i’m more on the “you don’t really have to be beautiful” team, but i’m ok with the sentiment, sophia is amazing and i’ve had this paper cutting for several years and wanted to keep it safe.
i’ve been receiving some strange asks here and wanted to take the chance to clarify a few points. this journal is not a diary or a bullet journal, it’s just a place to have some fun, keep quotes, playlists, magazine cuttings and the doodles i’m constantly doing to keep myself distracted and my anxiety at bay. i keep my bullet journal in a different notebook. i do realize these pages are a bit messy and do not really follow the current trend of minimalism/lettering, but i don’t want to be doing what pretty much everyone else is doing just to fit in with the aesthetics. that’s my way of doing things and it works for me. :)
October 29, 2020 — it’s hard to believe I only have a month left in the semester! midterms have kept me busy and it’ll probably be that way until finals ✍
01.06.2019 || As promised, the new bullet journal is here, and I’ve kicked it up a gear this year to be more arty and more journally and still be as functional as before
ONE YEAR WITH A MOLESKINE BULLET JOURNAL || MY IMPRESSIONS AND HOW MY NEXT BULLET JOURNAL WILL BE DIFFERENT
Hey guys! It’s been a while- I’ve been swamped in exams and various things after, but I’m back now! Also, a little disclaimer: sorry about the lighting and the background in the pictures here- I’m currently working at my summer job helping to edit the translation of a book, and I don’t have access to my usual lighting and background conditions, but without further ado, let’s get into it!
I’m going to go through a bit of what I thought about the bullet journal I used this year, and then talk a little about what I’m going to change for this coming year based on the experience that I had this year.
Bullet Journal: July 2018 to June 2019
(Side note- I run my bullet journal in these months as it covers a summer and an academic year, which gives me time to set a journal up over summer and record my experiences without having to switch journal right in the middle of an academic year)
So, the notebook that I was using this year in order to make my bullet journal was a blue, lined A5 softcover Moleskine notebook that someone gave to me as a present for the express purpose of making a bullet journal. I wasn’t super hot on the idea of using this notebook for this purpose initially, because I was more keen on the idea of buying a Leuchtturm dotted 1917 for this purpose, but I thought I’d give it a go anyway. Besides, I quite liked the feel of the softcover notebook and this way I didn’t have to buy any more supplies to get myself started.
The notebook itself was nice, and the quality of paper was alright: there was a bit of ghosting as you can see in the picture above (the ink from other pages can be seen but it has not bled through). My main issue with this notebook, however, was the fact that over the course of the year, the actual structural integrity was damaged, and the cover came detached from the spine and the bookmark ribbon soon followed, as you can see above. This was mostly due to the fact that the book was softcover and therefore possibly more likely to get damaged, but on the whole the rest of the notebook stayed together quite well.
One thing I did really like about how I did the bullet journal this year, partially prompted by the fact that there were lines rather than dots in the notebook, was the space I left for reflecting and doing actual journally things in the notebook. I experimented a bit with art journal things as well on a couple of pages (but those pages have too many personal details and photos on to be worth sharing), and I really like the way that I could record my experience of my first year at uni in a space that also served a functional purpose for managing my expenses and my daily tasks and events. If you take a look at previous bullet journal posts I’ve made, you can see my weekly spreads, which are a very traditional calendar layout, and that system worked for me as I needed an easy setup that I could lay out quickly.
I messed around a lot with the front section of my months: here’s what my spread looked like in July (with my spending more or less blurred out). I like the inspirational quotes, although towards the end of this year I found it hard to keep coming up with new quotes. I quickly lost my “things to be excited about” and “things I am not looking forward to but will conquer nonetheless” boxes because although they were a nice thought, the content was sort of covered in the reflection at the start of each month, and they were taking up room where I needed to record my spending. I also stopped using the habit trackers that I laid out (which took me ages but oh well) because I found that they weren’t particularly useful for me personally. Going forward, I’m keeping the spending section, and I’m replacing the whole right hand page of this spread with a “line-a-day” section, which I introduced in November of 2018 and I found it to be a really good way of keeping track of the important things that I’ve been doing and experiences I’ve been having without taking up masses of my time.
With regards to the notebook, I left a lot of pages blank at the back, which was a shame, especially because I could have spent at least some time writing longer actual journal entries about particularly important events and travels and things, but there realistically weren’t that many pages that were left blank, so it might have been a bit odd. The book was also a bit too narrow for my liking, but that’s sort of by the by. As you can see in the bottom of the pages in the above pictures, I put page numbers in as I thought I should do that when I was first setting this up, but in reality this really did nothing and I’m not going to bother adding page numbers to bullet journals where the notebooks don’t already provide them).
In summary:
The notebook was ok, but I didn’t like how narrow it was, and the fact that it was softcover meant that it was more susceptible to damage and did get damaged
Having lines wasn’t hugely problematic, although for the art pages I’d rather have a dot grid. It did let me do some more proper journalling, which I realise I want to do more of in the coming year.
The habit trackers were really just a waste of time for me in the end
There are spreads that will stay, like the year at a glance spreads as well as the layout of the weekly spreads as being similar to those of a traditional planner
Bullet Journal- July 2019 to June 2020
I’ve opted this time around for a Leuchtturm 1917 hard cover journal with dotted pages, which is the typical bullet journal notebook, and I can see why. Hopefully the hard cover means it won’t get as beaten up, and the pages are just that bit wider, which allows me to make spreads that look more like planner pages rather than just decorated pages in a notebook. The dot grid has also meant that I’m more comfortable with going a bit further with the art side of things (partly aesthetic, partly stress relief) so get excited for some really funky spreads. I’ve kept the expenses and line-a-day format for the beginning of each month, as well as the full-page monthly reflection that I started in the Moleskine. Because the Leuchtturm has far more pages, I won’t have to compromise on space like I did in the moleskine (outside of term time I had one week to a page instead of across two for space reasons), and there will still be plenty more empty pages left over, which hopefully means I can fit in some proper journal entries. To make a long story short, this upcoming journal is equally as functional for me, but will also be more effective at recording memories as I go into my second year of university.
I’ll have some posts with my latest spreads ready for the start of July, but until I post those on the first, I hope this post was vaguely useful, and as always, you can support what I do below:
It’s April but #tbt to my January overview lmao. It wasn’t an eventful month, but it was somehow still busy because the internship application process was winding down and my final semester in my PhD program was beginning.
I often start my arguments with an outlandish statement:
While traveling, reading books is counterproductive.
To convince my listener/whoever is in the passenger’s seat, I quickly elaborate so as not to lose his or her attention completely:
When I travel, I am in a new place, or at least a place where I am often not. This place is not my job, and it is not my house. The sights, sounds, food and people are different. Essentially, everything is new, even if I have been there before. (“No man ever steps in the same river twice.”) In this place where I rarely am, my brain is fruitful and the thoughts come fast. I observe new people, and I observe myself in a new setting. Why would I want to transport myself, via a piece of fiction, out of this new setting? I have so many thoughts, thoughts that only come in this new place, and only limited time to enjoy it. I don’t need a book; all I need is a notebook.
I give my words time to sink in, and I wait for an affirmative, or at least contemplative, “Hmm.” I proceed:
If I’m traveling in Italy, why would I want to read about pre-war Paris? Or a dystopian society? Or a man looking for a whale?
“But what about the plane ride?” she says. “That’s a long plane ride.”
She is right. So I listed exceptions to my rule, which then turned into the advice, What to read while traveling:
- Books that are geographically neutral, like philosophy and cultural theory. - Books about the place you’re visiting, so you can learn more about it. - Stories that take place in the same place you’re going to. - Poetry, because it’s often insightful and ambiguous in location.
Whento read is more subjective, but it could follow similar guidelines. Like, you shouldn’t read at any time there is daylight, because during the day you should be out and about. And if you are back in your hotel room, it should be only to shower or nap. At night time you should be out eating, taking a stroll, or enjoying the nightlife. So basically that leaves no time during the night.
I did mention Heraclitus’ line “No man ever steps in the same river twice,” which you could interpret as happening every day, or even break it down to every moment. But when you travel, you are in a place so physically far removed from where you normally are, even if that place is somewhere you’ve already been, that the experience is significantly different than any weekday or weekend routine. For me, new places really get my noggin going.
I’ve come this far, and now I have to think about which book to bring, if any. I’ve narrowed it down to:
Basic Writings of Existentialism (Modern Library Classics, compiled by Gordon Marino)
The Charterhouse of Parma by Stendhal (it takes place near where I’ll be, which is where I experienced Stendhal syndrome at the tender age of seven)
Io, Ibra (which translates to I, Ibra) an autobiography by AC Milan’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I plan on buying this abroad, since it’s not in print in the U.S.
/ / /
Some bookstores for Americans in Italy:
Paperback Exchange Bookstore by the Duomo in Florence
Panton’s English Bookshop near the Castello Sforzesco in Milan. Panton’s Facebook page posts really interesting books: https://www.facebook.com/pantonbooks
Hoepli in Milan (a six-storey bookstore, it’s a trip:)
/ / /
My current notebook of choice:
The Leuchtturm Medium Notebook (which is 5.2 x 8.2 inches. I like unruled, since I live my life without rules, man.)
with all this extra time i’ve been spending a lot more time on my bullet journal. here’s one of my favourite spreads from back in april with some notes i did on blue zones - a really interesting concept!!
moleskine makes people hate pens and is probably a huge part of why so many people give up on good pens.
to folks who might not know, moleskine is extremely famous AND infamous. they are hardcover notebooks with elastic enclosures. they are expensive, and sold everywhere from pharmacies to bookstores, and does collaborations with a variety of brands including james bond and pokemon. moleskine has tried to establish itself as a luxury notebook, which it technically is.
as long as you do not write in it.
moleskine paper is wholeheartedly shit. it is complete fucking garbage. you might wonder, what makes good paper? well the first thing is how well it can be written on. good paper can handle ink well. good ink handling means clear, solid lines without any feathering (fuzzy spreading), not bleeding through the page, and not ghosting. basically, you want paper that can do crisp lines with a variety of different inks and be used on both sides.
moleskine does not do that. anything more than a ballpoint or pencil will look fuzzy and gross and bleed right through the fucking page. the paper is shit. and that makes people think their pen is shit. and ballpoint pens can be seen on the other side of the page.
common knowledge is that fountain pens, rollerball pens, gel pens, felt pens, and more work better on good paper. good meaning good with ink. but when many people think good paper without knowing any better, they will reach for a moleskine notebook. because moleskine is expensive and advertises itself as good and is widely available. so people try out actually good writing implements on this shit paper, see how bad it works, and then blame the pen.
fountain pens, gel pens, and rollerball require much less pressure than ballpoint pens. they are ergonomic. easier on joints, easier for chronic pain. and moleskine makes people give up on them. nobody wants shitty bleeding feathered lines.
in the united states, our ideas of good paper and good stationery in general are extremely warped. so much of this is because paper here fucking sucks. a lot of paper performs like moleskine. there is shit paper at all price ranges. but you can pick up caliber brand paper (the ones that say made in vietnam) from cvs and have infinitely better performance for pennies. even though it looks low quality, caliber paper (vietnam) can even handle calligraphy ink clearly. bad paper makes people hate good pens and bad pens make people hate writing.
another thing really important to mention, a lot of people think thick paper is always better. this is extremely wrong. in terms of being able to handle a wide variety of inks clearly and cleanly, some of the best paper in the world is tissue thin (tomoe river).
do not buy moleskine. even if the stand is right there. they have some of the worst paper you can get at that price point. expensive paper is not always good paper, good pens need good paper, moleskine paper makes good pens seem awful, and moleskine is something you should only give to someone you loathe.
There are so many great options:
- Leuchtturm;
- Rhodia;
- Clairefontaine;
Notebooks made by pen manufacturers.
Seriously, there are so many options, just ask other pen buffs.
Also, if you have to use shitty paper (besides Moleskine, bc Moleskine sucks), then mind nib size and ink.
I could correct copies with a M nib TWSBI Eco with Iroshizuku ink and no bleedthrough. (On moleskine, though… yes.)
