Combination bullet journal and monthly agenda/planner?

December 1, 2022 7:40 AM

I really like bullet journaling, but I also want a monthly view with actual dates that I do not have to draw/fill in myself. Is there anything like a blank journal that has a separate section that is monthly planner for the actual year? I suppose I could DIY it with a binder and a print-out of the months, but would prefer to buy something pretty for inspiration.
posted by haptic_avenger to Shopping (10 answers total)

Best answer: From a deeply hybrid journal/planner person: the Leuchtturm1917 Monthly Planner & Notebook is exactly the thing you want. I buy one every year and it is the only Thing Like This that I have found (... that also has decent paper for fountain pens.)

https://www.leuchtturm1917.us/monthly-planner-notebook-composition-b5-2023-16-mon-softcover-stone-blue-english.html
posted by byzantienne at 7:53 AM on December 1, 2022 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I think byzantienne's is closest to what you want, but for completeness's sake, Appointed's Task Planners also have both calendar pages and note pages.
posted by praemunire at 8:02 AM on December 1, 2022

There are lots of customizable planner systems out there, if that suits you. Erin Condren, Plum Paper, apparently Shutterfly will print custom planners now, Agendio, Personal Planner, Happy Planner (also TUL from Staples, both of which are discbound, which people tend to love or loathe) and then the older generations like Day Runner and filofax.
posted by Lyn Never at 8:34 AM on December 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: There's likely something suitable in the Japanese planner/diary universe, like the Hobonichi Techo day-free.
posted by zamboni at 8:51 AM on December 1, 2022 [2 favorites]

Clickable link to byzantienne's suggestion.

(Byzantienne, memail me if you want to know how to do a clickable link!)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:15 AM on December 1, 2022

I clicked in to say Hobonichi too! You could either get the regular option that has a month section and then pages for each day, or the “Day Free” option that has a months section and then grid pages with no dates. The A6 size is the standard, and there’s a larger A5 Cousin size that has month + week + either dated days or day free options. There’s also a hardcover of the standard size that was just released, as well as a tall slim book called the Weeks if you’d prefer a months + weeks format. In short, there are many great options and the paper is delightful to write on.

You can order them either directly from the Hobonichi site and pay the international shipping or order from sites like Jet Pens and Amazon.
posted by past unusual at 9:47 AM on December 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

In addition to the good suggestions above, if you want to turn *any* notebook into one with monthly layouts, there are dozens of shops that sell both physical sticker kits for overlaying in a planner and "printables" - designed calendars and other planner/journal doo-dads (task lists, shopping lists, decorative items, etc) that you can download and print onto adhesive paper. This allows you to choose from a wide range of styles and insert a monthly calendar anywhere in the notebook that you would like one to appear. There are quite a few sellers on ETSY and also independent stationery designers that sell these in their own online stores. (I don't use these myself, so I'm not going to reccomend a specific shop but you can see examples on YouTube by searching for planner and journaling videos.)
posted by turtlegirl at 10:36 AM on December 1, 2022 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: AskMe does not disappoint! I haven't donated yet to MeFi but this is the reason why I will :)
posted by haptic_avenger at 2:47 PM on December 1, 2022 [2 favorites]

Another option for people who write more in the daily log than the 136 pages will allow in the Leuchtturm1917--I use a (faux, vegan) Traveler's Notebook with 3 inserts--one pre-printed calendar insert from TN, one permanent collections, and one for daily logs. I go through 4-5 daily log inserts per year, have been using the same permanent collections insert for about 8 years, and get a new calendar insert every year from JetPens.
posted by MagnificentVacuum at 3:03 PM on December 1, 2022

You can also get stamps to customize, eg numbering 1-31 down the edge of a page or many shapes of perpetual or tracker calendars
posted by clew at 4:35 PM on December 3, 2022