#bujo method

[notolux]

Hacking The Bujo Method For Autistics

I've been journaling for several years, but I've only known I'm autistic for one and half. Naturally, I went looking for any bujo spreads I could weave into my practice. I came up empty handed. So, I created some spreads and shared them in this post. However, I'm always trying improve my bujo practice and make it even better, so I figured it's time for an update.

Anyway...here's the adjusted system I created with reasons why it'll work for our autistic brains.

The Key

I never understood the use of a Key, but as life gets more complicated and I have more to keep track of, I started to see it's purpose. I've kept it simple and to the point due to Ryder's advice to not go crazy with signifiers.

Symbols

I have a way to show when:

A task is completed

A task needs rescheduling

A task has become irrelevant

Colour-Coding

I've also added a few colour-coding items to this Key.

I needed a way to visually separate personal tasks with work tasks as I didn't want to complicate things with a second journal (I've tried that, it doesn't work). Now, I use a different colour when marking work tasks versus personal ones.

Since starting this new business (and slowly piecing it all together) I also wanted a way to keep track of business tasks, notes, and ideas so I dedicated a colour to it. I did the same thing for Autism related spreads and went with a bold red.

The Future Log

Future Goals

The purpose of a future log, for me, is to actually schedule long-term goals, break them down into monthly goals, and then specific tasks within that month.

For example, my reading goal this year was 25 books. By the time October rolled around I realized I was a little (a lot) behind schedule. So, I did some mental math and realized I needed to read three books during November and December, as long as I finished my current read by the end of October.

I actually used sticky notes to section out how many pages I needed to read in a day until the month ended. This averaged out to about 30 pages, which I can read no problem. Then, I continued this process. Thirty days in a month, three books, that's ten days to read a book. Again, I used sticky notes to separate how many pages I needed to read in a day and I stuck to it.

*Side note: this is also helpful for getting past that first third of a book which is mostly exposition and setting up the story.

The Monthly Log

This brings us to the monthly log. By planning everything out for the month in the future log, the monthly log is just a transfer of information.

Monthly Goals

I also break down those long-term goals into smaller ones, as I mentioned above. I create a checklist for goals next to the monthly calendar. For example, I write down which books I plan to read that month in the goals column, and then the day I need to finish it in the Calendar column.

I'll admit everything so far, does take some time to plan and set up, but it's a process I believe to be worthwhile as it has been working for me for the past couple months.

Mood And Activity Tracker

My mood and mental health has been all over the place recently due to the amount of change I've experienced (moving out, having my work hours drastically cut, having to find new clients, starting my business, etc.). It's been quite an ending to this already interesting year.

Now, I journal every day, and I have been for a long time. But going back and reflecting on those journal entries is not something I do. I thought maybe that's what needs to change, maybe there are some patterns I can find, certain activities that drain my energy versus ones that bring me energy.

As you can see in the picture above, I have a colour-coded scale to track my mood and two columns to record activities that give me energy vs. ones that do not. I also give the overall week a colour so I have a sort of median mood I can examine later on.

The Daily Log

As I said, I've been journaling for several years, and this is the first time I've used a daily log. I used to use a weekly one, but I wanted a way to integrate my long-form journaling with my daily schedule.

Because of the future and monthly log set up, I don't need a weekly overview anymore. This allows me to take one day at a time. It also helps me:

Not become overwhelmed with everything that needs to happen that week

Satisfies my detail-oriented brain

Slow down and not try to do everything at once

Here's how I set up my daily log:

To keep things simple for every day, I split a page in half. Tasks on one side, journaling on the other.

If I happen to need more room for journaling I carry on to the next page. If I don't use an entire page in one day, I don't worry about wasted space and start on the next page as well.

Collections

I know this has been said before, but honestly collections are great for special interests.

Anything that piques my interest, a new idea that pops into my head, I can just flip to the next spread and start writing. This is how I worked through Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller, and marked important things from Unmasking Autism by Devon Pierce.

The Index

I saved the index for last, because I wanted to show how I catalog all of the above spreads into my index.

As you can see the Daily logs use the most amount of pages and before I was trying to squish as many page numbers onto one small line. You can use whichever index system works best for you, but this is what works for me.

Final Thoughts

If any of you made it to the end of this post, I appreciate it. Truly. I know it's a long one, but I didn't want to split it into two parts. If you use any of these tips or have more of your own please leave a comment below.

P.S.

Journaling as been such a beneficial part of my life and I wanted to find a way to share these benefits with others. Benefits such as learning to understand my emotions, reflecting on my experiences and in turn understanding myself better, and organizing my life in a way that works for me. This manifested as my very own dotted/bullet journal collection.

The latest collection is inspired by the Autistic community and utilizes a pastel-like colour palette so it's soft on the eyes and a paper-over-board cover so you write on your lap any where, any time. Explore the collection here or you can buy your journal now.

Originally published on notolux.ca and can be viewed at thebullejournalist.com.

[gigi-journaling]

Journaling Methods- Library 📚

Last Updated: June 1st, 2025

We host monthly themes on our journal community “Journal With Us” to expand our practice, challenge ourselves, and strengthen our creative skills. Monthly themes are monthly posts that highlight and breakdown a journal method/technique with information, insights, tips, and helpful articles and videos.

The Expressive Writing Paradigm-Processing Trauma

A four day prompt-driven method created by Dr. James Pennebaker designed to help one articulate and process through traumatic events and emotions.

Morning Pages/Three-Page Method

A technique developed by Julia Cameron to clear away the ‘brain clutter’ that stunts creativity and productivity through a daily exercise that incorporates ‘stream-of-consciousness’ writing.

Visual Journaling/ Art Journaling

A common and popular method of journaling for creative visual individuals. This type of journaling can be tackled through broad techniques tailored to the individual, but is an excellent way to express oneself and strengthen visual art skills.

Gratitude Journaling

An easy method to incorporate into your journaling routine that encourages you to practice mindfulness through reflection and appreciation by writing what you’re grateful for and why.

[studywithvictory]

Pomodoro tracker!

Need help staying focused? My pomodoro tracker printable helps you tackle tasks in short, focused bursts -- perfect for keeping track of study sessions or work projects.

-> available in red, green, AND in black and white for those that have limited printing capabilities

-> perfect for letter-sized printing with 2 per page for maximum convenience.

-> grab yours now in both PNG and PDF formats on my google drive!

-> new to the pomodoro method? check out these posts:

the pomodoro technique on todoist

the pomodoro technique: mastering productivity one tomato at a time by @pinkishpink

my latest "getting housework done" adhd hack by @jabbage

ideas for 5-minute study breaks at the library by @audiocultures

-> remember: there's no hard rules on how to do pomodoro. if 25:5:30 doesn't work for you, change it up! it's not cheating. its personalizing! personally i do 10:5:20 :)

(if this looks familiar, i think i accidentally deleted the original post T_T)

[studyanthropy]

Hmmmm...

Feeling the urge to get a bullet journal again...

[arctic-hands]

I learned what a bullet journal was by watching a few YouTube artists set theirs up and my algorithm spiraled out of control from there so I guess I have all the bujo influencers to thank for getting into it because it has been a godsend so far on my third attempt, but damn if the over emphasis on aesthetic over the actual practical organizational aspect of it doesn't rankle me a bit

[thirty rambling tags later] huh. I didn't know there was a thirty tag limit in all the years I've been on tumblr. Whatevs I can't copy paste the tags onto the main body because I'm on mobile and I don't want to write it out again so I'll just summarize the last bit here:

If you are browsing the bujo tag because you feel bullet journaling will help you but you feel intimated because you don't think you can make it look pretty, or that the bullet journal method could never help you because it looks exhausting or the inspo you see doesn't cover what you need, I am pleading with you to ignore all the pretty inspiration, take the most common and even original Ryder Carroll formats and spreads with a grain of salt and eliminate or change them as needed, and talk to people who have similar needs than you even if they don't bujo and suss out what's important to keep track of. My bujo is eighty percent important medical bullshit, because that's what I need more than a book tracker. You prolly have your own unique needs. And hell, if you want a book tracker then add a booktracker. It's your bujo to format and plan out.

So like if you want to start bullet journaling, go to Michaels and get a seven dollar Artist's Loft dot grid journal. Or a binder you have left over from school years past and print out your own dot grid paper if you have enough ink and paper and printer that can do double sided (Kevin McLeod's site I forget the name of has free adjustable dot and other grids I've used), or buy a pack of 8.5x11 dot grid paper, and grab a crappy hole punch that just barely does the job. Get yourself a nice pen you think looks and feels nice in your hand and on the paper–or if that doesn't matter to you go get pack of Bics or even pencil if that's what you prefer (I use a pencil for things I can't have be permanent, like temporary meds or the dates of yearly vaccines). If you're twitchy about messing up then get the cheapest wite out they have (but don't worry about messing up especially if you're not even showing it off to anybody). A cheap yellow highlighter if you think it'll help. And a ruler if straight lines are important to you. I lost mine so I just wobble my lines now I don't care (and it's marginally easier to get a line adjacent to straight with a dot grid)

Anyway. If you want to bullet journal but don't know where to start or how to make it pretty or how to make it work for your needs, just try it in the cheapest way possible and rearrange the guts of the bujo as you see fit. And don't worry about the optics as long as you can make sense of your methods and writing.

(and for the love of God if you're bipolar don't make an hourly mood tracker yes our moods can and will fluctuate throughout the day but goddamn was that a bitch to log and abandoned a few weeks after inking it out)

[gatitobladee]

why is browsing bujo ideas so much more fun than actually starting a task grrr!

[allalrightagain]

Mapped out December’s bujo spreads so I can start inking next week and realized I’ll have just over 20 pages to spare. I’m starting fresh for the new year so what should I do with the excess?

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Your Reading Journal

Reading journal - (also called a book journal) the perfect way for students and book lovers to keep a record of the insights, observations, and lessons they've learned from reading.

A reading journal can also double as a book log—including a list of books and relevant summaries—to help readers stay on top of their reading goals.

You don't need anything fancy to start a reading journal.

A simple lined, blank, or dotted journal will do just fine.

Just be sure you have the right number of pages to last you all year.

How to Keep a Reading Journal

Consider these reading journal ideas for keeping your own reading journal.

Use a small journal for easy transport. Instead of opting for a larger journal, opt for a small, pocket-size journal that you can easily stash in a pocket or handbag for on-the-go journaling.

Track the types of books you’ve read. Keeping a book tracker or reading log is helpful for keeping track of your reading habits, revealing whether you’re more into mysteries, thrillers, historical non-fiction, or novels.

Stay on top of reading goals. Keeping a reading tracker is all about being able to measure your progress and keep yourself accountable to a reading challenge. Keeping a list of the books you've read will help you gauge whether or not you're on track to beat last year's goals.

Keep notes to write book reviews. When you finish a new book, consider writing a review. Whether it be a short synopsis, star rating, or lengthy critique, writing down notes as you read the book is a helpful method for remembering how it struck you. This is especially helpful for members of a book club who may be pressed later to give their opinion of the book.

Keep a list of your favorite books. Avid readers could benefit from keeping a section of their reading journal devoted to listing their favorite books of the year. This way, at the end of the year, you'll have a convenient way to find more books that you’ll likely be interested in exploring.

Leave room for doodles. Sometimes inspiration is more easily captured by drawings than words. Leave some room in your reading journal for drawing doodles to help you process the reading in a new and unexpected way.

Personalize your journal. When starting a reading journal, add some personal touches to keep your journal interesting to you. Washi tape comes in a wide variety of colors and patterns, and it won't damage your journal pages. Adorning the front of your journal with stickers is a great way to add a little color to your bookshelf.

How to Organize a Reading Bullet Journal

A bullet journal (BUJO) - a journal specifically formatted to suit your unique journaling goals.

As such, it will take some effort on your part to set up your bullet journal spread.

Purchase a blank page or dotted journal, and use markers or pens to organize it to your liking.

Consider organizing it by month and creating checkboxes for each book you wish to read in a particular week.

Create a section at the end of each week to jot down your impressions of the book, leave a review, or assign it a star rating.

Unlike planners, BUJOs are not dependent on the calendar year and can be started at any time.

Source ⚜ More: References ⚜ Journal Writing ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[bettsfic]

This may be a strange question, but as someone who has never gotten the hang of using notebooks in my day to day life (unless it's once in a while to outline something specific like a project for work), what are the kinds of things you write down in them?

for journaling, that's complicated. youtube always recommends me these "journaling will improve your life!" videos and i think they're very funny because i've kept a journal for 20 years and it has made me a worse and more miserable person. so i will not be writing any "how to journal" posts any time soon.

my commonplace notebook, however, is where i keep everything. every morning i write down the date, the hours i slept, and my weight. occasionally i track my mood and mental state, because when i meet with my psychiatrist i like to have cold hard data to give her. then beneath that, i write out my to do list for the day.

it's kind of a reverse bullet journal in that you fill it up with all the random ephemera of your life and then label the important bits with a highlighter and index it later.

more specifically i keep:

the books/movies/shows/etc that are recommended to me.

notes i take at the doctor's office, or when i do my taxes, or get my oil changed. i'm a compulsive note-taker. in fact i started a commonplace notebook because it calms me to have something to write on and with even in situations where that's weird. i'd rather look weird than be anxious.

ideas for fanfic, original work, newsletters, craft thoughts, workshop models, etc.

brainstorming/planning/prewriting stories.

tracking my WIP cleanout and annual goals.

doodling!

i think sometimes we get caught up in building spaces for things to keep them organized, like that's the whole point of bujo. you create a page layout to do a specific function and then you fill it out. but that doesn't account for the stuff you haven't made a page for, stuff that would be blight in a bujo. we also think that a whole page needs to be devoted to a specific thing, or a notebook needs to be devoted to its subject. but you an also just...not do that.

it's a lot of work to setting up a bujo. work i would love to have the energy and aesthetic inclinations to do. but i don't. so i do the next best thing which is fill up every page in the most chaotic way possible.

poorly scanned example pages under the cut:

these are notes i took during my rewatch of Mockingjay in preparation of writing Wind of the New World.

notes about leveling my Genshin team, and notes about a story i was working on. and a to do list.

working through a plot knot in Skinless.

Stardew Valley farm planning. and a grocery list i think.

i don't recommend this method for everyone. i think if i were to have read this post 2 years ago my thought would be, "what the fuck is wrong with you." but it works for me and makes me happy, and as long as all the important information is safely indexed and retrievable, it doesn't matter how messy the pages get.

[snystem]

a guide to: system journals!

theres SO many options for how these can be done, it depends on what your system needs! we have a couple categories of journals that we find are popular, but feel free to mix & match or do whatever YOU want!

system bujo

"bujo" is short for bullet journal. here is the original video on bullet journals (youtube link). if youve seen bullet journals before, you probably think of complicated artistic projects in a notebook with space to track some life stuff- the original method is NOTHING like this, and we absolutely recommend checking out the og method.

some ideas for your bujo:

front log

mood tracking

daily tasks

chores/routines

system diary

this is just a traditional diary. a place to write freely about your day, how youre feeling, etc. we suggest signing off entries! otherwise, theres not a ton to say!

system log

think like simply plural - but in a journal. you can track info about members, just like you would in PK/SP but physically written down.

some ideas on what to track

names, pronouns

preferences (ie likes/dislikes)

connections in the system

headspace maps

coping skills your system likes/finds useful.

[studyblrspace]

| 4 november 2024 |

this part of the coding assignment is just me making euler vs midpoint method 😅 also I did another 3 lego succulents (which was my reward for finishing my fellowship application)!

day 23/30: are you a minimalist studier?

I guess not? I keep my desk pretty clear but I do have knick knacks and I like having colorful stuff around me. my bujo is also not really minimalist either

[gigi-journaling]

💕 Gratitude Journaling 💕

Gratitude journaling encourages a positive mindset and healthy outlook on life through mindfulness—the practice of non-judgmental awareness of a present moment. Consistency with this practice is the key to reducing symptoms of stress and anxiety, and may increase overall optimism.

Mindfulness is the key to gratitude journaling; to achieve this, you must go beyond simple lists and dig deeper into your responses.

First, let’s go over what to avoid

Avoid general answers that lacks emotional depth and specificity that may leave you feeling emotionally empty or insincere.

Writing about what you’re grateful for before it has happened. Mindfulness emphasizes present moments; you’ll find it easier to connect emotionally with things that have happened in the near present, rather than something that will not happen until a couple of days. A good tip I encountered was to give yourself a limited window of time, say 24 hours or less.

Likewise, avoid actively looking for things to be grateful for as you experience your day. Be fully present in your daily life, when it comes time to journal you will have time to reflect on your day. Revisiting these moments gives you time to decompress, reflect, and look at them with a fresh perspective.

How To:

When you first start to practice gratitude journaling, it’s easier if you limit the amount of things you write about while still giving yourself a goal that will encourage you to dig deeper. I recommend finding three things to start with.

Write what you’re grateful for and be specific! Being specific helps you be more present and reignite the memory. Don’t just write “I’m grateful for the food I ate”, write what you ate.

Add why you’re grateful. Adding why is a game changer. Writing why is what encourages awareness and emotional depth.

What I’m grateful for

I’m grateful for my grandparents who took me to breakfast to try huevos motuleños, a popular region dish of tomatoes, pork, and eggs here in Motul, MX. I’m grateful because I know it’s almost time for me to travel back to the US and I don’t know when I’ll be able to travel and see them again. I’ll miss them, but I’m glad we’re able to have these moments together while I’m still here.

I’m grateful that I had a stable wifi connection today because our home here in Mexico doesn’t often get the best connection or cell reception. I was able to spend some time online to update my blog, which I’m proud of and always look forward to engaging with creative individuals and their art, and I was also able to call my brother whose back home in the US. I didn’t realize how much I missed home until I spent some time with him catching up and now I’m excited to go back home instead of just feeling sad that my vacation is coming to an end.

I’m grateful for my grandma because she is so talented and has been knitting me leg warmers just because I showed her some I was considering buying online. I didn’t even know she was working on them until she brought out the one she was working on to measure the width of my calf. She stopped by this evening and sat with me for a couple of hours knitting while I exercised. They’re going to be white, which is exactly the color I wanted. I can’t wait to use them this upcoming fall and winter, they’ll be perfect with the pink knitted dress I thrifted.

Come visit our tumblr journaling community ‘Journal With Us!’ 🔗

Videos:

3/3/3 Technique by paper_republic

How to gratitude journal + tips by claudiaspaurel

How to start a gratitude journal you’ll actually keep by carenhope

Articles:

The ultimate gratitude journal guide

The four A’s of gratitude by Quint

14 benefits of practicing gratitude journaling by Kori d. Miller

[studentbyday]

day 23-30 // 30doi

some days i need help summoning my inner strength, and in those times, one of my favorite poets to turn to is Maya Angelou, so i made myself this wallpaper as a reminder to not give up every time i look at my phone.

this week i was supposed to do a trial run of my fresh start challenge but i'm not sure if it's the amount of life admin stuff i needed to catch up on (istg it makes me feel soooo much less like a mess and much less awful about myself now that i've dealt with those tasks), all the movement i wanted to get in this week (i just felt so physically off these past few weeks), or if i was just procrastinating more (i did watch a lot of youtube this week despite removing the app from my phone...some of it while exercising tho!) that made it a struggle to get more than 4h of studying in each day (sometimes even getting to 4h was a struggle ��). so...idk if this whole 6h of studying / day thing will work but perhaps now that i'll be officially back to school next week, i will feel more compelled to focus on that rather than other things...(for better or for worse 😅)

🌼 study stats (50/10-15):

M: 🌼🌼🌼🌼 T: 🌼🌼🌼🌼 W: 🌼🌼🌼🌼 Th/F: did not feel like counting, but i did study

📰 media on my mind:

one in 10 premature births linked to plastic chemicals

the secret to lasting love might just be knowing how to fight

care school for men (istg THIS needs to be all over the world to equalize the gender gap in domestic work 👏🏻)

you're not a mess: how to journal to *ace* 2024 (can't wait for her video on her bujo setup if/when she makes one! i've been feeling a bit stuck with mine lately and been needing some inspo to...idk, have a system that calms rather than stresses me bc i feel like i just end up making very unrealistic plans no matter what planning method i use 😅)

diaries: schumann (tiffany poon's new album!!! 😍)

clementine - halsey (🎶 i don't need anyone, i just need everyone and then some 🎶)

[junryou]

Definitely relate, @thefoxthief. I used to be incredibly inconsistent when it came to using a journal/planner. When I picked up Bujo, I expected the same outcome. However, I'm going on my fourth year of keeping a daily log!

A lot of that is due to how I get to completely control the elements, and because of the rule I laid down when I first started: Do NOT try to make it perfect.

ANYWAY (;￣▽￣)ノ To your question:

Yes, I absolutely recommend dot graph sketchbooks! Here are some wins they provide:

Great for easy measuring/proportion control. Especially when drawing linear subjects like mechanical objects or buildings.

Can easily make a ton of consistent thumbnails using the dots as guidelines for framing.

Note-taking looks nicer when following the dot guides (I've used it to jot down ideas for later or write a snippet of a fan fic next to an inspirational doodle).

Depending on the brand you get, the dots can be very light, so as not to detract from your drawing.

Usually smaller in size, so filling up a page takes less time.

Key take-away: VERSATILITY.

A couple downsides to dot notebooks:

Editing out the dots for merchandise—I haven't found an efficient method of removing them yet.

Most are NOT receptive to materials that are watery: The paper will buckle. Page bleed-through can also happen, depending on the tools being used and the quality of the paper.

The brand I use for my journals is Leuchtturm1917.*

I've used Moleskine and Blackwing in the past for sketching, although I don't recommend either of them. Moleskine's paper quality tends to be flimsy and prone to bleeding. Blackwing's dots are too bold for my preference, but their paper quality is better than Moleskine's. I've also used the cheap ones you can find at Michael's, and they're good enough for on-the-go doodlin'.

*I highly, HIGHLY recommend JetPens for supplies. They do a great job demonstrating materials & have a lot of really cool stationery/artsy items to choose from. Their team is responsive and dedicated to detail. Never been dissatisfied with their service nor the products they sell!

Hope that was some nomilicious food for thought!

[cupsofsilver]

Why I Stopped Bullet Journalling

It’s been a long while since I made the active decision to give up bullet journaling. At least for now, I have.  Let’s start with the basics. What is bullet journalling or the bullet journal method? “A bullet journal (sometimes known as a BuJo) is a method of personal organization developed by digital product designer Ryder Carroll. The bullet journal system organizes scheduling, reminders,…

[selfcareplushie]

Self Care Plushie!

Name: Roman

Age: 21

Pronouns: he/him

About: my productivity and journaling blog! I dabble in bujo as well as more chaotic journaling methods, and I have a separate pocket planner. my username is plushie themed because

1. all my usernames are

2. my posts of journal spreads will probably have plushies in them

the friend you see in my pfp is named Eden and she is a Jellycat fuddlewuddle bunny

I follow from @sh1r3 and my pinterest is carewolf if you care to follow, I keep up with it fairly regularly