Posts filed under Bullet Journal

Thoughts Heading into 2023

(Kimberly (she/her) took the express train down the fountain pen/stationery rabbit hole and doesn't want to be rescued. She can be found on Instagram @allthehobbies because there really are many, many hobbies!.)

Hard to believe but 2022 is coming to an end. Is it just me or did this year fly by? At least compared to 2020 and even 2021, 2022 just felt like one (mostly good) whirlwind after another. The end/beginning of the year is as good a time as any to step back and take a moment to think about the past year and have decided that 2023 is going to be a year of FOCUS.

FOCUS in my purchases - Did I buy a lot of stuff in 2022? Oh yeah. Do I plan to buy stuff in 2023? Duh. But what I tried to do in 2022, which I will continue to work on in 2023, is to be a little pickier about what I’m spending my money on. I’m asking myself if I really need/want it, if I’m just in a buying mood, forcing myself to not buy it immediately to see if it is something I still want later, do I have a physical place to store/use it, is there room in my routine for it, am I buying to collect or to use, how much of this is FOMO, etc.? Asking these questions doesn’t mean I won’t be buying things in 2023, but hopefully it will mean that I am buying things that I really want and will actually use.

FOCUS on more ink swatching - Last December I said I was going to try and swatch more inks since I had less than 60% of my inks swatched. I’m up to a whopping 61.38%, which doesn’t sound like much but I’ve also added a LOT of inks this year - both in sample and bottle form. And while it’s still not my favorite thing to do, I need to swatch more before I buy more because I feel bad getting more ink when I’m not making progress on my swatches. So 2023 is going to see a renewed effort to do more ink swatching! But don’t worry, I’m sure there will still be some ink acquisitions too, lol

FOCUS on Journaling, even if I can’t keep up - It only took until August of this year to FINALLY try journaling. So far, I haven’t been able to keep up very well, especially for long-form journaling, but I am really proud of myself for pushing myself to start. I have been jotting down quick notes in my Hobonichi Weeks and then doing longer journaling sessions in a Traveler’s Notebook for the days that were more memorable. I was and still am very intimidated by the beautiful journaling spreads on Instagram, but I’m trying to use those posts as inspiration to find and develop my own style (if any). Some things that have helped me include (1) pre-decorating pages and not trying to match decorations with what I plan to write, (2) using undated notebooks for long form so I can write to my heart’s content and so I don’t feel pressured to journal every day, (3) using my bullet journal to help jog my memory for short-form jots which, in turn, helps me for long-form journaling later. For 2023, I’m moving to the slightly larger TN Weekly for the short jots and an A5 Hobonichi for long form and am nervously excited to try this new format and hope that the habit sticks.

FOCUS on Selling or Rehoming items that I’m not using - I started 2022 with a bang by filling a pen binder with a bunch of pens I was not using and shared a table with Inkdependence Mike at the Philly Pen Show. It was tough picking pens to sell but the key is to just get started. It could be some pens that you’ve “outgrown” or maybe your tastes and preferences have changed since you bought it, but if you’re not using something and you don’t have a good reason for not using it, it might be time to let it go by selling it at a show, meetup, online (eBay, Virtual Pen Show on Instagram, or Reddit Pen Swap, etc.). For the most part, I “lost” money with my sales but I look at it as (1) incoming funds to put towards other things, (2) I’ve gotten use out of it while I had it, even if that “use” is discovering that it doesn’t work for me, and (3) sitting unused isn’t doing anyone any favors. I’m going to be sharing a table again with Mike at Philly in a couple of weeks so stop by, say hi, and buy some stuff! :-)

FOCUS on Rediscovery of currently owned but not currently used items - This year I really tried to balance using the latest purchases as well as the things I haven’t touched in a while. I discovered a few things that helped me curb the urge to instantly use all the new things. New pens don’t get inked unless I’m also inking up a pen that I haven’t used in a long time. I set aside the old and new pens-to-be-inked in a tray, which motivates me to write more pens dry so I can ink up more pens. If I’m picking between two similar inks, I will try to reach for one that I haven’t used in a long time instead of the brand new one I just got. It’s a nice feeling to use something I already have, instead of continuing to buy more stuff. Will definitely do more of that in 2023. Using something you haven’t used in a while can also help you decide whether an item is a keeper or if it needs a new home.

Fountain Pens — *Recently inked up these pens that I haven’t used in a while and am loving them all, especially the broad nib in the Pilot Custom Impressions.*

FOCUS on Stick-to-it-iveness for seeing my projects through to the finish - Yup, I’m copying this one from last year. I’m further along with transcribing Meditations and The Little Prince but I’ve completely stalled on Hamilton lyrics. I’m determined to keep working on them as I do enjoy them and because it is so satisfying when projects get completed. FOCUS on Health and wellness - Another keeper from last year, health and wellness are no longer taking a back seat. Aside from gaining some pandemic pounds, this year I wasn’t able to do my usual cardio due to plantar fasciitis, which has resulted in weight gain and also affected my mood and mental well-being. A reminder for me and for all of you, remember that there is only one YOU so please take care of yourself. Reach out if you’re struggling, get help from friends, family, professionals. Take that hike, pamper yourself, meditate, stretch, hydrate, etc.

FOCUS on Learning/Practicing/Reading - I had the grandest of plans to take all these courses in 2022 and all I managed was watching about 20 minutes worth of videos. I’m tired of wanting to read more, learn more, and practice more, so I will be doubling my efforts in 2023 by adding some more structure to my Italian learning plan, using notebooks to take notes and write down exercises, and figuring out the right habits and trackers to measure my progress.

FOCUS on Planning the day ahead of time - I have used Bullet Journaling for almost 6 years now and I have really noticed my productivity rise and fall as my BuJo usage rises and falls. And if I don’t plan the day the night before or first thing in the morning, I end up not using my BuJo, and then I’m easily distracted and extremely unproductive. I’ve got a lot of stuff I want to work on in 2023 so I will spend the next few weeks figuring out which timing is more effective for me.

So as 2022 comes to a close, I feel good about some of the changes I’ve started in 2022 and am hopeful that 2023 brings added productivity, mindfulness, health, happiness and continued enjoyment of this hobby.

Happy New Year — *Wishing you all a safe and wonderful New Year and an ink-filled 2023!*

Enjoy reading The Pen Addict? Then consider becoming a member to receive additional weekly content, giveaways, and discounts in The Pen Addict shop. Plus, you support me and the site directly, for which I am very grateful.

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Journal, Bullet Journal, Writing.

My Techo Kaigi for 2023

What on earth is a “Techno Kaigi”? I had the exact same reaction when I first heard the term earlier this year. Loosely translated in Japanese, it is a journaling or planner meeting that you have (with yourself) where you reflect on what you’ve been using and whether you want to continue that into the next year. Most of the time, this reflection is done earlier in the fall, just as planner products come out, allowing you enough time to buy whatever products you plan to use in the coming year.

In past years, I’ve done this unknowingly just by asking myself if the Bullet Journal method is working for me (the answer has been “yes”) and if so, let’s do more of that. This year, as I was finishing my most recent Rhodia GoalBook in October, I asked myself the same question and had a slightly different answer. In short, the answer is still “yes” but it ended up being more like “yes, but with some tweaks”.

I don’t have a traditional job that requires me to use a traditional planner, which is why the Bullet Journal (BuJo) method really worked for me. I love being able to flip a page and add a spread for something new or start over if I really didn’t find something useful or hated how I laid out something. Whenever I finish up a GoalBook, I flip through and decide what needs to get moved over to the next GoalBook and then I will re-create spreads for penpal letter tracking, orders I’ve placed, as well as blood pressure tracking, exercise logs, habit trackers, etc. I also use markers to make my own weekly layouts at the beginning of every month. So that part hasn’t changed.

What has changed is I got sucked into the Plotter FOMO. Yeah, I’m not gonna lie. I knew Plotter was a big deal coming into LAST year’s SF Pen Show when they made their US debut. But it was this year when everyone seemed to be getting a Plotter and darn if I wasn’t gonna get one at this year’s SF Show for my birthday. And because their 5th Anniversary Plotter came out shortly thereafter, I had to get that too. So, now I had TWO new, thin, ring-bound systems that I didn’t really need for project management or “traditional work stuff”?! My Bible-sized Plotters lay unused for longer than I’d like to admit while I figured out what on earth I was going to use them for. Thankfully, the “end of BuJo reflection” helped me rethink my spreads and which ones made more sense to go into a Plotter versus the next BuJo.

I realized there are some spreads that I want to keep track of, on an ongoing basis, in my BuJo where I wouldn’t need to transfer the information to a new notebook. The Blood Pressure log is a good example of this. I wanted the data and a place to log it, but I didn’t really need to move the data to another notebook - I just needed to create a new blank spread. My habit tracker is another example where I can just create a new habit tracker in the new BuJo, I didn’t need to copy over the information from past months. These kinds of things were perfect for the BuJo and most of my spreads fell into this category.

As the BuJo is my ride-or-die “planner”, I will add new spreads to it so that I can see/use it regularly. And when I get to the end of the current BuJo, I can evaluate whether it goes to the next BuJo or the Plotter.

So what kind of stuff did I put in the Plotter? My list of Pen Addict products/article topics for one – I had gone through 2 BuJos since I started writing for TPA, which mean I had to copy the product list/topic list to 2 BuJos already and I didn’t want to have to do it with a 3rd BuJo. I’m going to use it as a checklist as I go through various product reviews or topics. I can move the completed pages to an archive, consolidate into fewer sheets when I cross off enough items or toss them when I’m done. I also added some pages for food/shopping/attractions when visiting certain cities (I have an ongoing list for NYC and the PNW if you have any recommendations!) - super handy because the Plotter is so portable! In any case, I can keep my notes and don’t have to worry about rewriting it when I finish the new BuJo in 6 months. Also, because the Plotter is a ring-bound system, I can easily add/move pages as needed.

I love the Plotter for its thinness, which makes it perfect for toting around. In the past, I’ve traveled with my A5 BuJo, only for it to remain unused in my suitcase the whole time. But the Plotter’s thinness comes at a price – I can’t fit as many pages in it as I’d like. So, I have to be very picky about what things I put in a Plotter and put the rest in a Filofax, which has bigger rings and stays on my desk. The Filofax is also great for archiving pages I no longer need to keep with me, but still want to keep the data. And yes, many of the Plotter’s various sizes are also compatible with the Filofax - the Bible-sized Plotter pages work in the Filofax’s Personal size, the A5 sizes are interchangeable, Plotter’s Mini maps to Filofax’s Pocket, etc.

*Tracking my skincare products on Plotter’s paper in a Filofax Personal so I know how long I’ve been using a product. This stays home because I don’t need this info when I’m out and about.*

While Techo Kaigi is often used for planners, I’ve decided to apply this to journaling as well. A few months ago, I started journaling (for the first time in a LONG time) and decided to do it in a Traveler’s Notebook. Unfortunately, I’m very bad at journaling with any regularity and I end up forgetting a lot by the time I get to it. So I decided to use the remainder of my 2022 Hobonichi Weeks to do short form “jot” journaling, with the intent of doing long form journaling in the TN later. The intent was good but the execution wasn’t great. The Weeks is just a bit too small for the jot journaling and the TN is also a bit too small for the decorating and long-form journaling that I wanted to do too (is anyone shocked by my long-windedness?). So, for 2023, I’m going to move to a Traveler’s Company 2023 Weekly Diary for short form and an undated A5 Hobonichi for long form. I will continue to use the Hobonichi Weeks for my “pens of the week” scribbles and quotes.

Traveler's Weeks — *My attempt at journaling with the Hobonichi Weeks and Traveler’s Notebook - nice try but not quite the right size.*

Hobonichi Traveler's — *2023 journaling will be done with the Traveler’s Notebook and A5 Hobonichi - got started with a little decoration so I’m ready to go!*

While I use a lot of other notebooks for other things like quotes, lyrics, etc. - maybe I’ll write about those some other time - I think I have my planning/journaling system in place for 2023 and I’m looking forward to seeing how it works out.

If you want to find out what others are doing for 2023, check out this Techo Kaigi YouTube playlist with a bunch of great content from the Stationery Brew Crew! Until next year’s Techo Kaigi, stay inky!

Membership starts at just $5/month, with a discounted annual option available. To find out more about membership click here and join us!

Posted on December 16, 2022 by Kimberly Lau and filed under Journal, Planner Reviews, Plotter, Traveler's Notebook, Hobonichi, Bullet Journal.

Bullet Journal Notebook Edition 2 Giveaway

If you are reading this post then you are likely aware of how big the Bullet Journal system has become over the past few years. Ryder Carroll continues to grow his creation from a simple website of instructions into a worldwide phenomenon.

The end of 2020 saw the launch of the next iteration of the physical journal, the Bullet Journal Edition 2, in collaboration with Leuchtturm1917. While I’m not a bullet journaler myself, I jumped on ordering this because I am a product junkie. I also ordered an extra one to give away to readers of this blog, which was good thinking because they have been sold out for weeks.

This is definitely one to check out, and if you want a chance to win the black cover edition, read the rules below and enter away!

Posted on January 12, 2021 by Brad Dowdy and filed under Bullet Journal, Giveaways.