u/random-name-pun

In my new notebook I decided to put the future planning section in the back of the book - it makes more sense to my brain than having it in the front. I thought, why not try something similar with dailies for my work-life balance?

On workdays I usually open my journal right when I first sit down at my desk, and dump in all my tasks and appointments starting at the top of the page. But for the last few days, I've started putting my non-work tasks from the bottom up. Seems to be helping with the overwhelm.

I'm also trying to do some little doodles in leftover space, to increase my comfort working directly with a fountain pen instead of sketching with a pencil first. (We inherited an antique china cabinet that is becoming a book/keepsake shelf, and my cat has some kind of bump on her little ear)

Book: Leuchtturm1917 A5 in Copper

Pen pictured on 1st page: vintage Platinum pocket pen, B nib that writes a little stubby, J. Herbin Perle Noire ink

Used on 2nd page: Hongdian M2 F, Birmingham Burlywood

Not clothes or upholstery, but a secret third thing.

This is my bullet journal/everything notebook, a Leuchtturm1917 A5 hardcover in metallic copper. I recently noticed that the elastic band is degrading near the top edge, apparently stressed where it touches the covers. Bottom end of the band seems unaffected. The band is also kind of loose. (Purchased secondhand but new-in-plastic, don't know how long it was in storage.)

If the elastic was splitting closer to the middle of the book, I'd just snip it out and knot or crimp the ends, but I don't want to do that near the top of the book.

My ideas:

1. reinforce the area with needle and thread in some low-profile stitch (unsure what stitch to use)

2. remove the whole vertical band and replace it with a new piece of elastic (how to do this without impacting the structural integrity of the book?)

3. remove the whole vertical band and replace with another closure method, like a horizontal Travelers-style band or a Hobonichi-style pen loop closure (see above)

Anyone have mending ideas?

An attempt at knolling was made.

Many of these things I use daily, some I have only used once or twice.

Items from work:

- Laptop

- Bluetooth mouse

- Phone in top right (pic taken with personal phone)

- Hi-vis vest

- All keys not on rainbow keychain

- All writing utensils except the TWSBI GO fountain pen (I have seven or eight FPs that I rotate through daily)

Not pictured: the actual bag (work branded), my ID lanyard (personal info + work branded)

My job is weird but I do enjoy it.

My newest pen_swap treat - first vintage pen, first gold nib, and first pocket pen!

I really like the look of the sleek slim vintage pocket pens, and it fits nicely in my hand. It has some little use marks from previous owners, which I don't mind. The seller included an empty cartridge, which I filled with Kaweco Palm Green to test out. Ink comes down FAST! The B nib has some slight line variation. Looking forward to playing around with it!

Cat enthroned upon the current household budgeting notebook for attention. (Unsure of brand, something A4 sized from Amazon)

Seeking the perfect notepad for my spouse's work bag! Office femme in a financial job, likes having something for meeting notes and to-do lists.

Desired qualities:

- Top spiral bound

- Medium sized (A5 to B5 ish)

- Grid or dotgrid pages

- Decently fountain-pen-friendly if possible (I am a new FP hobbyist and am slowly luring spouse into it with the temptation of pretty inks)

- Fun colored/patterned cover (majority of what we're seeing online is black covers, "boring")

TIA!

(Can't figure out how to add the flairs, but daily & monthly pictured!)

Sort of a hybrid/bits and pieces Ryder method, crossed with my “perpetual to-do list”, which I’ve used on and off for a decade or so. Just a notebook and a task list, no due dates, no categories, no indices, no shaming. I’ve realized that at my big age of midthirties that I still need to avoid triggering the “didn’t do my homework” doom spiral. The only allowable complication is breaking a task (“pack for weekend trip”) into smaller subtasks and items (list of every article of clothing I want to pack, every piece of toiletry kit, specific loads of laundry or “clean out bag” as needed). If I do a task that wasn't on the list, I just add it and then immediately check it off for free dopamine.

I started the year intending to track meatless and spendless days, and that’s fallen off. If I don’t do it daily, by the next day I’ve forgotten. (Tracking a negative also seems to be an issue, but tracking “ate meat” or “spent money” also feels counterproductive.) I also wasn't getting much utility out of the top of the month to-do list. I don't have a ton of tasks that have to get done in this month, but don't have to be scheduled on a certain date. Flipping back and forth from my current day to-dos to the monthly to-dos annoys me.

On the other hand, if I put “call the pharmacy” on my list on Monday and don’t do it, >ing it and rewriting it on Tuesday (Wednesday, Thursday, etc) actually motivates me to get it done. I’ve had a couple of times when I’ve been sick, overwhelmed, left my journal at home on a trip. When that happens, I just pick up again on the next day that I can, without any particular emphasis. I’m just working day by day and page by page, so if May takes twenty pages and June takes five that’s just the way it goes, and I don’t have “empty spaces” to backfill. But when I’m consistent I’m running about half a page per day of task logging.

July is the first month I’ve used a block calendar instead of the list-down Ryder method, and I think I like it. I use a Google calendar for work so it translates neatly. And it leaves me a little sliver of space for my few monthly to-dos.

Tech specs: B6+ Leuchtturm, with the standard pen loop that is starting to get ratty. Pilot Metropolitan F fountain pen with Iroshizuku Shin-Kai ink. Waiting on a bottle of fancy sheening ink sometime this week. I picked up a multicolor pack of Book Darts, and am starting to use those as well (silver darts for the top of each month, gold darts for recipes. Copper darts do not yet have a designated use.)