1 vs Many 💜 Can you keep everything in one journal?
How can we keep multiple topics in the same journal? Can we actually keep everything in one? Let's explore!
💜 Want some freebies?
Check out our free resource library: jashii.com/resources
💜 Related videos / links
My planning system: • My 2024 Planning System 💜
How to keep up with your journal: • 24 tips for bullet jou...
My 5 year journal: • DIY 5 year journal 💜 F...
Are you a bullet journal beginner? Start here: bit.ly/3g6eYWu
💜 Supplies used (feat. affiliate links)
Archer & Olive notebook: bit.ly/AandOJournals
Baron Fig notebook: bit.ly/BFigxJC
Scribbles That Matter notebook: bit.ly/ScribblesxJC
Your Bujo notebook: www.yourbujo.com
For other products I recommend: amzn.to/40KFoyv
💜 Want a discount?
Relevant to this video:
- 10% off at Archer & Olive with code jashiicorrin10: bit.ly/AOxJC
- 10% off at Notebook Therapy with code jashiicorrin10: bit.ly/NTxJC
- 10% off at Bullet Journal with code jashiicorrin10: bit.ly/BuJoxJC
- 10% off at Baron Fig with code jashiicorrin10: bit.ly/BFigxJC
- 10% off Your Bujo with code jashiicorrin10: www.yourbujo.com
- 10% off KUMA Stationery & Crafts with code jashii10: bit.ly/KUMAxJC
All my discount codes: bit.ly/JCDiscounts
💜 Wanna be part of The Team?
Join our channel membership: bit.ly/JCYTMembers
💜 Want to find me and the team elsewhere?
JashiiCorrin vlogs: bit.ly/JashiiCorrinVlogs
Patreon: bit.ly/JashiiCorrinPatreon
Instagram: bit.ly/JashiiCorrinIG
Facebook: bit.ly/JashiiCorrinFB
Facebook Community Group: bit.ly/JCC-FB
Pinterest: bit.ly/JashiiCorrinPin
Discord: bit.ly/JCCDiscord
💜 Got video suggestions?
Video suggestions: bit.ly/JCSuggestions
Livestream suggestions: bit.ly/JCLiveSuggestions
💜 Timestamps
0:00 - Can it be done?
0:15 - Long story short
0:28 - What I use
1:30 - Why I like multiple journals
4:16 - Why you might not
8:16 - How to keep multiple topics in one journal
12:39 - Question for you
💜 Video equipment
Camera: amzn.to/3EaLVsU
Microphone: amzn.to/3AIQ5ad
Cam Link: amzn.to/45jMOeK
Micro HDMI to HDMI 2.0: amzn.to/44zgHH3
Dummy battery: amzn.to/3qIhRSE
#jashiicorrin
Always thought an all in one would be a good idea, but it never quite worked and I enjoyed setting up a new journal so much, so now I have everyday; reading; writing; R&D; commonplace; bible, movies &TV, and I love them all.
Sounds like a great collection 😄
I tried all in one, with my long form journal in the back and bullet journal in the front, but I didn't like carrying everything around with me everyday. My journal got beaten up and it didn't seem appropriate to take my bullet journal into a work environment where clients could see the workings of my personal life.
@@sarahpitcaithly8099maybe a separate one for just work stuff, I have heard and seen that a lot, and I like doing that myself too.
I'm reminded of David Allen's advice about inboxes... have as many as you need, and as few as you can get away with.
Literally that, yeah! 💪💜
just starting out, i like having anything i'm gonna need in one journal just so it's right there in one spot, much less intimidating for someone with less experience but also so i don't feel like i'm wasting journals since my time is super limited, so there isn't a ton of stuff i'm journaling right now. just three spreads per month and i'm set - a calendar with things i need to do (or other things that happened), a habit tracker, and my thoughts for the end of the month.
Yeah the worry about using too much space wasn’t something I was concerned with when I was first starting out 👌 It has just come as a result of journaling more and also doing this as my job 💜 fully makes sense to have everything in one notebook if you’re new to it 😄
I'm starting my 5th year in my Traveler's Notebook, which is like a hybrid of the two systems. I consider it an all-in-one notebook, but the modularity let's me easily separate things by time scale/purpose while minimizing migration to a handful of long-term collections. A tip for people who don't use an index: I use book darts and washi tape (or markers) along paper edges to quickly find certain collections or mark the start of month pages. My notebook only has a single built-in string bookmark, so it's helpful to have multiple ways of easily navigating to what I need.
I'm neurodiverse and struggle to keep up with daily/weekly/monthly spreads, so this year, I have a regular little premade diary for appointments and a yearly collections journal and so far, so good. I also have writing and event planning journals, both of which are carried over from prior years because they're pretty chunky, and a rough notes notebook which I just replace whenever it fills up. Also, since I am a writer, I have a little pocket ideas notebook, which I carry with me when I go out. The only other journal I usually take out is the writing one, if I'm heading out to write somewhere a bit quieter than home.
I tried to keep several journals in 2023 (my second full year of bujoing.) I wasn't ready. I couldn't keep up. Having that many spreads to design and populate made me feel beholdin' to my journals. In the end, I abandoned them all. :( And felt guilty all year. This year, I set up one all-in-one journal and kept my reading/writing journal (which is kind of a long-term journal. Its working much better. Another thing I did which has helped is that I have put two important trackers on a single sheet of A & O dot grid paper and washy-taped it to a decorated page in the journal. This way, if I abandon the goal or fail miserably at it, I can trash the tracker (without remorse) and use the page for something else. In my first year, I put five or six high pressure trackers right up front. When the climb became impossible (about April) it really made me hate opening up the journal. This year, that won't happen. :) There is so much psychology to the practice.
Team all in one! Ive tried multiple journals in the past and just never used them as it was too much effort/work to keep up with multiple journals and it was hard to travel with them when I used to work abroad a lot. I also don't track much on long term basis. It takes ~60 days to build a habit so if I have 2 months of a filled habit, I don't need the rest of the year to know I'm succeeding and can potentially modify/increase my goal habit. Conversely I don't need a whole year of data to let me know to mix something up if I'm struggling after a month or two.
Separate journals ftw! I find it feels tidier for my brain. That being said, I only have 3, because my life isn't very complex. I have a reading journal, a Magical Readathon journal, and a notebook that gets used for anything I need it to, be that to do lists, habit trackers when I need them etc.Quite a lot of my lists and info I keep on my phone and that has worked really well for years, so Im sticking with that!
Heck yeah for systems that work for us 💪 it’s always interesting to hear about which parts people keep digitally versus in a paper system
I have one main journal. In the past I used the mullet method to try out if I want to seperate some things out. Also, last year, I set up a 3 year journal, but quickly forgot about it. If I need to regularly pull out more than one notebook that's too much for me, sometimes even flipping to the back of the journal felt like too much of a hassle. I noticed that I don't really track much long term, I even pretty much eliminated trackers from my monthly setups. Those things work better digitally for me. So my journal is there for short term planning and journaling, which I found a way to combine into one system. That also means I don't have much to migrate. This year, thanks to you and also the videos of Monica's reading journals, I set up a reading journal but it's very minimalistic and bare bones, no monthly setups, just a yearly overview and the only collection beyond that is an overview of CAWPILE. Then straight into book reviews, half a page per book, very similar to Monica's set-up just without the little print-outs. I find anything beyond that just doesn't align with me and if I do feel the need to add another collection I will. So far it's fun writing little reviews about the books I read and since I don't read that much, I don't have to reach for it that often.
I have two journals I use - one that has dates of events, and my daily tasks. The other is more a commonplace journal which is pretty much... everything else. I've found for things I refer to daily like trackers or goals, it works better for me to have a piece of paper sitting somewhere prominent or pinned to my wall.
When I started out back in 2017, I just had everything in one notebook, until that was full. Then I had to migrate everything all over again and it's just time consuming. I have had comments about why bother having separate journals from people in the past, and I've always explained it as being organised for better use of my time and productivity. I could set up all those pages again, or I could have them in a journal where I only have to do it once (or in the case of yearly trackers, annually). Like you mentioned, it's easier to separate certain journal functions so you have a consistent idea of where to find that information. And aside from everyday journals, I find that the excess journals, especially yearly or long term collections last for multiple years, so it's not a waste when you consider the longevity of the item. Fantastic video, Jess!
Yes! When I first started I added what I needed to that first all-in-one journal, but when the time come for a new journal I didn't want to migrate everything. Then I started to separate things in different journals. It helps keeping everything organized and having a safe place where I could put long term info (birthdays, festivities, passwords, projects... the list goes on and on).
100% agree 👏 migration, has that great benefit that it shows you what you don’t need any more, what you do need, and what you do need but couldn’t be bothered setting up again 😝
That is also why I switched to the disc bound system, no more migration! If the notebooks gets too full, then I just sort out the old pages and archive them in a separate archive journal. New pages get added all the time, calender pages are switched after 3 months, the rest stays till the new year, then a new yearly overview. But collections, informations, etc. are staying till full. Love it.
When I began journaling in 2018, I used one notebook only which would last me 6 months... The constant rewriting of all the trackers each time I started a new journal about did me in! So I took inspiration from you and made a trackers only journal. I LOVE it! It’s nice to be able to look at all the years together in that one journal. I’m afraid I have to blame you for the fact that I now have about 7 -9 journals going at any one time! Everyday, 5 year, tracker, long term collections, Bible, junk drawer journal, work, and favorite songs where I write out the lyrics and I dont use all of them every day though so it’s manageable. As always, thoroughly enjoyed your content! ❤
I watched this video a few weeks ago and it completely changed the way i journal 😊 i decided to have everything in one notebook and get one new notebook for every year. 2022 it was all good. 2023 i was struggling to make all the spreads that i wanted but i still got it done 2024 i found myself leaving some spreads out and feeling like i wasnt getting the most out of journaling. Now i have multiple long term journals and feel so good about it! I realize that i was forcing myself to use one journal because it just seemed more "efficient" and making the most out of the notebook. But keeping multiple notebooks for the years to come is what works best for me and my personal goals with journaling. It took me three years and this video to learn that it really is up to personal preference!
I have two journals. An everyday bullet journal with periodic collection pages. And a long form writing journal. I bring both with me almost everywhere and use them both daily.
Retired teacher here. When you first said, "My plan was to keep my teacher planner at work and my home planner at home," (paraphrased) I just smiled. Yes, I thought the same thing. Then reality broke down my door, grabbed me by the collar and pinned me against the wall, laughing maniacally at me! ;)
Literally that 😂 past Jess was so hopeful, haha
I do all-in-one because I do have to transport my notebook daily, but my big issue with it is I couldn't possibly fit everything for the entire year in one. (I should say, my reading notebook is separate bc I don't use that everyday). I used your spread planning video to setup mine for this year and I realized...I'd need over 300 pages to make the entire year fit. So I ended up having to separate the year into 2 books. We'll see how that ends up working out. The organizer in me hates it, but it's early on so maybe that will change. :)
For my actual working journal it's all in 1 and lasts 6 months. This year I've started a separate 'media' journal that I'll use to track my reading and watching and eventually I'd like to try setting up a long term journal like the 5 year journal!
I tried to combine is all in one for one month and it was completely overwheleming, especially putting work tasks/schedule in my Life planner/journal. Made it really hard to keep work separated, as well as my life balanced. I have a lot in my Life planner - thoughts, diaries, quotes, reading notes - but work needs to be in another planner that I can put away. Tried a reading journal a few years ago and loved it, until it started feeling like pressure, then I moved in occasionally writing about books that really made an impression into my Life planner. It's an ongoing process.
I've got 1 journal. I've been journalling for 3 years now. I'm not using it for work, just for home planning. There are pages for keeping information about the horses that I ride, a few pages on my dog (treatments and stuff), 24 things in 2024, 1 page for the books I've read, 2 pages about goals and little trackers on those pages and the biggest part of the journal is for everyday planning. One month usually takes up 6 to 8 pages. So 2024 fits in 1 journal 😉 In the future, I might change things up a bit but for now it works for me this way.
I always thought of myself as a one journal person, but I'm realizing now I've always separated my quarterly planning HB90 pages from my daily journal, where I put my monthly weekly and daily schedules. I also have a few bound lined notebooks that are 'catch all', where I scribble random D&D notes, and a journal dedicated to my Sims 4 Legacy challenges 🤭😂
I only use one notebook, partly because my ADHD prevents me from readily remembering to check in with the one that I have, let alone multiple. So having everything in the same place is a bonus for me, and I just use color-coded sticky note tabs to find various lists or collections in whichever notebook is active.
I have a one journal system and I use a notebook with enough pages that allows me to use the same journal for the whole year. I like having all my stuff in the same place and I don't like to have to divide my year in different notebooks. I also feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the year when I see my chunky, very used notebook. Thanks for the video!
I have two journals and another blank book that's just to write in as I'm working and need to think on paper. I have a day planner that I have my detailed daytime schedule as well as log for things I do on a daily basis for work -- like you mentioned, things I won't need to come back to and reference. My yearly planner has more journally type things I want to look back on at a later time. And yes, I often carry around the day planner and my blank book, which is heavy and a bit annoying, but having them with me helps keep me organized.
Multiple journalist here, who is also a mullet journalist in traditional orientation, and reoriented books seem like more work. I just put things in the index in the reverse order at the end of the index section with negative page numbers, or inside back cover/ on back pocket for location tags.
I have like ten I'm consistently using. 😅 Bujo, planner, personal, book ideas, story, story planner, reading, morning pages, and two for lists. It helps to keep things clearly defined in my mind, even if it does seem chaotic.
I love this video. The way you present the pros and cons and emphasize why something works for you and might not work for others is really great.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it 😄💜
I feel like I've found a happy medium. Most of my life fits into my one bullet journal, but I do have a couple of other journals that have more specific functions (like a reading journal for example). I use the same criteria you laid out although one of my other big considerations is if I need a different kind of notebook for it, like a bigger or smaller size or lined pages instead of dot grid. This helps me decide if it's something I want to fit into my everyday journal or make a separate journal for it. Love the idea of a mullet journal though! I may have to try that out :D
Definitely multiple! Love to have separate ones for different things 🥰
I do have everything in one. If i don't, i feel scattered everywhere and forget things. I fill one notebook every two or three months, but it works for me. I use heavily an index at the beginning of my book to navigate it ^^
this year i only have one journal - a hobonichi weeks mega. i have the monthlies and weeklies printed, but still minimalistic enough for me to have a lot of freedom to set them up they way i want / need to, and the 271 blank pages in the back to fit everything else (meaning my bujo and notes/ commonplace book). I live this sysytem cause it is really compact and i can take it with me very easily. (i used to have multiple journals in the past years and it was a struggle every time i had to leave the house for multiple days)
MULLET JOURNAL!!!! Love it!
Haha glad you liked that one 😝 our community came up with it, lol
I have been doing a single bujo book at a time since 2017 as my catch-all and planner (with 3 bujos total 2017-2024 as opposed to 8 yearly planners with lots of blanks), but now I've hit the problem you mentioned where I can't remember where my collections are - I never took time to migrate them over, so they just live in my older journals. I started a one line a day this year and since I made my own - I actually have 11 years per day/page (2024-2034) and I'm excited to see that progress in a couple years. I'm also thinking of finally migrating over all my collections from my bujos into one long term collection journal aka common book - which would be a third journal... and if I'm super ambitious, maybe a fourth journal or a one line a day journal to migrate all my bujo monthly spreads into one journal from 2017-2023, since I wanted to reflect over all those years and help plan next few years (once everything moves over I could get rid of the 3 old journals plus have space for 2024, maybe 2025 etc - ultimately become my bujo minus everything else). Lastly, still pulling from the bujos and some stuff I kept - I want to do a bigger 5th journal as a scrapbook of sorts. So it might be 5 journals max, but since I only really use monthly spreads + collections, they might last me for years and years as opposed to having an archive of a bunch of bujos with everything mixed together. That being said I still love bujo and the idea of filling in one page at a time as needed with an index in front for easy reference - the principles of bujo will basically live on, just over several books to be better organized and better as keepsakes - as opposed to having pages sprinkled with things I don't want to keep like random to do lists or tasks (I'd rather toss those things once done).
I have one bullet journal for the vast majority of life stuff. I've done this long enough now that I know how many pages I need for the different categories. However, I do have a separate health journal where I write what I'm planning to do for the day as far as movement. It also allows me to reflect on how consistent I was with following through on what I had planned. But that's it - just 2 notebooks.
Because I don’t have nearly as much I’m interested in keeping track of I (since this year) I have long term collections, yearly collects and goals in 1 journal. I can easily see that one last 4 to 5 years. Other than that I have a daily planner/journal and a reading journal (start of the 3rd year for that). I’m really liking this 3 journal system so far. It also allowed me to try a new size for my daily journal without worrying about “what if I don’t like this”. Because it doesn’t contain anything I need to refer to, unless I want to go down memory lane.
Yes I use multiple planners/journals for different things in my life. I tried the one planner when I was younger but found as I have gotten older my priorities have changed and I found the separation of things worked better for my ole lady brain 😉 TFS Be Blessed
I use a 3 journal system. One functions as a calendar/planner. I'm re-attempting habit tracking this year in this one. (I keep running into the problem where a month later I no longer care about the habit tracker topic I chose. Tips?) I have a "junk journal" that is my brain dump bullet journal and everything just makes it onto a page somewhere, in no particular order, just free flow of consciousness. Then after its out of my head, I can color code or group ideas, or think about applying the bullets to specific deadlines or whether they are just loose ideas where completion time doesnt matter. And then I have "a" long form journal (technically its 3 of those, but theyre all one in my mind. They just need to be able to exist in multiple locations so i always have pen and paper when the need strikes. So they tend to be in the places i am likely to sit and/or get cozy for long periods -- by my desk, by the couch, and in my car in case the need arises out and about.) I keep trying to go all in one but i never know how much space to save for journaling because one day i may just need a page, the next life is giving me a hard time and i need 14. Also, the junk journal/brain dump journal helps reduce copying forward to do list items week after week if theyre not actually time sensitive. It also helps reduce scratch outs because I accidentally wrote a thing in the wrong color or something. I keep telling myself it makes my planner more aesthetic... lol but somehow i still make unaesthetic errors anyway.
i just returned to bullet journaling (had an idea about that i didnt need it anymor) But found out how much peace it gives me tho im considerating to have a yaerly collection an long term collection because of the space i need in my everyday journal
Because I don't trust myself to remember to do something, I generally try to keep everything in a single journal but I do have more than one journal. Though this is made easier because I don't have any work related collections (still on the fence about that). So I have an every day journal (with an index dedicated to medical stuff), a long terms collection journal (that I'm trying to remember to fill out and update) and a gaming journal.
I don't know if it counts as having multiple, because I do all my bullet journaling in one journal, but I do have other journals, one for my poetry, one for quotes, one for drawing, I have a binder for recipes (might turn it into a journal, not sure yet), I use the website Goodreads for books, an Excel sheet for finances, and I use my phone calendar for daily tasks. So, I do have multiple journals, and I use the term 'journal' very loosely here, but when you get down to it my day-to-day journal is a catch-all of all things I want to record or talk about, so compared to yours, it's a mess. I'll be watching that index video next, lmao. I prefer to use only one journal because I see it as timestamps of my life more than information I'll want to retrieve later on, except for the trackers.
I keep all my info in one journal. One for each year. There is not a lot I like to track, for my lifestyle all I need is setting up weeklies and monthly spreads to write down all my appointments and events so i don't miss something. Even my reading log is half a page for each month. It's also easier to carry around just one notebook. But I see the appeal of having multiple notebooks, especially if you make them artistic - just another outlet to let your imagination wild.
I have multiple journals - one for work that I don't always use (some days I need more structure than others), my everyday personal bullet journal, and then a tarot journal!
Sounds like a good division! 💪💜
I am drawn to multiple journals. Reading journal, 5 year journal, Collections, and junk/brainstorm/messy journal.
Heck yeah for Team Multiple 💪💜
I prefer keeping a single journal a year. I even sometimes struggle to completely fill it in by the end of the year, so each year I come up with an extra category that I might need. I like keeping it tight, and extra space just makes me feel wasteful. Thankfully, this system works perfectly for me, even though I love stationary a lot, and have so many empty notebooks I've bought just because they were pretty :D Maybe the only exception I have is my DnD notebook for keeping notes, but it's nowhere as organized as my bujo :3
I have a few different ones. Before I even got into journaling I made one specifically for all of my crafting. It's got sections for vinyl, sewing, laser projects, and heat press related stuff with all of my times & temperatures, cut settings, sewing machine settings, and stuff like that. For sewing I have body measurements and repeating projects measurements that I don't have patterns for yet noted down. Since starting journaling I've made one for home/vehicle maintenance to track when things have been done, I put paint chips in there for when I need to get touch up paint for a particular room, warranty expiration dates, notes on what type of fluids the vehicles need, oil filters, and things like that. I have one for content creation/social media tracking & goals. Then I have my everyday planner.
I have one journal that I use for planning, goals, and other management stuff like finance and work stuff, chores and other house stuff. Then I have another journal as a reading/watching journal, I am planning to use it for other fun/leisure stuff as well in the future. And I have one journal for study stuff. All 3 of these journals are ringbinders so I can add pages wherever is necessary, and I have those tabs things to make separate sections for everything. I have a fourth binder that I'm currently not using for anything, not sure what I want to use it for. Might use it as an archive to move my 2024 stuff to next year.
I have 3 ... 1 physical and 2 electronic ... but I have found that varying the styles/ themes/Dutch doors, etc and either a table of contents or tab system or something is crucial for me using it. My longterm stuff / to do, etc and my meal planning, freezer inventory, etc are on my phone. As well as my calendar. My physical is for recording/documenting. So bills, finances, school schedules, garden notes, etc.
The main goal of my journal was to write about my every day, but then I needed a little more organization for work with weekly layouts, so I got a planner, but then because I was using my planner I wasn't using my journal at all.. It's so hard for me to check in with 2 notebooks a day! So this year I just combined the two! Making weekly spreads every month and journaling in between them. It's been going great so far and I'm so glad I finally found a system that makes sense for me!
I currently use one journal because - 1. I'm poor, sick and retired, 2. If I don't see it I don't use it - so my journal with the current pages open has to sit on my desk if I don't want to forget about using it. How I organise my one journal - Before I set up my everyday part, I set up my front pages - Year at a glance is the first page, then contacts, birthdays and passwords. Contacts, birthdays and passwords I remove from the previous journal and add it to the current journal (except when my cat pissed on them). Then I set up a new section for this year - Health. I used Dutch doors to include tabs on all the sections of the health part, so that when I go to hospital I have all the information necessary. I also keep blood sugar, blood, pressure, and medical results in this section. Then I have a divider. This is the divider for the beginning of the everyday - it comes with pockets. Then I have my everyday pages. currently I use 4 pages per month (I'm retired). The back section is kept for projects around home. I use a spiral dot notebook so I can remove and add pages as I like - there was a person called tamika who used to be on youtube - who showed how you could use a spiral notebook like a disc bound. tl;dr Dividers and mullets. I am considering to create a reading journal for the first time.
I always just had a v basic bujo work journal which stayed at work, and a slightly less basic personal one at home, which always lasted a full year. This year tho I've added a few more spreads (24 24s, monthly reset, books read) and quite a lot more deco. ALL the stickers 😂. Definitely using it more, but at this rate its not lasting a full year! So that'll be interesting. Having so much more fun tho 😁
I've been writing a "diary" journal since I was 9 (massive diary of a wimpy kid phase) but I've developed new techniques since then. It has evolved into a sort of day-to-day life diary with trackers and bullet journals. I do this so that whenever I go somewhere, I will always have it with me- whether I want to write down something, mark on my trackers or schedule another event. I also find it easier to keep so that I don't have to go through a bunch of books to mark down stuff. But then again you shouldn't let random strangers in the internet control your life and this is my personal opinion, do whatever is cool for you :P
I don’t really do collections (I’ve tried in the past but I just can’t keep it up long term), so I have one journal that is all my daily, weekly, and monthly planners. I track other long term things in apps - like all my reading is in Goodreads. However, my best friend got me a running journal (pre-organized), so all fitness stuff is now there. I do also have a journal where I keep professional learning in too.
Though I ADORE the idea of a big book of everything, that could absolutely never be me lol On the daily I use: bullet journal (a glorified to-do list, really), everyday journal (idealistically 'everyday' but I at least keep track of my trackers), language learning book (approaching 3rd year of Japanese so I'm finding I need it less and less, but I ended up picking Korean back up so it'll get used anyway lol), sketchbook (freelance illustrator life) Weekly: budget book, art courses book (almost reaching the end of that one and don't know if I'll make another one or combine language learning on one end and art-related stuff on the other) Whenever I need them: Brainstorming book (more like a 'figure out what you can actually control to reduce your anxiety, you goon' book, but that feels a bit like a run-on title) and my writing book which is both an actual story-making book and a way to deal with my feelings through fantasy (which I guess is any type of art anyway, ain't it) I don't actually set up my books though (bullet journal and everyday journal are the exceptions, though it stays relatively simple and takes me no more than 5 minutes each per week), my language learning one I just picked up an old repertoire I never used for school and keep it extremely messy, it's just to get the knowledge transferred in my brain! I guess since creating is my job (and I keep my sketchbook work personal too) I don't feel the urge to be as creative as other bujoers! Loved the ideas in this video though, Jess, incredibly insightful and educational as always!!
I have an A5 ring binder for long term/reference material and a dollar store monthly where I put all birthdays, events, bills, property maintenance, etc. for the year ahead so I don’t forget anything vital. The rest of it is fluid. I have moleskine cahiers in a TN cover for annual trackers, budget, quarterly planning, nature log, food and health log & dream log. I also have a 4 month hardcover moleskine bullet journal and an 8x10 monthly where I write what actually happened that day, and I put this on the shelf at end of the year as a record. My journal is on my computer. I fantasize a lot about only having one book but my life is way too complicated for that. I managed to end up living alone on some acreage that requires well, tree, road and fence maintenance, which has been a learning experience for sure.
I've been journaling for years and I have settled on 4 journals. 1 is my daily/everything journal: this has my work stuff, billing notes, projects, home, kids, appointments basically my life is in this one book and I have everything separated by month. 2. is my reading, Nano trackers and ideas journal: this holds all of my reading challenges, writing challenges/trackers and any writing ideas that come to mind. I only use this one when I need it or as a reference book. 3 my forever book: this is a small notebook that has all of my forever information in it so birthday/holiday, family's medical information ect. Basically this is the notebook you want to grab if im ever incapacitated or dead. and 4 is my writing journal. This is where all of my junk journalling supplies come in and all of my current writing projects. This journal is one that I use till i fill up and I dont ever have to set up again when I grab a new one. It holds just current writing and junk journalling. I totally get the burn out so when I know I have to make a new journal I usually start planning and creating months in advance so I can spread out the process that I love and I can minimize burn out
I have 3 x journals/diaries. I have a lined journal that I long-form journal in, a dot-grid journal for my bullet-journalling, with trackers covering 4 months or on a month-by-month basis, and I have a small pre-printed diary with a week-at-a-glance format for carrying in my handbag for work. I live rurally, so I divide the diary into "work" (schedule, notes,) ,and "other town tasks" (shopping lists, non-work appointments etc). I find that the 3 work well together. My brain-dump long journal often reminds me of ideas I want to pursue, which I then plan in the bullet journal, and add to the diary if I need to get things from town. While I am working I come up with non-work ideas, which I note down in the work diary and expand on when I get home in the bullet journal...and so on. I am only a month into this triple diary system, but it is working for me so far!
I've always had separate journals, as I've just realised! I have an everyday journal, which is a planner, tracker, and a diary, and it usually lasts up to four months, depending on how thick it is and how active I am with writing in it. This year, I also received a dated planner as a present; I use it for work mostly, and I take it almost everywhere, so some not work-related tasks also end up there. Since it is for the whole year, I also use it for a yearly overview, so it includes info about appointments, social events, birthdays, and so on. There is also a notebook for everything related to writing fiction, e.g., my notes and brainstorming, and another one for planning out my lessons in detail. I once took a picture of all my journals and notebooks, and there were ten of them at the moment, so I fully understand why people have multiple journals at once. Thank you for this video, now it's making me think about re-organising my stack of the notebooks which I do not use on the daily basis!
I mainly use weekly spreads in my journal. I do add a few collections but never have enough to justify a separate journal for a category in life. Maybe if my journals weren’t lasting a full calendar year I would think about having different journals for different things
My collection grew bigger and bigger over time. 😅 I have an all year bullet journal, a personal reflection journal, a hobby collections journal, a travel and note taking mini notebook, and then a big digital Notion space for work and home stuff. Works well for me!
I use english and Persien in my journal to separate the goal planning and budget from other Parts. Firstly, in Persian we start from the right and also use notebooks from what English people consider back of the notebook, also it is my easier yo do planning in your own language compared to translating everything in your mind while trying to focus on planning 😂 works like a charm for me, and different alphabets makes is easy to distinguish and fast to find
i was initially against having separate journals for all of my stuff, but now i have four separate ones. one for daily planning/journaling, one for writing, one for reading, and one for music. i do have a minimalist approach to my journaling so setting up pages/layouts isn't to time consuming as it may be for other people.
That's a good way to keep multiple; keeping them more simple 💪💜
As I'm pretty new to BuJo I'm only keeping one journal. But I do see the benefits of multiple journals as right now I have to migrate a lot of things from last years journal. 😅 I think this topic will come up again at the end of this year. Thanks for listing all the benefits and drawbacks!
I am definitely of the mindset that I need certain information collected together in separate notebooks and I am also team no duplication. When things are in a frenzy and I just need to know exactly where to look for something I don’t wanna have to wonder if all of the information is in that one section or if there is still a little bit more somewhere else I can’t take that kind of pessure. 😂
Yeah I find having those distinct spaces really helps with knowing where to look 💪
I use a very simple way for my everyday journal, so one full year fit in one journal. The few collections I make fit in aswell. In addition I have one notebook for finances and one related to my dog.
Cool that you've got your system in a way that the full year fits in one everyday journal! 💪💜 Dog journal sounds cute by definition, haha
I use an all-in-one system, but I keep birthdays, addresses, and other long-term items in a different place. I also keep my recipes in a different place. However, my daily journal does include planning and journaling, memory keeping, and almost everything else. But I enjoy switching journals every 3 to 4 months.
This is my 4th year bullet journaling. I use 2. One is my everyday journal and I can usually fit a year in just one (my life isn't very busy or exciting, lol) the other journal is my finance and fitness journal. The first part of the journal has each months set of spending and bills, savings tracker, debt spend down etc. The rest of the journal is dedicated to health and fitness. I have all trackers, like labs for Jan, June and Nov, my monthly measurements, and my weekly weight. The rest of the journal after that is for actual journaling over the course of the year. How I'm feeling, what I'm trying whether it's a new exercise routine or new meds for my health conditions. LOVE your channel Jess! I found you at the end of 2020 as I was thinking of giving bujo a try. I set up my first one in Jan 2021. You've been my biggest inspiration. And I've truly enjoyed watching the channel grow. 😊
I like the ease of everything in one journal. I only do calendar spreads for the months, and one line a day so merging it with a reading journal seems to work best for me. This is my second year in this iteration and it seems to be everything I need.
I have journals for books, budget, personal musings, calendar, and long-term collections. They each have a different "feel", and not all are decorated. Some i keep, some are discarded when full end of year.
The idea of fitting all in one is nice, but it just doesn't work for me. As you say: it's pretty handy to not have to set-up some pages again or go back to an old notebook. By separating every topic, I can easily find anything I want or need. Long-term (or lists as I prefer to label them), yearly collections, reading journal, recipe journal with references about food too, 5 year journal, goal journal, ideas journal, memory journal and everyday journal. Some of them thanks to you by the way, like the yearly and goal journal. I just reviewed the first month of working with this and I love it. I get things done so much easier now. Yay!
I have 3 journals, my everyday journal, reading journal, and orilium journal. I might start a yearly collections journal to make my every day journaling more straight to the point since I find that I’m flipping through a lot of pages every time I sit down to fill it in
I have really enjoyed having those yearly collections in their own separate notebook, especially now that I’ve had it for a couple of years, and I can look back through similar collections over those years and see how things have changed 😄💜
I started with all in one and quickly moved to 3. LYC/yearly collections, everyday and reading. Just perfect for me.
I'm new to bullet journaling this year, therefore only one month in. So far I've managed with one. A number of the trackers etc I still keep on my laptop & that's a good balance for me at the moment. Thanks for your videos they're so clear and helpful ☺
I’ve just found you & loved this video. I took many screenshots to be used as examples for myself. I began my first bujo about a decade ago & have moved in & out of various planners and notebooks since. The past few years I’ve had pre-printed datebook types (Clever Fox & the like). Ive consistently decorated/washied/stickered & used a multitude of pens! I’ve been researching what I want next. I must have a portable planner & think I also want some sort of to-do list that is portable…perhaps I’ll be able to combine these. Thanks for sharing your beautiful journals/planners/notebooks! Edited to add: I also have a multi-page journal of multiple trackers that I’ve created. I also realized that I don’t require daily spreads and mostly use weekly & monthly.
Glad to have you here with us! 😄💜 sounds like you’ve done a good deal of trial and error to figure out what works best for you 💪
I have an everyday journal and have recently started a long term collections journal 💜x
Started with all in one. Now I have everyday journal and a longer term one for collections, commonplacing, reading. I seem to fly through everyday journals so then when done I see if any of the collection pages in that are worth transferring to the long term collection journal
I started with just a BuJo about 5 years ago and was intermittent with it. Now having multiple journals (Mental Health, Daily, Reading, Media and Craft), I've found it a chance of self care as I use each every day if not for compiling but at least to review challenges completed, celebrate them (or just feel proud) and reflect on goals. It's a chance for me to be in the moment, be mindful and get excited about my future plans. More than one journal also gives me a chance to explore my creativity and to see a completed spread makes me so content. Your suggestions are always helpful, insightful and inspiring; I wasn't sure where I should put my spending on books so the example of using the back of a journal is perfect. 💜
I've always had an all in one, but this year I am branching out to two. My daily journal (which I choose to use mostly as an actual journal), and a yearly/long term collections combo.
I keep different notebooks/journals for different things. Work and personal stuff are always separate. For personal, I have a planner/scheduler, and one notebook for each of my musical instruments I play to keep notes on lessons/etc as they are taken to my lessons with me are are very instrument specific. I also keep a separate reading journal, nature journal, a commonplace book for miscellaneous stuff, and an art/craft journal specifically to keep track of those projects. I do keep a small pocket notebook with me all the time to capture things that may or not make it to the other journals.
Thank you for sharing this with us Jess. I love the idea of a mullet journal... actually that might be a good way to use up old bullet journals. hmm... I've tried several systems so far, but I think I appreciate having an all in one system because I don't really use a lot of trackers. Technically my bujo is a glorified to do list, so I haven't really gone through mine all that rapidly.
I like things being orderly and micro-organized, but also prefer bound journals, so doing it separately works best for me. I'm away from most of my journals at the moment, so I've just got a five-year journal, a reading journal, and a junk journal, but I'd like to eventually get back to a bujo as well as adding a long-term series reading journal
Love multiple journals. I went a little nuts this past year with different types. The ones I'm using regularly now- everyday, reading, watching (tv & movies), yearly, long term collections, a few lines a day, lists/random junk. The others that I tried but I'm not loving right now- health/exercise, finance journal, travel journal. When I finish my current journal I'm trying out a square journal and I think I might be able to move some more things to the everyday.
For now two journals is good for me since I'm starting off, and I don't have to browse longer to get what I need. You inspired me to have two actually as I'm using some trackers that don't really fit in an every dat journal.
Thank you very much for this informative video! For the first time I really got why people use a whole stack of journals! As for a One-Book-Only-User like myself: For information, that should stay with me for a longer period of time I use postcards or very small notebooks with few pages, that fit into the larger book. Because you are absolutly right - repeatingly creating such content over and over is more often than not quite tidious. :D
One for teaching and one for everything else, including reading, chores, memory keeping . It works 😊
Sounds like a good split! 😄💜
I have one bujo-planner (only personal stuff goes in there, work stuff is done all-digital for ease of sharing with the team). Then I have one daily pages journal (like morning pages, except I typically write in the evening), then I have a commonplace book, for reference information, stuff I learn whilst reading or watching KZhead, ideas, inspiration etc that might be useful for my fiction writing. For this quarter I'm experimenting with combining the bujo and the daily pages into one book; I can pretty much predict how much space I will need for a week, so I've sectioned off enough pages for those weeks, plus my usual monthly logs, habit trackers and primary collections. The rest of the book will be the daily pages, but there's enough extra pages that I can add a few more collections into that section if I need to. The commonplace book is staying separate. I'm not that crazy.
Since I use a ring binder as my bujo I can keep everything in one place and then archive pages when they become redundant. Also helps that I can use different paper thickness depending on what it’s for. 😊 Though I admit I want to grab a second journal for my daily journaling since it does feel weird to essentially bring my diary with me everywhere. 😅
I use an all-in-one journal for the sake of saving space and money. I can generally make a journal last about a year (give or take a few weeks) with calendar spreads and collections jumbled together. However, I do not use an index. I will group my related collections (finance, health, journaling, etc) with a colored stripe on the bottom of the spread with a list of page numbers of related spreads. I call it the Bible method (for lack of better term) because it’s similar to the way most Bibles are laid out. It may not be the quickest way to do it, but it’s a method I’ve used since middle school and it’s worked the best for me.
Heck yeah for finding systems that work well for us 🥳💪 love the colour coding technique!
The only book I take out with me is an A6 and I'm strict about which utensils I use, like a pencil or firxon pens so the book lasts longer. (It's from the A&O Love Latte range which is one of my absolute favourites. I do also carry a permanent pen for is I have to sign something).
Multiple. I have my everyday journal, work is a digital journal, and a variety of hobby notebooks. 6 in total I think.
Heck yeah for team multiple 💪
I have tried a couple of times to use an "all-in-one" system, but a couple of issues kept arising. Firstly, I was going through a note book every 3-4 weeks! Secondly, I am an avid language learner, so I would get the pages confused with each other (put Italian in the index, but it was spanish. Oops). Thirdly, I was loosing my crochet plans and notes, loosing my sewing plans and notes, loosing my arty plans and notes, and sometimes writing them all down again because I couldn't find them. And fourthly (is that actually a word🤔), I was so confused about what I was supposed to be doing, because my tasks were intermingled with everything else! The index has never really worked for me, because I would just continue using the "current" page for whatever came next, since I hate wasting space. Also, trying to also track what books I had readand when, trying to track back my health issues to possible causes, and all of that palava, was just an impossibility with everything else going on. So I now use multiple notebooks, and I can get my everyday journal to last a full year now!! So yeah, I'm a multi-notebook user, and proud!!
your journal looks amazing, it looks fantastic ☺☺
Which one? 😛 haha thanks!
My main reason for not using multiple journals is budget constraints, plus I don't feel the need to have too many long term pages. If I do decide to do it, I usually just start it from the back and it's usually across 2 pages anyway
That's fair 💜 sounds like a system that works for you though? 😊
I tried to use only one journal, but I realized that I needed several for different topics. Right now I'm using six of them.
The first year I started journaling I used one single notebook. It ended up being small and some setups didn't get used that much. I didn't want to migrate things that weren't going to change much in one year, so they remain in one long term bujo that I can check whenever I need to. (That year I kept long term collections at the back of the journal, upside down because I don't like to finish writing at the right side and turning the page from left to right, my brain doesn't apreciate it 😅and I've been doing it since I have memory) University also required some space, but the semesters don't go like a normal year (classes start on September, not January), so I use one bujo for that. That way I can also separate my free time from study time. That helps with anxiety. The third bujo I use is for one year, keeping up with year-long things like period or future log, monthly setups and day to day things. This is my fourth year doing bujo, and I'm thinking on adding a fourth notebook as a reading journal 🤣 but atm I don't have the energy to set it up nor to actually read anything.
I’m still learning about journaling and what I want out of it and what I like it to look like that. So for now, just one journal works great for me. But I hope to one day get to your level 😊💜
I started off with just the one too! Did that for about a year 😄
Multiple! Some are bound by time, others are collections or "here's where I'm tracking this plan." I like to hyper focus on a thing, multiples helps me do that.
Haha fair 👏 cool to have notebooks with have their info dictated by different things 💜
I find that if it’s not in my everyday journal I don’t look at it . I have a removable index that references the speads I want to reference from previous notebook it works for me ❤
That's a great idea! 😄💜
I do an all in one and I love it!!!
Nice! 💪 glad it works for you 😄💜
This is my first year journaling and I have 2 journals. I am alternating months in each and so far,with 1 month in the books, it’s working well for me. I tend to work in the current month and next so I was worried about guessing how many pages I’d need if I set up the next month in 1 journal. 2 journals just seemed to make sense.
Oh that's a cool work around for that issue! 💜
I am very much an all-in-one type. But I have gone to the darkside and got a planner (Hobo Cousin) that I bullet journal in and it works really great :) But I definitely am a one book to rule them all type...
I have just one bullet journal. I work part time from home and am also a stay at home mom. I cannot keep up with more then one notebook! Everytime I have more then one, one gets left behind for months, it just doesn't work.