LEUCHTTURM1917 The Official Bullet Journal Edition 2 - Notebook Built for BuJo, Medium A5 204 Pages of 120gsm Paper, with Bujo Pocket Guide (Black)

Why did you pick this product vs others?:I've tried using other notebooks for my Bullet Journal but this one is designed by the creator of the BuJo method and so there's not going to be much else that's going to work as well. Writing ability:It took a minute to find the inks that work best with this paper. I prefer something a little toothier, and many inks will sit on the surface of this so long that they smear or leave imprints on the facing pages. I have found that liquid gel works best. Notebook quality:It's Leuchtturm. What can I say? It's going to be quality. That said, the last page is inevitably stuck to the flyleaf for about 1/4" in, and sometimes (occasionally, maybe even rarely) a book looks like it wants to separate towards the end--but it never does. It looks bad for a minute, but this stuff is stitched to stay, so no worries. Gift value:It's a great gift if you know someone who is scattered (the system was developed by Ryder Carroll almost by accident, as a kid, to deal with his ADHD) and open to trying something new. That last bit is key: Don't spend the money if they're just gonna throw it in a drawer. Buy one for yourself instead! I have been through every organizing system known to man, from At-A-Glance calendars provided by employers back in the '80s (yes, the '80s) to Day-Runners, Day-Timer, Fil-o-Fax, BestSelf, Franklin/Covey--you name it, I've tried it. BuJo is the first that has truly served as the everything-in-one-place notebook that as a clinical psychologist I've been recommending for students since I was in grad school. It's not about the notebook, but about the system. That said, I've tried a lot of notebooks, hoping to save money, but keep coming back to this one. I have literally yards of shelf space devoted to my old notebooks, so I know whereof I speak. If you're up for trying a new system, or want to turn a buddy or a kid on to bullet journaling, this is THE best notebook for the purpose.

I've been using one of these Bullet Journals for over a year now. I got it after I suspected I had ADHD to help keep my thoughts/to do/work/home life, whatever I wanted in check. I've tried regular planners in the past, however the day I miss one page, I'm over it. I'm a perfectionist, and those empty pages made me feel as if I failed. I also tend to get too complicated when trying to separate my work life from home life (one journal for home, one for work, one for this and one for that). This journal has been a life saver. It's super simple, yet has so much potential. Whatever you want to use it for, this can do it. The indexing system is brilliant, it means no more blank pages for me. And I don't need one for work and one for home. I use one index page for work stuff, and one index page for home stuff, no separation when it comes to pages. One page may be personal stuff, and the next could be work. The index helps keep them sorted. The dots on the pages mean you can use it as a regular journal, draw out a table, use half the page, a section, the whole thing, whatever you can think of. I know some people go crazy with doodling and stickers and mapping it out. I prefer the basic, clean, but structured route. I've used this for everything from to-do lists, project tasks at work, throwing random ideas in my head to paper, as a location to dump my thoughts, meeting notes, and so much more. I've loved it so much, that I've convinced a few coworkers to get one themselves. Working on another one right now :)I did find some additional things that helped me in using this. The first thing I did was get a dedicated "good" pen to go along with the journal. My preference has been the Parker Jotter with medium ballpoint ink (any color). I then got a pen holder that I stuck to the back cover which sticks out the right side of the journal. This way I always had that pen on hand when I needed it, and didn't have to hunt one down. It also helps me keep track of my pen and not leave it behind, which is especially useful since the pen is a bit on the spendier side. I also recently started using cheap 5"x8" Amazon Basics notepads as an in-between location before something gets put into the journal. I found myself sometimes thinking quicker than I could write, so I was having to correct myself after the fact. It was making more of a mess of my pages than I liked. This way I can throw it on the notepad, not worry about errors or writing it all out, and transfer it later. This has helped tremendously when I'm in work meetings. Write down the basics of an idea, just enough to remember the gist of it, and flesh it out later when transposing it into the journal. This way I'm not holding up anyone else, and I can get my mind back to listening and talking rather than worrying about what I'm writing. The final (most recent) thing that I've gotten for this journal is its own case/cover. Being I now had some additional accessories for this journal, I needed something low profile to keep them all in place. This case has a slot to slide the back cover into, so the journal stays in place and doesn't move around. It also has room for the pen and a couple of notepads so they are always with the journal when needed. It zips shut so I don't have to worry about anything falling out. This case did, however, make the pen holder on the back cover obsolete since it was now in a slot. But there are multiple places you can insert the pen within the case. I just leave it alongside the binder of the journal and zip it closed.Well, that's about all I have for now on this. This is by far the longest review I have ever written. It has by far had the most impact on my life out of anything I have purchased in the last few years, so I've a lot to say on it. And learned a lot of tricks along the way. If you made it through the whole thing, you deserve props :)

Hands down the quality of BuJo journals is superior to other A5 notebooks. The color of the journal is fun and the feel of the paper has a weight to it that allows for multiple styles of pens to be used without bleeding through the other side. This journal lays flat and to break the spine I always go through each page and soften at spine. Helps my books last longer.