Why I’ve Switched From Bullet Journal to Ring Agenda
With an ever-changing schedule and career iterations, I’ve been a devoted bullet journaller since 2018. It’s a system that works excellently for me because it is SO flexible – you literally map out your spreads however you see fit. You can keep it simple, like Ryder Carroll intended, or make it beautifully creative.
Me? I’ve always sat somewhere in between, preferring pages and collections that are functional for me and my lifestyle, as well as the fun of using fun markers and stickers. It’s annoying, but it really is so joyful to create an aesthetically pleasing weekly spread and sit with it all week at work.
However, a few weeks ago I made some orders for planner inserts to elevate my Martha Brook London Life Planner binder. Before my bujo, I was a ban.do diary girl and before that? I was a Filofax girl (and ambassador!). It’s clear that staying organised has always been important to me.
It’s simple
The main draw of switching to a more classic ring binder planner is that it is, ultimately, an incredibly simple system. You can easily purchase yearly planner inserts from many brands: simply pop into your ring binder, et voilà.
While my bullet journal is famously simple and I didn’t ever spend longer than 10-15 minutes per week setting up the pages I needed, I began to find it more and more of a chore. Moreover, I’d settled into a rhythm that really required the same sort of setup every week. As such, the benefits of a bullet journal were dissolving for me: I didn’t require the endless space, I used the same features weekly and I kept forgetting to use my bloody collections at the front! The main pull of a bullet journal was the bullet system and rolling dailies, which I plan to keep using in my ring agenda.
It’s just as customisable
Although I keep forgetting to use my collection pages and I don’t require endless space, I’m happy that a ring agenda is just as customisable. Thanks to small businesses like Cloth & Paper and Rosie Papeterie, you can find inserts that work for you. From note-taking to dot grid pages, vertical weeklies to habit trackers, it’s a system that bridges the best of both planning worlds.
I plan to use my ring binder planner mostly for weekly planning, but also to keep memories and continue long-form journalling as and when I need it. I’m already excited to create my own inserts and capture almost everything that I did before, but in a more effective way. And, I’m excited to bring you along for the journey!
It will save me precious time
One of my most-asked questions is ‘how do you have time to bujo? I could never!’ and I’d always respond that I made time to do it. Like I previously said, I don’t really spend more than 10-15 minutes per week and have a handy Pinterest board full of simple, minimal yet functional pages. However, I’ve recently increased the length of my workouts, my personal life is ever-busy and I recently spent some time evaluating the pockets of my lifestyle where I could claw back more time.
My bullet journal is one. The weekly setup (necessary to my own planning requirements, but not every bullet journaller) on Sunday evenings began to feel more like a chore. Previously, I enjoyed these 15 minutes to be creative and conjure up a weekly spread. More and more often, I’d sketch a basic layout, feel dissatisfied and repeat. Now that I feel fine about having a simple layout, I’m looking forward to saving time altogether with premade weekly layouts.
It is aesthetically pleasing
Finally, a ring agenda is incredibly aesthetically pleasing. Bullet journals were never purpose-made to look beautiful, they were made for function. While planner inserts can look clinical compared to the doodles and custom-made bujo pages, they can equally be customised. I’m looking forward to customising mine with dashboards from Black female-founded Cloth & Paper, custom inserts made by me(!), stickers from my beloved moehrenkunst and adding colourful touches with the same Tombow dual brush pens that adorned my 2023 bullet journal.
How do you stay organised?