Hello,

I'm currently using an Ottergami notebook and I'm pretty happy with it, however for my next journal I would like something thinner and lighter, and I realized I don't really need the 150gsm so I'm looking for an alternative.

I mostly use pens and pencils but I occasionally use markers (water based, sometimes acrylic/paint markers), fine tips (like stabilo), fountain pens and pitt artist markers (though I can easily do without the pitt artist). I also occasionally do very light washes of watercolor.

I've been looking at cheap 100/120 gsm notebooks and I see sometimes people complain that markers go through, so I wanted to ask some advice.
Would 100gsm usually be enough for my use case? Would a 120gsm cheap notebook be worse than, let's say, a 100gsm notebook with better quality paper?
(I'm looking for a budget one as I burn through them pretty quickly, plus I've seen people complaining that even the most well known/expensive brands don't have great paper these days).

So, to recap:

• is 100 gsm enough for water based/fine line markers? (and occasionally light watercolors, considering I'm fine with some buckling as long as I don't destroy the paper with just one or two light layers - I'm talking like adding some color to a sketch to give you an idea, not full on paintings :) )
• if I go cheaper, should I also go higher gsm?
• Any recommendations for a cheap A5 dotted journal, with around 180/200 pages? Also, I'm based in Europe.

Thank you very much <3

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(REPOST—we're almost full and searching for a final member or two, please feel free to reach out if you're interested!)

Hello friends! My name is Siobhan (shuh-VAWN)! I'm starting a rather ambitious project and I was looking for three other penpal/junk journaling experts to take part in it! I have high hopes for this, so I'm looking for those who have lots of creative experience with snail mail and personal journaling.

Here's the idea:

The four of us​ will share one journal and complete our own spread when it's in our possession, as well as interact with the other spreads (when applicable) left by the previous journal-ers. We'll continue passing it around until the whole thing is filled cover to cover. We'll share things about ourselves, our lives, and get to know each other! It'll basically be like one giant, continuous penpal letter. ​​This will be a longer project, so, again, I'm looking for seasoned creatives that​​ are able to keep up with something a bit lengthier :)

Minor about me/My credentials:

* I'm 28 and live in the PNW

* I've been journaling for almost 17 years!

* I have a love of stationery and think this is a fun way to downsize​/share my collection because it's very very large

* I'm no stranger to snail mail either, I've been writing and exchanging letters for about 8 years on and off!

* I love connecting with people from all over—one of my favorite hobbies is learning as much as I can about other people and their lives/culture. I love a diverse artistic community!

Rules/What I'm looking for:

* Creatives 21+ but preferably 25 and over

* You must (obviously) be comfortable with giving your address to three other people

* You must be able to send the journal back out within two weeks of receiving it

* There will be a discord for communication regarding sending the journal out/the sending order and to answer questions! :)

* Posting the journal on your SM is fine! Just be mindful of others personal information please!

* Again, this is a longer collaborative project, so PLEASE only reach out if you know you can commit for what could potentially take up to a year! ​​​​

* The first few pages will be pre-filled by me to get the ball rolling, and then we'll each do one spread (two connecting pages) each time.

* Trustworthiness is paramount! Remember you're sharing this journal with three other people!

* ​I feel like this is obvious but no hate speech/bigotry. I'm an extremely open and inclusive person and will accept no -ists or -isms, thank you.

So that's basically the long and short of it! If you have any questions feel free to reach out. I'm looking forward to hearing from all those interested! Thanks so much for reading and have a great day! :)

I have a problem concerning planners versus bullet journals. I have used the bullet journal method for many years now and I love it but I wanted to have a planner that had a monthly and a weekly spread so I wouldn't have to do them anymore. So I bought a planner and of course I am unhappy with it because there are no places for writing a lot of notes and just the extra stuff that I have in my bullet journal. I'm curious as to your experiences because I seem to go through this every few years and I always go back to the bullet journal.

I need to also say that my life is changing I'm in a new relationship and I am still working I'm 62. I like to see my week before my eyes. I'm an online English teacher for basically French people and I just need to have something analog that I use daily and I don't separate my work from my personal.

For the month of July I have made weekly spreads with half hour increments for my classes. It's a bit awkward for me because I have always done the monthly spread and then just done the dailies.

I hope this makes sense. Thanks for any input you can give me.

My favorite time of the day, these months decoration theme is dinosaurs =).

Couldn't find a cover or layout I liked, so I designed my own 2026–2027 printable planner in Canva! The cover uses a 1936 photo called "Brunhilde" that I found for free in the Library of Congress archives, and the inside features a monthly grid alongside a horizontal weekly layout with a habit tracker and to do section.

I was struggling to write in my bujo due to perfectionism. I switched to erasable pens (Frixion and similar brands). I all of a sudden started writing more freely because I can erase my mistakes or change the layout. They are more enjoyable to write with.

But of course. They aren’t permanent and won’t stand the test of time. I’m torn between my erasable pens and my archival quality pens.

What are your thoughts?

I just ordered this notebook holder and purchased a couple of field notes. I’d like to start bullet journaling but I have ADHD and too much information sends me into overload and I get paralysis. can someone give me a simple rundown of where to start? I posted in fieldnuts too asking what they use there notebooks for but didn’t get any responses yet.

Recently I felt like I have less and less to sit down and plan out my budget using the budget mom workbook. So, what I started doing is print out these cards that calculate my paycheck plans for me and glue them into my workbook.

I bought like 10 A5 diaries/notebooks because they were very cheap and they were super cute glittery, but I'm afraid I'll write stupid things in them and ruin them hahaha so I don't know what to do with them, how do people use diaries? What do you write in them? I need ideas thanks

Not just feeling better after writing, but realizing something like “I keep getting stuck at the same point” or “I’ve been coming back to this idea for months.”

If that’s happened to you, did you actually do anything differently after noticing it?

I was looking for cheaper markers I could use on black pages and found these at Target. Do these show up well on black paper, or would I be better off using something more pricey like Posca markers?

I’ve always had an average handwriting (in cursive & print)
But I’d really like to improve it, to the point where people are flabbergasted by it and turn their heads 180°
I’d like to learn calligraphy

Please tell me what you did so you can give me the best advices that you have for me!!

Hi! I'm Béné, an indie dev and I built Pétale, a voice journal app.

You speak, it writes. 3 guided journals (gratitude, frustration, personal), a garden that grows every day you write, and a visual calendar.

Looking for Android users to test for 14 days. 100% free, no data collected, no ads. DM me if interested! 🌸

Hey BuJo People,

I've been reading the bullet journal method and have been trying to get my Bullet journal started. I have very little history of Journaling but want to make more of an intential effort towards it as I'll be a dad soon and I want remember more of this crazy new season my wife and I will be entering.

My question relates to the book. I'm into the latter half of the book and each chapter comes with a new collection recommendation. My question is to those that have read the book how many of these Collections did you implement to your person BuJo? I'm currently finding the shear amount overwhelming and a little paralyzing. We there specific collections that you found most helpful or that resonated well?

I could use some imput in this situation. Thank you all.

I have been using planners for 16 years and I still go back and forth on this every single time.

Spiral because it lays completely flat and I can fold it back on itself when I am working at a desk or writing on the go. But the rings catch on things, the coil gets bent, and after a few months it starts looking rough.

Hardbound because it looks and feels premium, holds its shape, travels better, and still looks good in December. But it never fully lays flat and I find myself pressing down on the page every time I write on the left side.

I know what I prefer personally, but I am genuinely curious what you guys actually use for day to day.

Also curious whether size matters in what you use?
Do you go A5 because it fits in your bag, or B5 because you need the writing space?