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Background: My girlfriend (22F) doesn't have a lot of hobbies, but the one thing she LOVES is bullet journaling. I've seen her get so excited when she talks about about her spreads, future layouts, journaling materials, and BUJO youtubers. I (boyfriend) literally know nothing about journaling, but seeing her get so happy about it is adorable.

I already bought her a more practical and expensive Christmas present, but I wanted to get her another present that she'd really get excited about. Getting her BUJO pens would be the best since she already has a journal for the new year. My price range is under $35.

I also know that she's really specific about what she enjoys and what materials she uses for BUJO'ing. If I did research on my own or went to a store, I know I'd get something she wouldn't like. So I figured I'd ask a community that knows what they're talking about haha

Does anyone have some suggestions or links to good pens? If you recommend something in-store, like Michael's, can you post a picture of the item so I make sure I get the right one?

Maybe helpful? She was interested in this blendpen. But after she got it, she said it was 'a dud'

For what it's worth, I think the LT1917 has become a standard because the original Bullet Journal web page sells them under their brand.

As mentioned here, LT1917 is 80gsm, which is relatively thin and makes a lot of pens bleed through and ghost. For more information about bleeding, ghosting, and general comparison between notebooks I recommend watching Which Notebook is the Best for Bullet Journaling?! (skip to 11:00 to see the comparison chart). I prefer Scribbles That Matter which is thicker (100gsm) and feels smoother to write on. My next purchase will probably be a Midori with 120gsm or a Rhodia to try them out.

One of the core principals of Bullet Journalism is that there are no hard rules. While it comes with some guidelines, you are free to use it however you see fit. Which means that there are no predefined pages. So for the most part you are going to be drawing the layouts. And this is why a Dotted paper helps because you can use the dots to draw your own layouts. You can checkout Pinterest for inspiration. The community uses the term "spreads" to signify two-page layouts used for all sorts of things.

As for pens, many recommend the Sakura Pigma Micron for good reason. While I use them for more "serious" work, when it comes to EDC I would highly recommend the Muji 0.38mm Fine Point Gel Pens. Unlike the Microns, they are not felt tip (which is why I wouldn't use them for EDC) but very sharp ball point pen with great consistency. A lot of people swear by the Pilot G2 0.38mm Ultra Fine Point but personally I wasn't pleased with them.

Finally, regarding the things you want to track, as I mentioned earlier, you can simply define the layouts of each page and track whatever you wish. A lot of the spreads you see from the community are really intricate. You can find a variety of them from very crazy daily layouts to minimal ones. It's all up to you.

Having said that, if drawing your own layouts daily seems like a lot of work (a lot of people actually spend a few hours planning them beforehand), then you might want to consider a more traditional Planner instead. As mentioned ITT, the Nomadic Planner has good paper (125gsm), weekly and monthly pages as well as lined and blanks for notes and the rest.

There is a whole universe of things to consider (and I'm more than happy to geek out about it), but I'd say just start with whatever. Don't think about it too much. Most of the negatives are personal, so while LT1917 doesn't work for some, it might for you. You'll figure things out as you go.

For me, the fineliners of any brand that are actually metal nibs do get a little scratchy but you just rotate the pen in your hand, like you do with pencils as they get blunt. You can't use too much pressure on them or use them up against rulers too hard because it cuts into the tip (and no metal rulers at all!). For me, the Papermate Flairs actually drag on the page compared to my fineliners which flow really nicely when you're on the right part of the nib. I actually like the Artline 200 Fineliner in black for my usual writing. Or the Papermate Inkjoy gelpens in the 0.7mm tip.

The Staedlers are a much finer point, I think they're 0.3mm when the Papermate Flairs are 0.7mm. So they're good for writing and small detail but you might want to stick to Flairs if you like nice bold lines for boxes and stuff. The Sharpie Fine Point that I use is 0.7mm but I know there's a Sharpie Permanent Marker that's fine point so I thought I'd link the exact one. The Artline 200 is a 0.4mm tip. So based on what you use and their tip size, the actual Staedler Fineliners might not be best for you but there might be some that are more what you like based on tip size.

scribbles that matter on amazon is only $20! the pages are white and 160gsm. It's the same thickness as archer and olive, but there's free shipping through prime and $10 cheaper! highly recommend, i love mine. if you get it from a different website, make sure you get the pro version, since that's the one with the thick pages

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072LL2W46/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GDetDb4Y9PQE0

I'd recommend this notebook from Lemome on Amazon. These go for around 11-15 bucks and have 180 pages and great quality paper along with a penloop that is way more useful than you'd think. A lot of people are recommending notebooks with really heavy paper. I don't think that's necessary - especially for the price premium - unless you watercolor or use alcohol markers in your journal. I personally burn through journals extremely fast (I started my current one in August and I'll be done with it in November or half way through December) so I may be biased.

I currently use a 6 dollar hardcover dot journal from Walmart. The paper is not as good as the one I recommended, but it has over 200 pages and fulfills the job perfectly. It would be a step down from what you're used to, however.

Excellent! Thanks 😊

Here is a link for US peeps: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076BQDD7Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Oi-ADbZRT25Z4

Thank you! Probably gonna print out the typewriter labels at the top in the future so I don’t have to spend so much time hand-lettering them. The note book is this one from amazon. It’s great IMO because it’s A5 and 120gsm paper :)

I got mine last month in cork colour, lined. I like it more than the L1917 I had previously. It's a really good choice, if you don't mind having less pages for better quality paper. It's cheaper too. I would try one, and get something else next time if you fill it up too quickly.

If you need more detail, my review of it is actually the first one here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dotted-Journal-Notebook-PRODUCT-PROMOTION/product-reviews/B075NKDSBZ/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_acr_sr?ie=UTF8&reviewerType=all_reviews titled 'Great paper'.

They're great pens! I almost exclusively use those and 0.8mm Sharpie pens for drawing, the Uniballs are fantastic for lining and fine hatching while the Sharpies have a much more organic feel to the stripes they lay.

Hey there! It's a Minialism Art journal in yellow. I really do like it, it lays flat better than my old favorite, the Moleskine. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077Y3N8NN

Go ahead and start a new one. I would, if my old one held less-than-great associations.

I've been using these and I love them: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F43QLG4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 They're relatively inexpensive, the paper quality is fantastic, and I love the pen loop on the spine. They only come in black with the blue spine, but I doll up the outside with stickers, so I'm happy. Oh, and there's only one ribbon, but you can use this tutorial to add a ribbon (or three) if you want to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8_bYNgoyCo

I would suggest you go felt tip if it is smearing that badly for you. I use the 1.0 G2 so I really have to give it time to dry but it works for me.

I got this pack of colored pens off Amazon and they are great for the price

Fineliner Color Pen Set,0.38mm Colored Fine Line Point,Assorted Colors,10-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N91KDWN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_z30NBbMNH5EBH

I recently bought a few different journals to compare them, and this one was the absolute winner. No bleeding, no ghosting, handy pocket, amazing binding, pen holder, and it comes in a sleeve that you can later label and archive your journal in plus costs less than similar quality notebooks.

Edit: Oh yeah and pre-numbered pages (which is what put it above the Lemome that I also bought)

https://www.amazon.com/Lamy-Safari-Fountain-Pen-Charcoal/dp/B0002T401Y
$21.12 on Amazon. Apparently I purchased this pen back in 2016. Also, r/fountainpens would love you, if you're not already there.

This journal has been my ride or die, the pages are super thick, the dots are closer together then on a Leuchtturm. No bleed through, it's amazing! Only $11 on Amazon, too!

Not Aussie, but a fellow bujo-er who was SICK of ghosting and bleed through. I upgraded some of my pens (micron pigment found here (https://www.amazon.com/Sakura-Pigma-30062-Micron-Blister/dp/B0008G8G8Y). I have had ZERO ghosting since this switch. Don't know if this helps or not, but I know the feeling and good luck!

I was going to buy this Minimalism Art notebook instead of buying an expensive Leuchtturm notebook for $20. thanks for the answer

Ah, I see now. That’s neat:) I haven’t seen anything similar though. Do you require a small monthly calendar frequently enough that you need a whole roll, or would a year’s worth of small monthly calendar stickers (dated rather than perpetual) like these work? I’ve seen them in various styles and colors.

I use the skinny side of a tombow brush pen for the outlines, zebra mildliners for the marker-y bits, and these for the rest:

Fineliner Color Pen Set,0.38mm Colored Fine Line Point,Assorted Colors,10-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N91KDWN?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

ETA: the light green pen is a stabilio fineliner

Recently bought a Lemome to avoid ghosting and get something a little more durable.

120gsm ivory paper, I haven’t had any sort of ghosting or bleed though. The pages are a bit wider too, helps for larger spreads!

https://www.amazon.com/Dotted-Bullet-Notebook-Journal-Hardcover/dp/B07168XGHT

I notice that you sleep 6-7 hours during week days and "catch up" on saturday and sunday.

According to the book: why we sleep, you can't really get back the sleep you lost. You might feel better by sleeping longer, but you lose some benefits of sleep that you can't get back.

It’s by Lemome, I got it on Amazon UK

The only crutch is it doesn’t have numbered pages for the index page

I haven’t found any hardcover books that thick but I did find this softbound one by Miquel Rius

There's this:
https://www.amazon.com/Miquelrius-Bound-Medium-Journal-Sheets/dp/B019PVSRBI/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=4S55TM2T3BGXMH8DY4X7

It's not precisely A5, but the dimensions are very close.

Helix 360 Degree Angle and Circle... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0044S5CZM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

The real problem here is procrastination on the PhD. You have to tackle that head on (I took ten years to write my thesis, so I feel your pain). You can do the pomodoro method or set firm goals for each day, whatever works. Maybe make some deadlines with your thesis advisor, and get them involved, so that you are committed to handing in drafts of parts of the thesis at certain times. There are a lot of books about beating procrastination, I like this one: https://www.google.dk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.amazon.com/Eat-That-Frog-Second-Procrastinating/dp/0792754840&ved=0ahUKEwixjNyf857WAhVEEJoKHQGNAXEQFghTMAc&usg=AFQjCNHJCbDakv70BnLQGaKMoM9BL160NQ