibly soft (and smells so good!), and the inside lining is made of high quality Italian suede.
I love the metal accents that give character to the notebook.
The attention to detail is exquisite!
The disc binding mechanism is made out of 303 gauge stainless steel that promises never to tarnish. I really like the stainless steel bar that they use to keep the discs in place inside the cover. That gives the notebook stability and security. That was one of my basic worries with the disc binding notebooks, but it seems that the WH Notebook won't have any problems like that.
You can easily remove the paper by pulling down from the top.
After choosing the colour of the leather and the suede lining, then you can choose the layout, quantity and line colour of your pages. The quality of the paper is amazing - extra thick 115gsm acid free luxury paper - which is so smooth that your pens literally glide on it.
In the above page is my Pen Test Pages for Leuchtturm1917 and the William Hannah notebooks respectively. The pens write so beautifully on the WH notebook - it's a dream!
And there is literally no ghosting in the WH one! ( In the above page it's the Leuchtturm1917 on the left and the William Hannah on the right).
The colour of the pages is slightly whiter than that of Leuchtturm1917 - something that I personally prefer. And the space between the dots is 5mm, the same like Leuchtturm1917.
You can choose from plain, dotted, lined and grid paper. They come in packets of 10 sheets, so that you can get a variety (like I did) to try them out. You can configure it in any combination of 60 sheets (or more if you wish). You can also choose a different ink colour of your pages - if you look more closely in the above picture, I chose pink and purple for some of my pages. They also have a To-Do list and a Year at a view calendar.
As you can understand I love this notebook!
PROS
- It has great product quality.
- Excellent paper quality and thickness.
- Flexibility - you can take the pages in and out and rearrange your notebook as you want.
- Gives you the choice of separation between all the categories that you might have in your bullet journal.
- You can use it over and over again - you just need to add pages.
On the other hand though, there are some disadvantages compared to the normal notebooks.
- Price - It retails at £95 (+ shipping) which is quite expensive, but then again you get to use the notebook over and over again.
- The separation of the pages could be a bit restricting for certain types of spreads that require the pages to be connected.
- You can add a specific number of pages at a time.
For me the pros definitely outweight the cons. I trully believe this is an amazing product that you can invest on and have for life. I can't wait to start drawing and making my bullet journal spreads in it! If you like the William Hannah Notebook, make sure you put it in your Xmas Wish List ;) Don't forget to visit their website for more information.
Dot Grid Everything!
I used to be a straight lines girl. Sometimes I would fuss about the line spacing, or the colour of the lines, but that would be it. Since March though, I discovered the magical world of dot grid and my whole life has changed!
Ok, that may be a bit dramatic! But seriously, for the last three months everything I buy has to have dots! From my various notebooks, to my post-its and my note taking papers - dot grid is everywhere.
It all started when I bought my first Leuchtturm1917 bullet journal in dot grid and saw the difference.
So, why do I prefer the dot grid from the squared, lined or plain ones?
1. It helps me keep my writing and my lines straight.
2. Easier to make shapes even without a ruler.
3. You can draw without the lines/squares obscuring the drawing.
4. You can create even to-do list tick boxes.
5. They are good for diagrams - makes scaling a bit easier.
6. You can even write vertically.
Here is a list of all the things I'm currently using on a daily basis that are full of dots:
- My Leuchtturm1917 A5 Dot Grid Light Blue personal bullet journal that I use all the time! I've made a detailed review about it if you're interested here.
- My Moleskin Dot Grid Black blog bullet journal that I've just started using and I love it! I have made a post comparing the Leuchtturm1917 vs the Moleskine (though at the time I had a squared Moleskine). Even though I still believe that the Leuchtturm1917 has more advantages compared to the Moleskine one, however I tend to prefer the paper in the Moleskine notebooks. I know that it's thinner and it's not perfect for drawing or for darker and more wet pens, nevertheless, the pen seems to glide on the paper and I like my handwritting better on this one. For the purposes of my blog bullet journal, where I'm not drawing that much, it's perfect!
- My A4 Dot Grid Notepad by Fabriano. I just discovered this italian brand and I love it! It's made of ecological paper in a pale ivory shade and the quality is amazing. They also have various types of notebooks in dotted grid that I'd like to try out.
- My FULLFÖLJA notebook from IKEA. Small and compact, I carry it always in my handbag to write my notes on the go.
- My FULLFÖLJA notepad from IKEA. It has 500 dotted sheets and I love writing all sorts of notes on them! I've also created an A4 dot grid page with a paper plane design on the top. If you're a bullet journal addict like me and you prefer taking notes on a dotted grid paper, then this one is for you ;)
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What type of grid do you prefer? Have you discovered the dot grid perfection yet?
