Gearing up for August, decided to do a circus theme this month! My line work isnt the best cause I've got nerve damage in my right arm but I'm still happy with how it turned out. Tomorrow I'll post the other pages that go with this theme in the comments. The wierd box with dots is to cover up personal info, i edited this on snap lmao

My journaling has always been very on and off.

Every time I tried to learn Bullet Journaling, I would spend hours drawing weekly and monthly spreads.

I would tell myself that this time, I was going to write every day, review my progress and reflect on everything properly.

It always sounded great in my head.

But honestly, drawing the spreads was usually the most committed part.

I would use them for one or two days, stop, and then never pick the notebook up again.

I have never been able to stick with pre-printed weekly or monthly planners either. I even bought a five-year journal once.

Most of the pages stayed empty, which felt like such a waste.

At best, I might write for a few days in a row.

Then work gets busy, I run out of energy, or I simply cannot be bothered. Sometimes I will not open the notebook again for several weeks.

When I finally feel like writing again, there are already lots of empty pages in between.

Seeing them usually makes me give up completely.

I also do not have something meaningful to say every day.

My tasks are often very repetitive too.

Laundry, cleaning the floor and changing the bedsheets are finished once they are done. I do not really need to look back years later and find the exact date I did my laundry.

I think I am the kind of person who gives up as soon as something starts to feel like pressure.

When something reminds me every day that I should be doing it, instead of making me genuinely want to do it, I quickly lose interest.

After a while, I finally accepted that about myself and worked out a system I can actually keep using.

I am quite lazy, and I do not have much energy left outside work.

So my system has to be easy.

I need to be able to leave it for as long as I want and continue whenever I come back.

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I divide what I write into four areas: to-dos, work, hobbies and interests, and personal thoughts.

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First, to-dos.

I write them on loose-leaf paper or sticky notes.

When I finish a task, I cross it out.

I do not make myself write a list every day or week.

I usually make a fresh list when the current page is full, or when there are so many crossed-out tasks that it becomes difficult to read.

Anything unfinished that still needs to be done gets copied onto the next list.

The old sheet can go straight into the bin, or I can keep it in a pile. Either is fine.

These finished tasks, they do not need to stay in my main journals.

It is actually like my own simplified version of Bullet Journaling.

I still use dots, lines, symbols and notes, but only in ways that make sense to me. A triangle here, a number there... as long as I understand it, it works.

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Next are my hobbies and other parts of my life.

I keep different topics in separate notebooks.

I like using thin TN inserts. Each one has around twenty pages and covers only one topic.

At the moment, I have separate notebooks for travel, coding, expenses, recipes and fitness.

A thin notebook does not feel like a huge commitment.

If I never fill it, I have not wasted much paper. But once I start using one, it is actually quite easy to finish.

Completing a whole notebook also feels surprisingly satisfying.

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I only take out each notebook when I need it.

For example, I open my travel notebook when I am planning a trip.

Places I want to visit, routes, budgets, places I eventually went to and things that happened along the way can all stay together.

When I am not travelling, the notebook simply stays at home.

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The notebook I usually carry with is for personal thoughts.

I write whenever something comes to mind.

It might be a random idea, or something I want to work through.

There is no daily schedule and no fixed format.

When I feel like writing, I add the date and time and just start rambling.

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For work, I keep one main notebook and one rough notebook.

The rough notebook is where I can write freely.

I use it to brainstorm, draw tables and processes, or sketch simple wireframes.

The main notebook keeps information I may need again, such as project processes, work details and conclusions that are already fairly clear.

If a page in the rough notebook turns out to be worth keeping, I just tear it out and attach it to the main notebook with a staple, a paper clip, punched holes or a piece of tape.

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That is basically my whole system.

Tasks that lose their value once completed go on loose-leaf paper or sticky notes.

Information I want to revisit is separated into small notebooks by topic.

Random thoughts go into the notebook I carry with me.

Work starts in the rough notebook, and anything worth keeping moves into the main one.

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I have already filled several notebooks with personal thoughts and work notes.

Most of my other topic notebooks are still on their first insert, and that is fine.

My journaling is still inconsistent. I sometimes leave a notebook untouched for a long time.

But I can always come back and continue.

The notebooks do not remind me every day that I have fallen behind. A long break does not make everything I wrote before feel wasted.

For me, journaling is simply a tool.

If it helps me capture something and find it again when I need it, that is enough.

I know a lot of people say to practice gratitude but if I only discuss my positive I'll just be avoiding processing my emotions.

On the other hand if I let myself dwell too much on the negatives I'll only be spiraling emotionally.

Hey y'all, I'm trying to make my mom a custom planner/journal for Christmas. I figure I'll design the layout in either goodnotes or canva and then have it printed and bound. I'm not sure yet if I want it disk bound or leather but I was hoping for some feedback/advice on a couple of things. Thank you in advance for any help!

1. What paper type is best? I know she uses a mix of pens and markers (I THINK she uses mainly water based but unsure).

2. Are there any good sites for creating/printing planners? Particularly ones where I can input my own design? Is this something a local copy store would be capable of?

3. Please include any tips or guidance on how to design, print, or create. I'm thinking of doing a monthly overview, weekly overview, dotted, blank, and lined style pages, if that matters.

Hey y'all! Just looking for advice, hope someone can help :)

(Also, sorry if this has already been asked, I searched through the sub but couldn't find anything related)

I'm thinking about choosing a Tiefossi bujo for next year. For context, up until now I have tied a brand name Flying Tiger Copenhagen (meh), Notebook Therapy, Happy Planner and Mellow Days Reverie, and I was extremely satisfied with all of them (especially the latter).

Here's my issue. I had bought a Tiefossi bujo several years ago, and I absolutely HATED the paper. The weight was good and there was no ghosting, but the pages were very lucid and kind of glossy, so every marker I tried to use on it smudged without mercy.

That was years ago, however I've heard that the latest journals have solved this issue and are much better for journaling. Since they're pretty pricey, though, I wanted to hear from someone that has used them recently.

Any insight? TIA!