Tips for Bullet Journal Trackers

With the New Year quickly approaching, this is a time of year where many people think about making a big change in their lives; the beginning of 2017 would be a great place for creating the beginning of a new chapter in your life. One helpful tool for change that you can incorporate into your bullet journal is a tracker - or more specifically, a habit tracker. If you’ve never made a tracker spread in your bujo before (or if you’re just looking for some advice to improve yours), then this post is for you; today, I’m going to be talking about tips for bullet journal trackers, so read on!

DIY Christmas Calligraphy Gifts

Wow, can you believe that it's almost Christmas??? I feel like I've been waiting for forever. Anyway, hopefully you've got all of your present shopping done. If you haven't done so, don't fret! There are so many different sorts of gifts that you can make to give that are inexpensive and quick to create but are still nice presents that anyone would be happy to receive.

In this post, I'll be talking about different ways to incorporate your calligraphy skills into your Christmas gift giving this year. Personally for me, learning calligraphy/hand-lettering has made my presents to people all that much better, especially since my part-time, minimum wage job doesn't exactly give me the biggest budget to work with. If you're still trying to think of gifts for everyone on your list this year (or maybe you're just trying to brainstorm for gifts in general, not just specifically for Christmas), then you'll be able to find some good DIY ideas in here that are calligraphy-based!

December Bullet Journal Setup

Hi, guys! Sorry for not posting last Thursday or yesterday (which is my general posting schedule); I've been really busy this past week, and it doesn't help that since finals are coming up in a couple of weeks, teachers have been piling on work. I actually didn't even get my December bujo setup done until Tuesday the 6th. Anyway, if you're still interested, welcome to the lazy edition of December's setup post!

How to Stay Focused While Studying

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Americans! BTW, today's post has nothing to do the holiday or gratitude or anything like that. Anyway, since it's almost December, we only have about a month left in the semester, and that can only mean one thing: finals are almost upon us, and with finals comes lots and lots of studying.

This year, the classes I'm taking are significantly harder compared to the ones from last year, so I've had to really step it up with my study game. It can be really hard to not get distracted in this day and age (when there are so many other things that could occupy our time), so today, I've decided to teach you how to stay focused while studying!

Note: even though I created this post with students and with studying in mind, a lot of the tips and methods covered in this post can still be applied to staying focused in general. So whether you have a desk job, an art project, or whatever it is you need to do, you will probably still find this post to be helpful.

How to Improve Your Handwriting

If you look at my first bullet journal and my second bullet journal, one of the biggest differences you'll notice is my handwriting. Starting from late May/early June, I started to practice and improve my handwriting. I decided to do so because my handwriting hadn't really changed or gotten better since the sixth grade, and it was frankly quite ugly. Thus, using my own experience in improving my handwriting, I'll be teaching you today how to improve your own handwriting!

Christmas Presents for Bullet Journalists

It's almost that time of the year again: the Christmas season! I love the first half of winter, with its sense of holiday cheer, the sparkly atmosphere, and of course: the gift-giving. Even though my family doesn't celebrate Christmas in the traditional manner, we still honor the custom of giving presents. And, if you have a bullet journalist in your life (whether it be a friend or family member), there are many different presents that you could give them.

In this post, I'll be detailing several different ideas for gifts you could give that any bullet journalist would like, whether they're a beginner, a seasoned veteran of the bullet journal, or completely regardless of their experience  with bullet journaling. So, without further ado, let's get to it!

60 Bullet Journal Collection Ideas

One of the main things that set bullet journals apart from normal planners are collections. Collections are basically any sort of random list or layout that you want inside of your bullet journal, and it's really convenient to not have to mentally file all of these things. Fortunately, due to the adaptive nature of the bullet journal system, you can make literally any sort of collection that you want to have. However, especially if you're new to bullet journaling, you might be confused as to exactly what sort of collections there are. Thus, I made this list of 60 collections that you could consider to incorporate into your bullet journal!

November Bullet Journal Setup

Hey, everyone! It's time for next month's setup in my bullet journal. I can't believe that this is the second to last monthly bujo setup for 2016. But anyway, I don't really have much to say about this setup (it's pretty similar to last month's), so let's just get right to it!

What You Need to Start a Bullet Journal (Common Bullet Journal Supplies & Tools)

Hey everyone! Today's post is mainly aimed towards people who are new to the bullet journal community, especially people that haven't even started a bujo yet and are still deciding on how to go about this. In fact, I have just started a category of posts on my blog that would be good for bujo newbies in particular. Also, if you're a student and still on the fence about having a bullet journal, then here are several reasons why you should use a bullet journal if you're in school.

Anyway, as you can probably tell from the post title, today I'm going to be talking about what you need to start bullet journaling (and I kind of have two sets of answers for this question). Keep on reading!

How I Take History Notes (AP World History)

School is one of the biggest aspects of my life, so I wanted my blog to reflect that. Currently, my most difficult class by far is AP World History. It's the first AP class I've ever taken, so it's been a bit of a transition from anything else I've done before. There is a lot of information and work in this class, so taking notes is very crucial for me to do well. Social studies classes in general require a lot of memorization and just flat out knowing the material.

I've already taken a lot of notes so far in AP World, so I've gotten my note-taking system down pat. It may seem like quite a bit of work for some people, but the effort has paid off; I've gotten A's on everything in the class so far. In this post, I'll be elaborating on how I take notes for a history class in a way that doesn't require too much thinking (specifically WHAP, obviously), but I've rambled on enough, so let's get to it!

How My Bullet Journal Has Changed in 6 Months

This is a post that has technically been half a year in the making. As of October 1st, I have been bullet journaling for six months! In that span of time, my system has changed and evolved drastically in some ways (and marginally in others). In this post, I'll be talking about those changes that have occurred in the time that I've been using the bullet journal system.

First of all, I've documented all of my previous setups onto this blog. Read them if you want to get a more thorough idea of how I've changed things.

• #1: April 2016: my first bujo setup ever!
• #2: May 2016: as I was setting up April, I looked at some of the things that I was doing, and I immediately though, "Oh, crap . . ."
• #3: June 2016: the transition from school to summer break setup
• #4: July 2016
• #5: August 2016: first setup in my new Rhodia Webnotebook, aka bujo volume 2, and going back to school stuff
• #6: September 2016
• #7: October 2016

Second, I want to say that my system will probably never stay completely the same. The beauty of the bullet journal is that you can change it to suit your needs. I know that my life will never be 100% stagnant and that there will always be new things in my life that will prompt a change in my planning system. Just like how my bujo is not the same as it was six months ago, it will most surely also be different in six months, in six months from then, and six months after that, etc.

With all of that out of the way, let's get on to the real meat of this post: how my bullet journal has changed in six months!

*Caution: this is a pretty picture heavy post, so be warned!

Bullet Journal October Setup (My 6-Month Bujo-versary!)

This is kind of a special milestone for my bujo-ing career; as of October 1st, I will have been using the bullet journal system for six whole months. I'm pretty happy about this! This setup for October is the seventh time I'm setting up for the month, and quite a few things have changed since I first started using a bullet journal. Stay tuned next week for a post all about how my system has developed over these past six months!

But I digress; here is my setup for October!

How to Schedule Tasks in a Bullet Journal

Something that many people gripe about when it comes to bullet journals is the limited capability for future planning. However, there are ways to note down future events, and in the same way you can easily schedule tasks for the future in your bullet journal. I'll be covering several different methods to do this in this post, so make sure to keep on reading!

What's in My Pencil Case (2016)

Hello, everyone! This week I'm back with more of a stationery/studyblr/planner community in general type of post. Frankly, one of my favorite types of videos on YouTube are "what's in my pencil/pen case" ones (especially while I'm practicing my handwriting), so I decided to make a blog post about it! In this post, I'll be covering what I keep in my pencil case (well, actually cases) for school, so read on!

18 Bullet Journal Blogs

The bullet journal system has really been blowing up in the past year or so. Just like with any other popular thing, this means the introduction of blogs about said topic - in this case, bullet journals! Thus, I've decided to compile this list of blogs about bullet journals. Keep on reading to see them!

Bullet Journal September Setup

Another month has come and gone, and just like always, that entails setting up for the next one - aka September. I've been using this new bullet journal (a Rhodia Webnotebook) for one full month now, and I have to say that it's really high quality. If I keep going at about the same rate, I think this notebook will last close to half a year.

But yeah, there's not much to say. Here's my bullet journal setup for September!

Pilot Juice 0.5 Gel Pen Review

I'm finally getting around to reviewing one of my favorite gel pens that I've ever used - the Pilot Juice in 0.5 mm. Overall, I quite like this pen; I don't have too many gripes with it. In fact, after getting a couple from Tokyo Pen Shop back in June, I even got a 24-pack when I was in China - that's how I much I like them. In fact, I'm almost completely done with my black Pilot Juice that I've only had for quite a short amount of time.

Of course, however, this is all a matter of opinion, and not everyone would agree with me on this matter. But I digress; for a more in-depth review of the Pilot Juice gel pens, keep on reading!

How to do Faux Calligraphy

Let's say that you've just started to learn calligraphy and hand-lettering. That's great! However, it can be pretty intimidating to use a brush pen or pointed nib when you've only just begun to learn. Thus, faux calligraphy - aka fake calligraphy - is a great way to introduce yourself to the world of lettering. [cue terrible segue:] But how, you may ask, does one create faux calligraphy? Well, this post, in a ~convenient~ step-by-step format, is just the thing for you! Read on!

HUGE China Stationery Haul!

Ok, I have a bit of a problem with stationery hauls. Well, the problem is that only in the past several months, this is the third haul I've had! I think I'm just making up for all of the years in my life that I missed out on awesome stationery. But seriously, I couldn't pass up buying stuff in the world's favorite continent for cute stationery - Asia (and more specifically, China).

As some of you may know, I went to China for about three weeks in July. While I was there, I got an almost obscene amount of stationery, mostly awesome pens. This post will detail all of the stuff I got, so without further ado, here is my China stationery haul!

Why You Should Use a Bullet Journal if You're in School

Something you see in pretty much every set of school-related tips is to get a planner. So yeah, I guess you probably already have that part down. But what about a bullet journal? A bullet journal, or bujo for short, is a completely DIY planner-journal combo, and it's a great thing to have as a student, whether you're in high school or college. Like a regular planner, it helps you keep your life together when it comes homework, tests, and other dates and tasks, but it also keeps your mind in order when it comes to random lists and other miscellaneous things. But if you need more convincing on why you should use a bullet journal if you're in school, read on!

Setup of my Second Bullet Journal: August 2016

Today is the end of an era and the beginning of a new one.

Okay, it's not that dramatic. What it actually is is the setup of bujo volume two (aka setup for August).

I lettered in a song lyric for the very last page of my first bullet journal // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

So welcome to the August setup of my brand-new Rhodia Webnotebook!

10 Ways to Practice Your Handwriting

This summer before my courses started, I was pretty bored, so I decided that I wanted to practice and improve my handwriting!

This was a picture that I had posted on my Instagram for #TransformationTuesday - here, you can see how my handwriting improved through practice (though I will admit that it's a little biased because I was purposely trying to write neatly in the second picture) // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

To practice your handwriting, you don't need anything fancy - just some paper and a writing utensil. You can use literally any sort of text, but if you need some ideas for carefree, dedicated practice, here are 10 ways to practice your handwriting!

Tokyo Pen Shop Haul (Pilot Juice, Zebra Sarasa Push Clip, and Zebra Mildliners)

Tokyo Pen Shop Haul // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

As of when this Tokyo Pen Shop haul post is published, I will be in China. Yay for post scheduling features! As said before, I won't be able to do anything blog-related during this vacation because Google products - namely Blogger, Instagram, and Facebook are all blocked in China, and these three services are my top used social media platforms for Our Journey in Journals. I'm a little sad, but I'll be back on the 25th. Andie will be back from China on August 11, so hopefully she'll finally be able to post something soon after that!

I have to admit something: I'm a little addicted to seeing other people's stationery hauls. Hauls are pretty great, stationery is even better, so a good old stationery haul, whether it be my own or looking at someone else's, is always a fun thing. This is from a couple of weeks ago, but there were other things that I wanted to post before talking about these pens that I got from Tokyo Pen Shop. But anyway, enough rambling - let's see what I got!

July Bullet Journal Setup

July Bullet Journal Setup // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

Wow, can you believe that June is almost over? That means that I only have about a month left of summer break - eek! For June, I only used a record low of 20 pages. I predict that I'll use even less in July because I'll be in China from July 4th to July 25th. And speaking of being in China, I won't be active in that time period; I'm not going to bring my laptop, plus Google products, Facebook, and Instagram are all blocked in the country. The next blog post will be in two weeks on July 14.

Anyway, now that I've got that out of the way, here is my (Mae-Mae's) bullet journal setup for July!

Where to Buy Journals and Notebooks Online

Where to Buy Journals and Notebooks Online // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

If you're like me, you don't have a lot of stationery shops near you. I live in a small-ish suburban town, so I've been to approximately three stores in person. Thus, a lot of my journal shopping capability comes from the Internet! Consequently, I've compiled this list, for both myself and all of you out there, of places that you can buy journals and notebooks online.

PaperMate InkJoy 300RT Ballpoint Pen Review (and Comparison to Pilot G2)

PaperMate InkJoy 300RT Ballpoint Pen Review // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

Did you know that the name of the brand PaperMate is actually "Paper Mate" with a space??? I didn't know that until I was doing some research for this post! My mind is seriously blown. I'm still going to say (well, actually type) "PaperMate" though, since that's what I'm used to. In my eyes, "Paper Mate" just looks plain silly.

Anyway, today I will be doing the first review of anything on this blog: the PaperMate Inkjoy 300RT pens, as you can hopefully tell from the title of this post :p. I'll also be doing a bit of a comparison to the Pilot G2s. I got a set of these pens a year or two ago, so that was a pretty long time ago. But since I haven't really been using them much up until a couple weeks ago, I've finally started to get to know these pens. But anyway, let's go!

Typo Stationery Haul and First Impressions

Typo Stationery Haul and First Impressions // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

For me, Typo has always been one of those shops where I just wanted to live in; though I've never actually been to a *physical* Typo store, stationery shops in general are just ~amazing~ - especially Typo. Their designs are extremely "boho" and "Tumblr-y" (or at least the hipster side of Tumblr). I was super excited a couple of weeks ago when Andie and I placed an order for Typo, and they arrived about a week later. Let me show you all what we got!

Bullet Journal June Setup (Transition from the School Year to Summer Break!)

Hello, everyone! It's that time of the month again - the setup for June of 2016. Though most of my spreads are staying the same, there are a couple of differences because of summer break. But anyway, let's get into my June bullet journal setup!

What is the Bullet Journal "Kara Kit?"

What is the Bullet Journal "Kara Kit?" // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

Aha, it's finally summer break! Finals week was this past week, and because fooling around on the Internet is a lot more enjoyable than studying, I've been perusing through the Boho Berry Tribe Facebook group (to sign up for the Boho Berry tribe, click on here). And plus, if you know me in real life, who am I kidding - I don't need to study! :D

Anyway, I've heard this new term floating around lately: the "Kara Kit." At first, I was wondering if Kara herself was actually selling bullet journal starter kits, but I quickly learned that it's actually just the term coined for the basic supplies that Kara uses in her bujo. It's a good starter kit for any bullet journaler, but of course, it's not necessary; you can start with any sort of notebook - or even just loose leaf paper - and some sort of writing utensil. However, it can be nice to have a good starting point from someone who is quite experienced in the bullet journal world. So, what does the Kara Kit actually entail?

60 Things to Track in a Bullet Journal Tracker

60 Things to Track in a Bullet Journal Tracker // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

School is ending really soon, and with school ending comes finals week - it's only next week! With finals week comes studying, and in the natural order of things, with studying comes procrastination. That's what I'm currently doing. But fortunately, I've been procrastinating by doing blog-related things (sometimes)! I've complied this huge (who am I? Donald Trump?) list of things that you can track in your bullet journal's habit tracker.

A Few Lessons Learned from One Month into the Bullet Journal

A Few Lessons Learned from One Month into the Bullet Journal // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

I started my bullet journal April 1, so at the beginning of May, it had officially been one month into using the bullet journal. I learned a lot of things in using it, and with the things I learned, my May set-up was even better suited for my own purposes. These are some of the lessons that I've learned.

Bullet Journal May Setup (and Updates from April)

Bullet Journal May Setup // OurJourneyinJournals.blogspot.com

Hello everyone, and welcome to May! That means that I've been bullet journaling for a full month now, and so I set up for my second month this past Saturday (the last day of April). Since I had spent quite a significant amount of time thinking about my set-up for April, there weren't all that many changes this month. But anyway, click that "read more" button to see how I set up for this May.

(Some of my Favorite) Calligraphers and Hand-Letterers on Instagram

Hi everyone, Mae-Mae here. Wow, it's been such a long time! I don't really have anything to say, but I will do a one month update of bullet journaling in about a week. But along with bullet journaling, this month I've also gotten into an obsession with hand-lettering and modern calligraphy. It is so much fun, and I feel like anyone could get good at it, even if you aren't naturally gifted with amazing art skills or beautiful handwriting. In this month, I've found a lot and followed a lot of hand-letterers/calligraphers on Instagram. You can see the full list of accounts I follow on the Our Journey in Journals Instagram page, but in this post, I'll just be doing a quick highlight/round-up of a couple of these amazing people.

Setting Up My First Bullet Journal (AKA Set-Up for April 2016)

Hey, Mae-Mae here! This is the first "real" post for this blog, and I'm a little excited. Are you excited, too? You should be. Actually, you don't really need to be excited. Nonetheless, I will be excited. Anyway, let's get straight to the actual blog post shall we?

Welcome to Our Journey in Journals!

Hello and bienvenidos to this blog, Our Journey in Journals (stylized as OJIJ). This is just a short introduction post to tell you guys that this is a thing. The two authors/admins here are Mae-Mae Han and Andie Wu (Mae-Mae Han here right now). We're two girls who just really like bullet journals and such, so we decided to start this blog to sort of document our foray into bullet journaling, lettering etc. We hope you enjoy your visit here! We'll be starting our bullet journals for April.