r/bulletjournal

I'm feeling lost.

After a year of failing to find the "way" of keeping a notebook i'd love and feel invested in, i've been having two great months where i ended up finding a great system and lists i really depended on, poured my heart in, everything was a beautiful chaos.

I dropped my brain in it.

And yesterday it must have fallen from my jacket's pocket. I have no idea where, i've retraced my steps but now one found it.

I feel like crap honestly. I have no idea how i'm going to recuperate all of that... my future log, my monthly even, my long curated and precise lists and release dates of books, movies, tv shows, magazines i want to consume in the future, my two months tracking of different really useful data. The little nuggets of personal wisdom, all of that... just like losing a part of me really.

How did you handle this loss if you experienced it ?

So distraught right now.

Hii, unsure if this belongs here but ill try!

I'm looking for a new a soft cover bullet journal, I enjoy smaller sizes, A5 largest. Something that can hold some alcohol markers!

And preferably accesible in Australia 🇦🇺!

If you have any recomendations I would love to hear!!

hi, im 25 years old and i live in germany. i would really love to join a group but i havent been able to find one yet. so i thought I'd post here and see if anyone has a group i could join (preferably based in europe) 😄

I’m going to be living aboard for a while and I won’t have the space to bring all my bullet journal treasures like washi tape, paper, markers etc. I’m probably going to have change my layout process but I’m hoping not too much because I really like it. Looking for recommendations on markers sets with lots of colours but maybe smaller or multiple colours on one pen. Really any tips would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

Today is my birthday.

I’ve never really been the kind of person who cares too much about birthdays, but last year I decided that, no matter what, every birthday I would do something for myself.

Last year, I bought a brownie and my favorite cocktail, went to a beautiful public place by the beach, and sat there alone.

It wasn't some magical birthday. I didn't have friends celebrating me, there weren't gifts, and my family didn't really make a big thing out of it either. But I remember sitting there thinking that maybe one day, I would know what it feels like to be genuinely celebrated.

A lot has happened since then: I moved to university. I met people I never would have met otherwise. I found people I really like, people I don't want to see again, and people I hope I get to meet again. I learned what it's like to be surrounded by people and still feel lonely. I learned that being someone's friend doesn't necessarily mean feeling like they are your people.

I've also had some difficult moments where I was completely alone. But this time, I didn't want to make myself the victim.

Sometimes I told people I needed to be alone. Sometimes I walked away. Sometimes I stayed. Sometimes I reached out. I apologized when I felt I was wrong, even when I knew the other person might never do the same.

And I think I've slowly started understanding something:

Life isn't reflective.

-You can care deeply about someone and they might not care about you in the same way.

-You can remember someone's birthday and they can forget yours.

-You can give someone something because you genuinely wanted to, without ever receiving the same thing back.

-You can show up for people who wouldn't necessarily show up for you.

And for a long time, I think some part of me was waiting for life to eventually make things even. Like if I was kind enough, cared enough, gave enough, eventually someone would do the same for me.

But life doesn't really work that way. And strangely, I'm becoming okay with that.

I don't want to become colder just because I've realized that not everyone loves and cares in the same way I do. I think I actually want to embrace the fact that I feel things deeply, that I care about people, that I want to give when I can, even if I don't always know how to show it.

At the same time, I'm learning that I don't have to give everything to everyone. I'm learning to tell myself 'maybe one day, but not now when I see someone living something I wish I could live'. I'm learning that loneliness isn't necessarily proof that something is wrong with me. And I'm learning that I haven't met everyone who is going to matter to me yet.

This year also humbled me in a completely different way.

I failed my first year of university. I haven't told my parents.

For most of my life, I was the girl who was first in class, so failing felt like losing a version of myself that I had always known. But weirdly enough, I'm also excited. Because next year, I have more time. More time to work. To try things. To discover what I actually like. To build things. To make mistakes. To figure out what I want my life to look like.

I still have absolutely no idea what I'm going to do with my life. I don't know what I'm going to become, what I'm going to achieve, or whether I'll ever find that one thing that makes everything click.

But maybe I don't need to know yet.

I'm 20.

There are still so many people I haven't met, places I haven't seen, things I haven't tried, and versions of myself I haven't become.

So today I'm probably going to the beach in the morning, then sit in a café somewhere with my journal and sketchbook.

Maybe I'll write about the past year.

Maybe I'll make plans.

Maybe I'll just sit there and do absolutely nothing. And maybe that's enough.

Last year, I was sitting alone by the beach hoping that one day I'd experience the feeling of being celebrated by other people.

This year, I think I'm learning something different:

I can celebrate myself without pretending I don't still wish someone else would celebrate me too.

Both things can be true.

And maybe that's what growing up is: learning to accept reality without letting it make you bitter, while still leaving a little room for hope.

Happy birthday to me, I guess🎂🥳.

hey all,

i thought about getting a fountain pen several years ago but life got in the way and had to focus on other priorities instead of jumping into another hobby.

now that i've been a little better with time i wanted to get back into journaling and getting a nicer pen to start out with.

i've always been to the Lamy Safari and wanted it to be my first fountain pen. In 2026 is that still the best option to go with or should I look into other pens?

What is a good ink to go with that?

I want to keep my budget to around < $80 CAD to start and not sure how much for inks.

Hey everybody!

I am looking for 6 people to participate in a Sisterhood of the Traveling Journal.

For those who don’t know what a SOTTJ is, it’s basically a group of people who mail their “junk journals” to each other and make spreads in them.

Below are the requirements:

- must be 21+
- be able to pay for shipping, provide packaging, and tracking information
- must be able to communicate via discord server
- must be in the USA

Please private message me to join!

Sign up ends August 30th.

Hey all! I'm Tsunami, lifelong pocket notebook lover here. I have a question: which system is more budget friendly long term? Pocket TN (travelers notebook) or Rings?
I appreciate the help! Have a good day!