Short answer: yes, for most bullet journal methods a reusable notebook works fine. For some it does not. In this article we explain exactly which type of bullet journaling fits a reusable notebook (rapid logging, habit trackers, weekly logs) and which type stays better in a traditional bullet journal from Leuchtturm1917 or Archer & Olive (decorative spreads, fountain pen art, sticker work).
We are the makers of MOYU, reusable stone paper notebooks. We write this to help you choose, not to convince you. There are things our notebooks are genuinely good for, and things where a traditional notebook works better. Below we lay them out, plus a comparison table and the most frequently asked questions.
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Bullet journaling is a note-taking method developed in 2013 by Ryder Carroll. The core is what he calls rapid logging: instead of full sentences you write short lines with status symbols. A dot for a task, a dash for a note, an open circle for an event. Layered on top are index pages, future logs, monthly logs and daily logs.
What most people know from Instagram and Pinterest is only the surface layer: creative spreads with markers, stickers and calligraphy. But the original method is functional and minimal. Which direction you take it largely determines whether a reusable notebook suits you.
The core of the bullet journal method, fast bullet points with status symbols, works excellently in a reusable notebook. In fact, this is exactly what such a notebook is built for. You write fast, you check off, you adjust status, you erase what is no longer needed. No empty old pages taking up space.
A habit tracker (a grid of days against habits you want to build) might just be the single best use case for a reusable notebook. At the end of the month you can photograph the page for your archive, then erase it to start a new month. No 12 worn pages per year.
A weekly spread with the days and space for tasks works very well in MOYU. You fill in the week, check off items, erase when the week is over. Same for monthly logs. Cyclical planning that restarts every week or month is where reusable shines.
Temporary notes, ideas, things you want to capture now and process later. You dump everything on a dotted page, move what stays to another system (Notion, a task app, your calendar), and erase the page for the next thought-shower.
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Lists of tasks that need to be done for a project or milestone. Once the project is done, the page can go. Saves you literally half a Leuchtturm full of old projects no longer relevant.
Here we get to what our notebooks cannot do. The pages are designed to be erased, so markers, stamps and stickers do not work or work poorly. A sticker will not stay permanently. Marker ink mixes differently than on regular paper. If you do a lot of visual decoration, choose a traditional bullet journal from Leuchtturm1917, Archer & Olive or Scribbles That Matter with thicker paper. We do not make a good product for that purpose, and that is more honest to say than to pretend otherwise.
A bullet journal as a yearbook you want to look back at in 5 years, that is not what a reusable notebook does well. The whole point is that you erase. Want to keep notes permanently? Do that in another system: scanned to PDF, in Notion, or in a paper archive notebook kept separately.
A traditional bullet journal has numbered pages and an index up front, so you can find back where certain notes are. Our notebooks are not pre-numbered, and because you erase, the "contents" change every month anyway. That does not fit the strict Carroll index method.
We work with a special erasable pen (the MOYU pen or Pilot FriXion is the standard). Fountain pen ink or thick markers can leave stains and do not erase. Many bullet journalers use fountain pens specifically, so if that applies to you, choose traditional paper.
For the scanner-reader, the core criteria side by side:
If you want to experiment with bullet journaling in a reusable notebook, you can build a custom notebook at MOYU with only dotted pages. On moyu-notebooks.com/shop/build-your-own you choose the page mix that suits you. For the bullet journaler we recommend setting all pages to dotted, with maybe a few lined for longer notes.
Practical tip: do not start with a fully worked-out system on day one. Fill in a week or two on a few pages, see what sticks and what does not, then erase what does not work. That is something you cannot do with a Leuchtturm without feeling wasteful.
A reusable notebook with bullet journal method works best if you:
And it works less well if you:
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Yes. You can get dotted pages at MOYU. Via the build-your-own tool you can compose a notebook with only dotted, only lined, only blank, or a mix. For bullet journaling we recommend a full-dotted setup.
No. You need an erasable pen to be able to write on and erase from stone paper. The MOYU pen and Pilot FriXion are the two most commonly used. A regular ballpoint will write but will not erase.
Up to about 500 times per page, tested in our own lab. Each page shows first signs of wear after about 500 erase cycles. In practice almost no one reaches that number over the notebook's lifespan.
For the core (rapid logging, weekly logs, monthly logs, habit tracker) yes. For the page index and future log method less so. The index assumes fixed page numbers, and MOYU pages are not pre-numbered, with contents changing through erasure.
For a functional bullet journaler yes. For people who treat their bullet journal as a piece of art with markers, calligraphy and stickers, Leuchtturm or Archer & Olive remain the better choice. A reusable notebook serves a different purpose: reusing, not archiving.
Yes. Many people scan their page with a phone scan app (CamScanner, Microsoft Lens, or Apple's built-in Notes scan feature) before erasing. That way you keep a digital archive of habit trackers or monthly spreads.
Bullet journaling is a method, not a brand or paper type. Whether a reusable notebook fits you depends on how you use that method. For functional and cyclical use (rapid logging, habit tracker, weekly logs) a reusable notebook might be the best choice. For decorative and archiving use, traditional paper works better.
Want to try MOYU as a bullet journal? Build your own at moyu-notebooks.com/shop/build-your-own. More on how stone paper actually works at moyu-notebooks.com/about/stone-paper.