🖊️ Using Hobonichi Weeks MEGA as a Bullet Journal
I’ve been an avid user and fan of Ryder Carroll’s Bullet Journal Method for just shy of 10 years now. To call it an adventure is an understatement. Adventurous, yes. But also confusing and maddening. However, that's not because of the system itself – it was because of me.
When I started out, I was convinced that I needed to create artistic layouts and have lists and collections for, well, everything. I spent far too much time trying to create the perfect layout every week and not enough time using the method as it was meant to be used. I also spent too much time and money on finding the perfect notebook, aside from the "official" Bullet Journal branded Leuchtturm.
It was all quite ridiculous now that I can look back on it a bit.
These days, I keep things simple. I might swap in a new notebook every so often, but there are no fancy layouts. All of my pages are minimalist, and I like it that way. I can get it, write things down or reference something, and get out again without being distracted by layouts and who knows what else. It's nice. Plus, the size doesn't hold me back from carrying it with me everywhere.
For 2025, I decided to try something a little different. I bought a Hobonichi Weeks MEGA day planner to use as my bullet journal. I've always been a fan of the size of these books and I love the quality and care that Hobonichi puts into their books. While they're a bit on the pricey side ($44 for the plain one I'm using), I can definitely see myself sticking with these year after year. Whether that will happen is, of course, to be determined.
How I've managed things is pretty simple.
The front pages are monthly calendar pages, and I use those as one normally would. My month is laid out there and includes all of the events I have going on at work and in my personal life. Birthdays are also there because, let's face it, I'm getting old and forgetful, haha.
Following those pages are the spreads of weeks. The left-hand pages lays out the days of the week, and the right-hand page is a grid that can be used for anything. The left-hand page gets used for meetings and appointments. I use the right-hand pages as a place to track numerous things, including what I'm reading that week, my top three goals for the week, how I'm sleeping, some habits I want to keep track of, and my general at-home tasks.
Now, this is my favorite part. After the weekly pages, there are an additional 200 blank grid pages! Squee!
These pages are where I do my rapid logging each day. I don't stick to using a page every day or anything like that. I simply use as much room as I need for the day. I don't know if these pages will be enough to get me through the entirety of the year, but I hope so. I really like the system I have set up here and it's working very well.
It's taken a decade, but I think I've finally settled on a system/method that is perfect for me. Hopefully, I'll still feel this way at the end of 2025, assuming I'm still around. One never knows these days.