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organization || planner VS bullet journal | which one do you need? | ad

IoanaFebruary 28, 2020

How do you decide between a planner and a bullet journal? There’s pros and cons to each organizational system, and you’ve got to pick the one that suits your goals, lifestyle and preferences!

Get some inspiration by seeing what a bullet journal and planner could look like, how you can transfer from one system to another, and ultimately – how to choose your favourite!

A huge thank you to Clever Fox for sponsoring this video and gifting me the two planners I used to help you pick between the organizational systems!

the questions

Here are some questions to get you started. Keep track of how many your answer YES and NO to!

  • Do you often make lists?
  • Do you like having everything in one place despite clutter?
  • Do you find setting up a planner spread every month or week appealing?
  • Do you find it hard to get all the planner features you’re looking for in one planner?
  • Is every week different for you?
  • Do you dislike routine?
  • Are you in an expansive/changing stage of life (vs. a consistent one)?
  • Do you have a low price point?
  • Would you value personalization over aesthetic/professionalism?

If you answered YES to more than half of these – try BULLET JOURNALING!
If you answered NO to more than half of these – PLANNING might be for you!

the Pros and Cons

both systems

  • SPEED | depending how you use them, both systems can be as fast or as time-consuming as you like!
  • ORGANIZED | you’ll need something that’s more organized than your chaotic life if it’s going to work!
  • GOAL SETTING | a good organization system will help you set and accomplish your goals, with reflections along the way.
  • CREATIVE & CRAFTY | you can really do this with any system! It’s all about HOW you get creative with it.
The Clever Fox Planners are an excellent blend between personalization and structure.

unique features of a planner

  • INSPIRING | the preset layouts can give you ideas and provoke some good reflection!
  • STRUCTURED | planners are very systematic and this can make it easier to flip to the pages you need in a hurry.
  • PROFESSIONAL | because someone else professionally made it, your planner may be more suited for a professional environment.
  • AESTHETIC | don’t fret if you’re not an artistic type, since your planner can fill that role for you!

unique features of a bullet journal

  • FLEXIBLE | you can literally do anything with your bullet journal. Anything.
  • PERSONALIZED | there’s no constraints on space, topics, or prompts!
  • ARTISTIC | blank notebooks are the perfect inspiration to get artsy, crafty, and messy.
  • CLUTTERED | speaking of messy – most bullet journals are simply chronological, which can be hard to index and search.
  • POSSIBLY TIME CONSUMING | this is highly dependent on you, but generally having to set up your own spreads can take longer.
  • LESS EXPENSIVE | plain notebooks, lined notebooks, that cheap dollar store notebook – they’re all bullet journals!

the video

Check out Clever Fox’s awesome line of planners and dot grid notebooks!

USE CODE GET20OFF for a 20% discount on all products!

Website
http://bit.ly/2Cxd373

Amazon
US (all planners & dotted notebooks)
Weekly: https://amzn.to/392mDMB *
Daily: https://amzn.to/2T3BQr4 *
Pro: https://amzn.to/2Tl3IWJ *
CA (classic planners only – weekly, daily, PRO weekly, budget)
Weekly: https://amzn.to/386rUS3 *
Daily: https://amzn.to/3833MQ9 *

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleverfoxplanner/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cleverfoxplanner

Clever Fox’s planners are beautiful AND functional. If I were to make a planner, it would look very similar to these bullet-journal-inspired layouts. There’s gratitude logs, reminders to reward yourself for your accomplishments, and a habit tracker – all with a level of customization and personalization that is rare in regular planners.

Do you prefer a planner or a bullet journal? Let me know in the comments below!

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Comments (1)

  • organization || my favourite Clever Fox planner-inspired reflection prompts – Mistral Spirit

    March 3, 2020 at 2:26 pm

    […] used it in my latest video to compare the two systems and when flipping through it, I realized there were so many reflection prompts that I absolutely […]

    Reply

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Nice to meet you!

Hi, it’s Ioana! I’m a blogger, brand marketer, and recent Queen’s Commerce alumni. When I’m not drinking coffee, reading, studying or exploring the city, I dabble in creative projects like this one!

Latest posts

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    November 1, 2022
  • "Company" on Broadway in NYC

    July 25, 2022
  • what it means to be your own friend (feat. my last bathroom selfie in Goodes Hall)

    April 26, 2022

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ioana.pitu

ioana | mistral spirit | organization & creativity
A sketch from Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov this mornin A sketch from Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov this morning. 🏫 I tried a triple-crosshatch technique to suggest the medieval-era clay tile roofing, inspired by a framed sketch in a local restaurant. Definitely using it again! I love playing with interpretive lines like this: the way a messy bundle of strokes demand to be seen a certain way depending on their context, but are entirely unclear when seen too closely.

Supplies:
📘 @moleskine watercolour sketchbook
🖊️ @fabercastellcanada 0.3 fineliner

📍 Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov

#travelsketch #urbansketch #urbansketching #travelsketching #sketchbook #moleskine #uskromania #urbansketchingromania #brasovart #brasovsketch #romania #fabercastell #pittfabercastell #moleskinesketchbook #travelsketchbook
Loved visiting this castle today 🇷🇴 Saving i Loved visiting this castle today 🇷🇴 Saving it here so I can paint it later and because this song was perfect for it. 👌 Bran Castle is the castle (actually a fortress) in the Transylvania region of Romania that inspired Bram Stoker’s original Dracula story.

📍 Bran Castle, Transylvania, Romania

#brancastle #romania #travelling #romaniamagica #travelblog
Quick little sketching break in Carvoeiro, Portuga Quick little sketching break in Carvoeiro, Portugal. @usktoronto #usktoronto If you’ve ever wondered how long these sketches take… here is how much I can sketch in 20 mins! Looking forward to adding a bit of dimension to this one after with watercolours. 🤗 

2 supplies I always carry with me:
@moleskine art sketchbook
@fabercastellcanada 0.3 black fineliner

#carvoeiro #urbansketchers #traveldrawing #drawingsketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #sketchbookart #illustration #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #traveljournal #travelwatercolor #traveldiary
Not exaggerating when I say @torontostationeryshow Not exaggerating when I say @torontostationeryshow was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. ❤️ Had an absolute blast sharing the @thewashitapeshop love, meeting other journalers, helping customers find their style of washi, giving out free samples, starting off a few young bullet journalers with their first washi tapes, chatting with other vendors and basically just having the best paper party ever. 🎉

@dreyray and @queeniescards you are both incredible. 🙌 And so are the 80+ other vendors we had the pleasure of sharing a space (and a passion) with. 🥰

#torontostationeryshow #torontostationeryshow2023 #stationeryshow #stationery #hobby #papercraft #journaler #journaling #stationerylover #stationeryshop
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featured ideas & perspectives

Writing 50k words in ONE month: National Novel Writing Month 2022 Prep Vlog + Goal Setting + Events

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I’m participating in NaNoWriMo this year! National Novel Writing Month is a worldwide, virtual writing event during the month of November during which hundreds of thousands of people around the world set one goal for themselves: to write 50,000 words (a novel) in a month. That’s 1,667 every day. I first did Camp NaNoWriMo twice…

by Ioana November 1, 2022November 1, 2022
“Company” on Broadway in NYC

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We decided to make our first night in New York City a Broadway night. I’m so glad we ended up choosing the musical “Company”… it completely blew me away! The story opens on the 35th birthday of Bobby, a bachelorette whose friends are all married couples. We then get to see vignettes of each couple’s…

by Ioana July 25, 2022October 22, 2022
what it means to be your own friend (feat. my last bathroom selfie in Goodes Hall)

what it means to be your own friend (feat. my last bathroom selfie in Goodes Hall)

Earlier today I took what will likely be my last bathroom selfie in Goodes Hall. (Hopefully in equal part because I’ll grow out of it and because I’m about to graduate from undergrad. 😋) Isn’t it an amazing feeling to be fascinated by an area of study? The utter excitement that comes along with it!…

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A sketch from Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov this mornin A sketch from Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov this morning. 🏫 I tried a triple-crosshatch technique to suggest the medieval-era clay tile roofing, inspired by a framed sketch in a local restaurant. Definitely using it again! I love playing with interpretive lines like this: the way a messy bundle of strokes demand to be seen a certain way depending on their context, but are entirely unclear when seen too closely.

Supplies:
📘 @moleskine watercolour sketchbook
🖊️ @fabercastellcanada 0.3 fineliner

📍 Piaţa Sfatului, Braşov

#travelsketch #urbansketch #urbansketching #travelsketching #sketchbook #moleskine #uskromania #urbansketchingromania #brasovart #brasovsketch #romania #fabercastell #pittfabercastell #moleskinesketchbook #travelsketchbook
Loved visiting this castle today 🇷🇴 Saving i Loved visiting this castle today 🇷🇴 Saving it here so I can paint it later and because this song was perfect for it. 👌 Bran Castle is the castle (actually a fortress) in the Transylvania region of Romania that inspired Bram Stoker’s original Dracula story.

📍 Bran Castle, Transylvania, Romania

#brancastle #romania #travelling #romaniamagica #travelblog
Quick little sketching break in Carvoeiro, Portuga Quick little sketching break in Carvoeiro, Portugal. @usktoronto #usktoronto If you’ve ever wondered how long these sketches take… here is how much I can sketch in 20 mins! Looking forward to adding a bit of dimension to this one after with watercolours. 🤗 

2 supplies I always carry with me:
@moleskine art sketchbook
@fabercastellcanada 0.3 black fineliner

#carvoeiro #urbansketchers #traveldrawing #drawingsketch #sketchbook #sketching #artjournal #travelsketch #drawyourday #sketchbookart #illustration #urbansketching #sketchjournal #finelinerdrawing #moleskine #moleskinesketchbook #traveljournal #travelwatercolor #traveldiary
Not exaggerating when I say @torontostationeryshow Not exaggerating when I say @torontostationeryshow was one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. ❤️ Had an absolute blast sharing the @thewashitapeshop love, meeting other journalers, helping customers find their style of washi, giving out free samples, starting off a few young bullet journalers with their first washi tapes, chatting with other vendors and basically just having the best paper party ever. 🎉

@dreyray and @queeniescards you are both incredible. 🙌 And so are the 80+ other vendors we had the pleasure of sharing a space (and a passion) with. 🥰

#torontostationeryshow #torontostationeryshow2023 #stationeryshow #stationery #hobby #papercraft #journaler #journaling #stationerylover #stationeryshop
Ranking my bullet journal spreads 2016 - 2023! 📚 I love having 8 old bullet journals to look back through because each one contains bits and pieces of goals I set, and projects I worked on, and organization methods I forgot I once tried. I’ve always had the weird sensation of remembering a moment as it’s happening, and I think a part of the reason why is that I’m obsessed with never forgetting what it’s like to be at the beginning of something. Some day when I’m old, I might figure everything out. But I always want to remember what it was like when I didn’t. ❤️

#bulletjournal #bujo #bulletjournalideas #bujoideas #bujoinspiration #bujosystem #organized #planningtips #planningsystem #planning #planner #torontoplanner #torontoplannerjunkies #canadianplannergirls #studentplanner #bulletjournalflipthrough #bujospread #bulletjournalspread
Stumbled across this exhibition called “Housewar Stumbled across this exhibition called “Housewarming” by @karinegiboulo while at the @gardinermuseum a couple months ago and I’m SO glad I did. It not only gave me the remarkable sensation of both delight and discomfort at the same time, but it gave me the push to check out more local museums! I find they’re a rare solo sanctuary for me and always leave me a little more excited and inspired than when I arrived.

About “Housewarming”: Montreal-based artist Karine Giboulo (@karinegiboulo) invités you on a journey through a life-size reimagining of her home, animated by more than 500 polymer clay figures. With the pandemic as a constant presence, the colourful dioramas animating each room prompt reflection about the challenges we face as a society, from climate change and food insecurity to consumerism and the housing crisis. 

#creative #creativity #museums #gardinermuseum #torontomuseums #torontocreative #torontolife #karinegiboulo
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