Tag: happy planner

Bullet Journal in a Happy Planner: The Key

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This quick post will discuss the symbols I use in my Happy Planner Bullet Journal, which is just like any other Bullet Journal except the pages can be added, taken out, and rearranged.

The symbols I use, on my calendar and elsewhere, are:

  • A dash for notes, of any type.
  • A square for tasks. The original Bullet Journal method prescribes dots for tasks, but I don’t feel that that stands out enough. Squares are also more satisfying to check off.
  • A star for “anything I have to show up to.” This includes appointments (video and in-person), irregular work shifts, or any event with a specific date and time. As a freelancer, it was important for me to note meeting times, since the rest of my days were unstructured.
  • A circle for due dates. This was very important during my career as a freelancer, and I’m sure will be important again as I go into grad school. I also use it for library books. Using a symbol specifically for due dates eliminates the need to write “_____ due,” saving space. It also allows me to scan for upcoming paperwork I need to turn in or bills I have to pay.

Bullet Journal in a Happy Planner: Method

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In the previous post, we talked about how to get started Bullet Journaling in a Happy Planner.

In case you missed it, the Happy Planner is a ring notebook that allows you to add, remove, and rearrange pages. It’s often pre-printed with traditional planner pages, but I took those out of mine and put in blank dot-grid pages from the company Talia. Happy Planners come in three sizes (Big, Standard, and Mini)– I recommend the Big size because, with a specialized hole-punch, you can add standard letter size paper. This could be useful for keeping track of important mail, or you can create or buy printables. Your imagination is really the limit here.

One notebook to rule them all?

The Bullet Journal system is designed to consist of one notebook, though there are many variations, and people often find it most convenient to use multiple notebooks for different topics. My Happy Planner Bullet Journal has a variety of different sections, and I use it for all my life administration, but I have additional notebooks for my witch journal (also known as a Book of Shadows or grimoire) as well as my reading journal. (Posts about those are in the works!) I definitely think that having one notebook is my ideal, but you should do what works for you!

Divider Sections

One of the biggest innovations of the Bullet Journal system, in my opinion, is that you just use the next available page for whatever you want to write (or draw, or design) and then add it to your index. However, the Happy Planner has the ability to move pages around. Therefore, I don’t use an index, and use divider tabs instead. When I sit down to Bullet Journal, even when using a regular bound notebook, I flip through every page to see if there’s anything that needs to be written down, migrated, or recorded. (That sounds like a lot, but it only takes me about 10 minutes a day to do this.)

The sections are labeled:

  • BuJo. This is where I keep my life administration stuff that I made myself, and this is the section I flip through every day. More on this below.
  • Notes. This section is really going to come in handy when I start grad school. Right now, most of my book notes live in one of my other journals.
  • Journal. This is where I do my Morning Pages as well as any other long-form writing I might do throughout the day. I do Morning Pages a little differently, and tend to write about what I’m going to do that day. I find more focused writing to be better than just freewriting for me, but everyone’s brains work differently!
  • Blog. Self-explanatory.
  • Paperwork. This is where I keep things I have hole-punched to add, like important mail and legal information.
  • Blank. This is where I keep blank dot-grid pages to add to the other sections.

Bullet Journal Pages

The Bullet Journal section is my main section.

Pages that I find useful include:

  • Contact info for if I lose my notebook.
  • A future log/yearly calendar with space to write important info, like far-off doctor appointments.
  • Monthly calendar in a traditional grid format
  • Life focuses (post about this incoming!)
  • Task list, both short-term and long term projects. (I might divide this up in the future, but for now I have it all as one list.)
  • Weekly symptom recording by day.
  • Monthly reviews. This is part of the Bullet Journal method, and consists of asking “What worked and what didn’t?” Traditionally, the scope is within your notebook, but I like to ask the question of both my organization system and my entire life.
  • My Points System. Discussed in an old post, this is my system for getting stuff done. I have a points goal for the day, and each reasonably productive activity gets me a certain amount of points depending on effort.
  • Habit Trackers.
  • Finished books for this year.
  • Passwords. I am very careful with my notebook for this reason.
  • Things to bring up to the doctor.
  • Health appointment log. This is where I write down any notes from doctor’s appointments, like what we discussed and what the results were.
  • Miscellaneous Lists.

Coming up soon: my unique Bullet Journal key and how I use it.

Bullet Journaling in a Happy Planner: Supplies

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Unlike the Bullet Journal, the Happy Planner is more of an item than a system. However, it has changed the way I journal and I couldn’t be happier. This is the first post in a series about how I use the Happy Planner as a Bullet Journal.

The Happy Planner is a notebook that is bound in rings, kind of like a binder but better (we’ll get to that in a sec). It looks like this:

Here you can see the rings that keep it together, and some of the pages that might be inside.

Happy Planners are often pre-printed with traditional planner pages, but you can swap out the paper and do almost anything you can imagine!

Is the Happy Planner right for me?

Okay, I’m going to be extra-honest with you. Bullet Journaling can change your life, but Happy Planner stuff can be expensive and lock you into a system that you may not be happy with. Biggest tip in the entire post: if you’re new to Bullet Journaling, test it out in a notebook from the dollar store. Yup, get any old notebook and just start taking notes on your life. Dive into the system headfirst, but not with your money. Find out what works for you and your brain before you buy anything expensive!

If you’re an experienced Bullet Journaler and you’re looking for a notebook that is more flexible, Happy Planner is something I definitely recommend, especially if you’ve considered using a ring binder. Discs are superior to ring binders because the pages don’t rip when you flip them!

What do I need to get started?

  1. A basic kit with a cover, rings, and page dividers, like this. I recommend getting the “Big” size, which uses 8.5 x 11 paper and has 11 discs. That way, you can frictionlessly add paperwork that’s on standard letter size paper.
  2. Extra paper, like this. I took out all the pre-printed planner paper that came with my Happy Planner, but you might want to use what it comes with. Either way, you’re going to want extra pages for notes and collections. This link will get you dotted 8.5 x 11 pages.
  3. A hole punch, like this. Whoa! $40 for a hole punch? Yeah it’s a lot, and it only punches 3 pages at a time, but I find being able to put mail and other paperwork into my notebook is priceless.

Other Things You Might Want to Get:

  • An extra kit with cover, rings, and page dividers. I have one Bullet Journal Happy Planner and one Archive Happy Planner, where I keep pages that are no longer relevant in my day-to-day life but I still want to keep.
  • A folio cover. I found this to be a necessity in case I’m walking somewhere, with my Bullet Journal in my backpack, and the weather turns bad. If my Bullet Journal got wet, I would be devastated. Therefore, I got a waterproof one.
  • Markers. The dots on the paper I recommended are a little dark, so I use markers for my page titles to make them stand out a little bit more.
  • A fountain pen. Fountain pens can be cheaper than you might expect, and while they take some maintenance and know-how, they are far more reliable than other pens and I find the approximately $30 investment to be worth it.

Things You Don’t Need?

I do not recommend getting pulled in by the myriad of tempting stickers that Happy Planner offers. They do not actually improve your Bullet Journaling experience at all, and they’re expensive.

Coming up next are some posts on the specifics of how I Bullet Journal in a Happy Planner. Stay tuned!