My Foray Into a Trend

One week in the Bullet Journal

I am getting into something (that I've always done, but now it's a trend and has a name).

Bullet Journaling!

If you don't know what this is, I recommend that you don't go on Pinterest to find out. It gets kinda overwhelming when you start to see what people do with their bullet journals - they are so creative and make very pretty journals. Mine are not as cool, but they do the same thing.

Basically, a bullet journal is a to-do list system; a way of being organized (Hooray!! I love organization!). Lots of people use their journals to keep track of more than just their daily to-do lists. They have all sorts of tracking pages and stuff. They track what they read, progress towards goals, and use lots of colors. I'm not there yet.

September's Monthly Page

My bullet journal is pretty basic right now. I actually have two of them - one for work and one for home stuff. They are set up the same way, in the back of some half-finished notebooks or journals that I have going right now. I have a new journal, ready to start doing some more of the other things that I want to track, but I'm not going to start that one until October.

I start my month with a calendar page. I've found that having this helps me to keep track of specific things all in one place, so I can easily see what I need to keep in mind when I am scheduling other things. I have a weekly meeting (Hi, J!) and weekly webinars starting up on September 8th. I have a board meeting and a product release deadline to meet as well. I also have ONE DAY OFF!

The next page has my monthly goals. I want to make my own lunches instead of spending extra money on buying fast food and/or prepackaged meals from the store. I also need to increase my vegetable intake, so I am tracking that each month as well. I am going to be a bit more proactive when it comes to getting my lunch menu planned, and I have a couple other things to do this month as well.

I use my own shorthand, symbols, and codes to help me keep track of things. When I go onto Pinterest to see examples of how others use this type of journal, I get quickly overwhelmed and amused to see that some folks use over 20 types of indicators in their journals. I just can't do that. I use three basic indicators - a box, an X, and an arrow. My list starts off with boxes next to each task/idea. When I finish something, I put an X in the box. If I don't finish something, I use an arrow to indicate that it still needs to be done. That's it. That's all I do. Ooh, I do give myself little hearts in my goal tracking when I do what I say I want to do. There you go, four indicators.

The one idea that I've received from Pinterest that I really like (and that doesn't just completely overwhelm me) is the use of the bullet journal as a mindfulness tool and exercise. There are some folks who discuss that they spend time every evening going over their journal and getting things ready for the next day. I think I can do that on Saturday evenings... spend some time with my markers and colored pencils to focus on getting tasks identified and scheduled as well as to spend some time in creativity. Many journalers include a gratitude page in their monthly setup as well. I don't always remember the things that are valuable to me, so I am going to start that up as well.

If you are interested in learning more about bullet journaling from someone who really knows what it's about, I've found that it's best to go to the source - Ryder Carroll. Here's his website: http://bulletjournal.com/.  The best thing about Mr. Carroll is that he emphasizes things like personal structuring and the absence of "the best way" to do things. His bullet journal is simple and practical and doesn't require the use of pretty handwriting or fancy borders. I like that. (Pinterest often makes me feel that my own meager efforts are indications that I am just not passionate enough about the bujo life!!) What is most important is that I find my way to do this, and I am doing so.

This more formal way of organizing my tasks has helped me figure out my priorities and is helping me finish things that I tend to put off. I know that I will figure out more and more ways to use this format to help me with other parts of my life.

If you are interested in more about how I am using this system here at home and also at work, contact me through the website. If you are a fellow journaler, how are you using your bullet journal to organize your personal and professional lives? Comment below!